HAVERHILL — Veteran School Committee member Kerry Fitzgerald has given up her bid for re-election.
In an e-mail sent to supporters and friends, Fitzgerald said she has recently started a new job and wants to spend more time with her family.
Asked if her sixth-place finish in the Sept. 15 preliminary election was a factor in her decision to forgo the campaign, Fitzgerald said, "It made me realize I didn't have the time for this position."
By finishing sixth, Fitzgerald barely made the cut for the Nov. 3 election, in which three School Committee members will be chosen to four-year terms. Fitzgerald's name will remain on the ballot. To have had her name removed, she would have had to withdraw by Sept. 21, said Assistant City Clerk Rick Barber.
Fitzgerald said the job she began six weeks ago as a claims agent with the state Department of Workforce Development is occupying much of her energy.
Fitzgerald, who was first elected to the committee eight years ago, said she does not plan to endorse any of the five remaining candidates. She came within 45 votes of being eliminated in the Sept. 15 preliminary election.
Raymond Sierpina, the recently retired principal of the Tilton School, topped the field with 2,155 votes. Veteran School Committee member Joseph Bevilacqua, with whom Fitzgerald has often feuded, placed second with 2,023 votes. Political newcomer Paul Magliocchetti came in third with 1,679.
Daniel DeRoche Jr. and Krystine Hetel finished fourth and fifth with 1,546 and 1,198 votes respectively, while Fitzgerald followed with 1,110.
Katherine Kaczor, a first-time candidate, received 1,066 votes and was eliminated from the race, along with William Evans.
"I always did what I thought was right," Fitzgerald said of her two terms on the School Committee. She said one of her accomplishments was getting special programs spread throughout the system, instead of being concentrated in one particular school.
Fitzgerald said while she advocated for better schools, she also took a strong stand against raises in negotiations with the city teachers union.
"I'm not afraid to say no," she said. "I'm also a good compromiser."
Fitzgerald has been working in the Lawrence office of the state Department of Workforce Development. Before having children, Fitzgerald worked for the state Department of Transitional Assistance, where she was the communications manager. She also worked for the Department of Employment and Training, now the Department of Workforce Development.
"I'm running into people with whom I used to work," she said. "I'm very happy where I am. I'm looking forward to working my way up again."
Fitzgerald said she has no intention of running for School Committee again, but she added she intends to "beef up the parent groups." Before being elected to the committee, she was active with parent groups.
"I'm not going to miss the politics," she said.
Colleague Shaun Toohey, who worked with Fitzgerald on the negotiations subcommittee, said, "Kerry has certainly been passionate over the years. I wish her the best of luck. It was a pleasure working with her."
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