MY STORY

My story begins with the most important people in my life: my family.

My paternal grandparents came to the United States from Italy and settled in Everett. At a young age my grandfather became disabled (blind) and lost his job. Nonna, my grandmother, at the age of twenty-three worked long hours as a seamstress in Boston. Their only son, my dad, became the first Guardia ever to graduate from college and later earned a post-graduate degree.  

My maternal grandparents also arrived in Everett from Italy. They were middle-aged with three teenage children. My mom was fifteen years old and spoke very little English. Three years later she became the first in her family to graduate high school. Today she is an assistant vice president at a local bank.

My sister and I did not have to confront the hardships that my parents and grandparents faced. Their hard work and perseverance gave me the opportunity to attend an excellent public school system, earn a college degree, pursue a JD law degree and to be elected to the Wakefield School Committee.  As a School Committee member and especially this year as Chairman, I know what a quality education means to a family and to a community.

Sadly, I’ve also seen firsthand the negative impact of budget cuts, unfunded state mandates and what a lack of advocacy for our local cities and towns can do. It increases our property taxes, cuts into services such as education, police, fire, and senior centers, and worst of all it pits residents against one another in endless budget battles.

If elected I will work just as hard as my grandparents and parents did to do more for our communities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Education:

New and engaging curriculum.

Voted for new and engaging curriculum like FOSS Science that allows for hands on learning of science in the classroom. Voted for Virtual High School that allows for an expansion of classes and curriculum through online learning.

Bringing a community together.

Understanding that a school is more than just a place for learning but a community, Anthony also voted to create Wakefield Academy giving Wakefield students a place to go before and after school. By voting to begin a 5 year strategic planning process community leaders, activists and students came together to find ways to build a better school department. By bringing together the best that Wakefield has to offer, the school department continues to improve a plan that confronts the challenges of the 21st century.

Making the tough decisions.

Anthony Guardia is not afraid to make the difficult decisions. He makes the difficult and sometimes unpopular votes if he thinks it is in the best interest of the community. At times he has been the only dissenting vote. For example, when the former Superintendent of the Wakefield schools requested an 8% pay increase during a period of significant budget cutting, Anthony stood alone in opposing it, calling it “financially and morally unjustifiable.”

Getting results.

And even with the many tough votes and constant budget constraints leading to many difficult decisions, Anthony is proud to be part of a School Committee that recently saw Wakefield Memorial High School record a drop-out rate of under 1%.

Environmental Leadership:

Efficiently saving tax payer dollars.

With outdated buildings and a need to reduce costs, Anthony teamed up with other municipal officials to create Wakefield’s Energy Conservation Committee. Recruiting various local experts in green technology and construction, Wakefield pursued energy efficient contracts that would have no upfront costs to the town. The contract allowed Wakefield to pay for any construction through the savings guaranteed by the conservation impact, saving Wakefield taxpayer dollars while improving our environment.

Economic Revival:

Using your ideas.

During one of most difficult economic times in our history, Anthony believed in the talent, creativity and perseverance of the people in the district. He co-hosted the first ever Creative Revenue Forum. The Forum leaders invited everyone in town to suggest ideas on how the town could reduce costs and increase revenue. Out of this forum came the Wakefield Initiative. The Initiative has opened up new dialogue among business owners, landlords and government officials on how to make Wakefield a better community and a destination town.

Developing our downtown.

Some of the ideas that have become reality from the Wakefield Initiative include stimulating economic development downtown by creating a farmer’s market, bringing boating to Lake Quannapowitt, a triathlon event, and a downtown holiday stroll. This brings citizens from across the North Shore to Wakefield to bolster our local economy and revitalize the potential for new businesses.

Reducing fees.

Voted to sponsor legislation that would make school extra-curricular fees tax creditable. Extra-curricular activities are part of a public education and students should not be deterred from participating due to costs.

For the Disabled:

A more open community.

Anthony led an outreach effort that included brochures, community access television, local businesses and a website to communicate news, resources, and various other projects to the disabled community of Wakefield. He advocated that major crosswalks become retro-fitted with audio equipment so visually impaired residents would know when to cross the street, at no additional cost to the town budget. Anthony also assisted in sponsoring subsides for the Local Challenger League as well as a job fair at Wakefield High School for special education students.

Preparing for emergency.

Anthony worked with the Wakefield Fire Department to create an emergency preparedness database that advised first responders of the needs of local disabled individuals.