Forgue, parent of two young children, joins School Committee

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March 27, 2008

By Bethany Bray

The newest member of the Andover School Committee won't have to look far to see the effect of his decisions. His children Naomi, 8, and Jobe, 6, are students at Shawsheen School.

"We have a lot in front of us. I'm not unappreciative of the task," said Forgue, who, motioning to his daughter, added, "It's all about these guys."

Dennis Forgue was elected to the vacant seat on the Andover School Committee Tuesday night, defeating opponent Gregory Rigby by 224 votes. Both were running for a three-year School Committee seat for the first time. The seat was left open by David Samuels, who did not run for re-election after one term.

Forgue won seven of Andover's nine precincts, and 54 percent of the 2,769 total ballots cast Tuesday.

The two candidates agreed they became friendly through the campaign and will remain in contact. Forgue said he has started to form an advisory group for support and feedback as he sits on the School Committee, and Rigby was the first person he called.

"We had fun running against each other. We were standing outside, holding signs until about quarter of eight," said Forgue Tuesday night. "It was a long, cold day, but very enjoyable, spent with very nice people, and at the top of that list was my opponent."

Rigby said he plans to run again next year. For now, he'll stay closely involved in town issues and is happy to support Forgue through the advisory group.

"They got a good guy," Rigby said as he socialized with friends and supporters at Palmer's, a local restaurant, after the polls closed. "I feel I ran a good campaign. I wouldn't have done anything differently. ... I don't think (Andover residents) would have gone wrong with either one of us."

Forgue and Rigby had similar viewpoints on many issues during the campaign, both saying the schools' financial operations could be more tightly run and opposing a Proposition 21/2 override for this year. They differed on the Community Preservation Act, which Forgue was in favor of and Rigby was not. The CPA was defeated.

Forgue said his first action as a School Committee member will be to call Joanne Marden, Finance Committee chairwoman, "to sit down and have a conversation to see if there is any way to put together a balanced budget."

Rigby said the first thing he would have done, if elected, would have been to ask the School Committee to take a vote to save athletics at Andover High School. That decision should not be up to the superintendent, but the School Committee, he said.

After the polls closed at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Forgue relaxed on the couch with his wife, Eileen, at their Reservation Road home and reflected on his campaign.

Daughter Naomi, a second-grader at Shawsheen who was still awake to celebrate with her dad, said she was "very excited" about the election results. Six-year-old Jobe was fast asleep, "out like a light," after a long day, said Eileen Forgue.

The decision to run for School Committee was a family decision, said Forgue, and he was grateful for the support of his wife throughout his campaign.

"I've promised Eileen that I would not be quiet (on the School Committee) and sit back my first year. I'm going to have an impact right away," he said. "I'm excited for the opportunity. I am hopeful that I can have a positive effect very soon. It's different when you have a seat at the table. I will do my very best to use it wisely."

Fiscal responsibility and improved communication among all town boards are issues important to Forgue, who said he plans on "building confidence in committees that the whole town can trust."

Forgue predicted he will face only a "small learning curve" because of his past experience with the Shawsheen School PTO, Andover's School Facilities Task Force, and the Andover Coalition for Education.