John McGrath, Candidate for Norwell Select Board
Q: Why are you running for the Norwell Select Board?
My decision to run for the Norwell Select Board is rooted in a deep sense of civic responsibility and an even deeper love for this community. My wife Alana and I moved to Norwell in 2017. She grew up on the South Shore, and once we settled here, I quickly realized just how special this town is. It’s not just where we live—it’s where we’re raising our children, and where we plan to stay for many years to come. Our daughter just started Kindergarten at Cole School, and our son is across the street at Ridge Hill Preschool.
As a parent, I want Norwell to remain a town where families feel supported, where seniors can continue to live comfortably, and where our public services and schools are strong and well-resourced. As a professional, I bring over a decade of experience in private & public sector financial strategy. I’m a former Budget Director, and I currently serve as the Director of Strategy & Innovation at a consulting firm that works directly with state and local governments across the country. My specialty is helping towns and cities improve their budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting processes—ensuring they can plan effectively and make data-informed decisions.
When I looked at the current challenges Norwell is facing—rising fixed costs, a tax levy limited by Proposition 2½, and growing concern about long-term sustainability—I knew I had both the passion and the professional experience to contribute in a meaningful way. I see this role not as a stepping stone, but as an opportunity to give back to a town that has given so much to my family.
Q: What are your top two priorities if elected, and how would you pursue them?
My first priority is to dramatically improve transparency and accessibility of financial and operational data across all levels of town government. Right now, a lot of the information about how our town runs—how money is spent, where projects stand, or what long-term financial scenarios look like—isn’t readily available to the average resident. That’s not for lack of interest or willingness; it's often due to outdated systems, limited resources, and manual processes that make it hard to surface data in a timely, digestible way.
I want to bring a modern solution to this challenge by implementing a cost-effective planning and reporting platform that consolidates Norwell’s financial, HR, and operational data into one integrated system. This system would enable automation of budget development, monthly forecasting, capital project tracking, and real-time dashboards for town departments and the public. It would allow residents and officials to quickly see how dollars are being allocated, which projects are on track or delayed, how much has been spent, and what the financial outlook is over a 1-, 5-, or even 30-year horizon.
For example, imagine a public dashboard showing the status of a capital project—how much of the budget has been spent, what funding sources were used (free cash, debt, grants, etc.), and whether the project is ahead or behind schedule. These insights not only support strategic planning but also increase public trust.
My second priority is easing the tax burden on residents by identifying ways to broaden our commercial tax base and rethink how we approach long-term fiscal sustainability. Right now, approximately 70% of Norwell’s general fund revenues are from residential property taxes. That leaves us highly vulnerable when costs increase—because we don’t have a diverse set of revenue streams to lean on.
I want to work collaboratively with the Planning Board and other committees to make it easier for small businesses and professional services to establish a presence in Norwell, especially in areas already zoned for commercial activity. We need to be thoughtful about preserving the character of the town, but that doesn’t mean we can’t grow smartly.
This also includes re-evaluating how we leverage grants, public-private partnerships, and state/federal funding. Norwell has historically been conservative in its approach to development, which I respect—but with thoughtful planning, we can expand our tax base without compromising the values that make Norwell unique.
Q: What is the most important issue facing Norwell right now? How would you address it?
The biggest issue facing Norwell today is our structural budget imbalance. Simply put, our costs—whether for healthcare, labor contracts, infrastructure maintenance, or mandated services—are rising much faster than the 2.5% annual revenue growth allowed under Proposition 2½. That’s not mismanagement; it’s a statewide constraint that municipalities across Massachusetts are grappling with. But without structural changes to how we plan, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up without needing periodic overrides.
Norwell has done a good job maintaining its AAA bond rating and providing excellent services, but those efforts are becoming harder to sustain. If we don’t address this imbalance, we risk being forced into continual cost-cutting—reducing services, limiting investments, and potentially losing the very things that make Norwell a desirable community.
To address this, we need a multi-pronged approach:
Improve long-term financial planning tools so we’re not just planning one year at a time.
Grow our commercial base to take some pressure off homeowners.
Enhance grant-seeking capacity and alternative funding strategies.
Conduct service-level reviews to ensure we’re using resources efficiently without sacrificing quality.
This isn’t about a one-year fix. It’s about setting Norwell up for the next 10, 20, and 30 years with a plan that is both sustainable and transparent.
Q: How would you ensure transparency and public engagement in town government?
Transparency is about more than just open meeting laws and budget books. It’s about presenting information in ways people can actually understand and engage with. As someone who has helped design financial transparency dashboards for public sector clients, I believe Norwell has a major opportunity here.
I would champion the development of interactive public dashboards that update monthly and are available on the town website. These could include:
A high-level overview of the town’s revenues, expenditures, and available reserves
Departmental dashboards that show budget-to-actuals
Capital project trackers showing funding sources, timelines, and milestones
Forecasts for upcoming years, showing potential gaps and needs
If you want to see an example - Buncombe County, California leverages Power BI for interactive transparency dashboards for expense analysis to allow residents to drill into the details (https://www.buncombecounty.org/transparency/).
When residents can see the numbers for themselves, it builds trust and improves engagement. I also want to continue supporting in-person forums, informational sessions, and regular communication between the Select Board and the community. Engagement is a two-way street, and the more informed our residents are, the stronger our decisions will be as a town.
Q: What personal or professional experience best prepares you to serve the people of Norwell?
I currently serve as the Chair of the Norwell Advisory Board, where I’ve spent the past two years reviewing every department’s budget and financial statements line by line. That includes historical actuals, funding sources, revenue trends, and the long-range impacts of our financial decisions. This experience has given me a deep understanding of how Norwell operates and where we can make improvements.
Professionally, I bring over a decade of experience in financial strategy and performance management. I’ve worked as a Budget Director and currently advise public sector clients across the country on how to improve planning, forecasting, reporting, and data transparency. I know how to navigate legacy systems, how to evaluate budget tradeoffs, and how to design strategic plans that don’t just look good on paper—but that work in practice.
I’m not running on rhetoric. I’m running on results. I want to apply everything I’ve learned from my professional career to help Norwell make smarter, more sustainable decisions that preserve the character of our town while planning responsibly for the future.