To the editor:
I am writing this letter to express my strong support for Alexis Leahy for Lynnfield’s Select Board.
I distinctly remember first meeting Alexis. I had recently moved back to Lynnfield, and found myself at a Lynnfield Tree Committee meeting. While I looked around the room there was one attendee that immediately stuck out, she was bright, respectful, and spoke with such an earnest attention to detail about the budget that I found myself having two thoughts: This woman knows her stuff, and I’m really glad she lives in Lynnfield.
A little while after that, I would encounter Alexis again in the café of Whole Foods during a Lynnfield Moms Group meet-up. Her pen and notebook were replaced with a toddler on one hip and a brand-new infant strapped to her chest. In this setting, she was as equally impressive as the first, but in totally different ways. Her effortless authenticity shined through. While far less serious, she still managed to navigate that meet-up with humor and a sense of “I’ve been there, I get it” tone that I, dealing with my own struggles as a working new mom, felt comforted by and grateful for.
In the years since those two encounters, I’ve only continued to witness the wonderful, what I consider mastery of Alexis Leahy. Leading the Summer Street PTO, she helped bring back that spark and fun the school lost in the COVID years. This work required finding new solutions and hearing all sides of difficult issues. Her ability to manage that is a clear result of Alexis’ 20-plus years in the banking industry. She has the foresight and tenacity only someone who has actually done the work can bring.
Much like that second encounter at Whole Foods showed me almost a decade ago, I’ve also seen her softer side. I’ve had the advantage of coaching one of her daughters, and it’s safe to say the Leahy family are a bit of a coach’s dream. Alexis never missed an opportunity to ask me what the team needed, including lugging giant jugs of hot chocolate and piles of blankets on freezing days. As for her daughter, she is always ready to play, in whatever position you put her in. She is not only one of the strongest on the field, but, more importantly, one of the kindest. On more than one occasion I caught her quietly tapping the stick of another teammate to let her know she’s there for her. That type of character is home-built, and it makes the entire team better. Imagine what that attitude, paired with a keen eye and tenacious work ethic, could do for the Lynnfield Select Board.
Alexis Leahy is not just the right candidate for the Select Board, she is needed. Not only would she be the first female voice in more than 20 years, but Alexis also understands what today’s parents, working or otherwise, are dealing with firsthand. Our generation started our professional careers in the early ‘00s, in the wake of 9/11; we were attempting to climb the ladder during the financial crisis of ’08-’09; and then, right around the time we were hoping to write our last daycare checks, we had to learn how to juggle Zoom calls with math facts and sight words, and try to convince ourselves that school in a mask was fine. Our experience has been unique, to put it lightly, and it is important there is someone on the Select Board who has lived it.
With Alexis, we can trust she will be diligent, open to hearing all sides, thoughtful, and unflappable. She’ll also do it all with a sense of humor that can make any stranger feel like a friend. Alexis has always had my admiration, on April 9 she’ll have my vote, and I hope yours too.
Thanks for your time,
Courtney Nunley
