Cathy Cleary (Methacton School District, At-large, Pennsylvania, candidate 2023)

Cathy Cleary

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Democratic Party

Candidate, Methacton School District, At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Lower Merion High School

Bachelor's

West Virginia University, 1990

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Cathy Cleary (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Methacton School District, At-large in Pennsylvania. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 7, 2023.^[source]

Cleary completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

One two-year term seat on the Methacton School District was up for election on May 16. That increased to two seats up for election on the November 7 general election ballot.

Elections

Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

General election

General election for Methacton School District, At-large (2 seats)

Cathy Cleary, Glenn P. Mersky, John Mack, and Ken Voss ran in the general election for Methacton School District, At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Cathy Cleary (D)
	Submit photo	Glenn P. Mersky (D)
	Submit photo	John Mack (R)
	Submit photo	Ken Voss (R)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Methacton School District, At-large (2 seats)

John Mack and Glenn P. Mersky ran in the Democratic primary for Methacton School District, At-large on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	John Mack
	Submit photo	Glenn P. Mersky

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Methacton School District, At-large (2 seats)

John Mack and Glenn P. Mersky ran in the Republican primary for Methacton School District, At-large on May 16, 2023.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	John Mack
	Submit photo	Glenn P. Mersky

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Cleary received the following endorsements.

• Area Four, Penn., Democratic Party

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cathy Cleary completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cleary's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a current Methacton School District Board (MSD) Director since April 2023 who was selected after a public interview process to fill a vacancy of an unexpired term. I serve on both the Finance and Policy Committees. I am running for a 2-year term seat. I believe in the power of public education, and I am passionate about achieving the highest level of education for our students and staff. I am a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility, and inclusive and transparent communication.

I am a 20+ year resident of Lower Providence Township. My husband and I have raised our sons in the MSD, both of whom have recently graduated and moved on to college. I am an environmental insurance attorney with 28+ years' experience working with policy, deal negotiation and contracts. I am a former Arrowhead Elementary School Treasurer and Methacton Coordinating Council Corresponding Secretary. I am also a Post-Prom volunteer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to be part of a solution to educate our students through encouragement and individualized support to prepare them for life inside and outside the classroom, and to compete in a global economy.
• I am committed to evidence-baed decision-making and accountability in financial stewardship.
• I want to inspire all stakeholders (students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, residents and alumni) to engage with and participate in our Methacton community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

When it comes to education, I am passionate about:

(a) PA reaching a fair, constitutional funding scheme for funding PA public schools;

(b) supporting, training and paying our teachers like professionals. We need to provide a supportive environment for our staff so that we can retain and attract the best talent in an ever-increasingly challenging environment;

(b) creating and maintaining a safe, healthy and inclusive environment for all students;

(c) maintaining free breakfast for all students and inclusion of free lunch for low-income students; and

(d) addressing aging infrastructure in schools;

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary role of any school board is governance. The board is responsible for conveying to the superintendent where the board collectively wants the district to go by establishing a vision and goals for the school district that support the needs of our students, faculty and staff.

Who are your constituents?

Students, faculty, staff, administrators, parents and community members.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I would like to see curriculum expanded to combine college preparatory academics with technical training and workplace experience through apprenticeships. I would like to see more innovative spaces, including a maker space.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Cleary completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• Children First Action Fund
• League of Women Voters

See also

2023 Elections

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Candidate

Methacton School District, At-large

Website

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