Longtime Dresden resident Gary Getchell is running for selectboard. Getchell has already served Dresden in numerous ways. Upon retirement he immediately jumped into participating in the community as town moderator for three years and as Dresden’s School Board Chair for six. Concerned about transparency in governance, budgets, and town contracts, Getchell believes the time is right to serve again. “I have been on and headed committees where public interest was involved since the 1960s. I still have that desire to serve the ‘public interest’ and hope that Dresden voters will give me that opportunity on June’s ballot.”

While Getchell has had a lifelong affiliation with Dresden, his career has taken him in many directions, gaining experience in a range of roles. He taught math at every level, elementary through college, and along the way developed curriculums that could be shared remotely. His approach to distance learning was cutting edge and he was instrumental in teaching colleagues how to conduct classes on live TV, personal DVDs, and the internet. As Chair of the Dresden School Board he was also its representative on the MSAD-16 (Hall-Dale) Board of Directors and when MSAD 16 became RSU 2.

In addition to his experience in the classroom, Getchell served as president of the Yarmouth Teachers Association and was their chief negotiator and, after moving from K-12 to higher education, represented Cape Cod Community College professors at the state level for almost 20 years. He also tackled the role of chairperson of the Massachusetts Distance Learning Consortium and was a mathematics test developer for Educational Testing Services. He also represented The College Board at conferences across the U.S. and in Canada. Along the way he also coached soccer, baseball, and track.

Through this impressive range of experience Getchell believes his greatest strength lies in being a great listener. As principal of the Mattachesse Middle School in Yarmouth, Massachusetts he managed a student body of 900 children as well as a staff in excess of 90 ranging from teachers, counselors, custodians, cafeteria personnel, and bus drivers. In this role he gained experience producing and managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and most importantly, listening. “I learned that listening to fellow citizens, parents, students, and all other folks with whom I had contacts was much more important in problem solving than what I call ‘talking at them or talking to them.’ Listening – to me – involves ‘talking with them.’ There is a huge difference!” he said.

After taking some time to focus on restoring his 1761 homestead, Getchell is excited to rejoin the effort to help Dresden tackle what he sees as keys issues of fair taxation, road improvement, and sensible education policies. He wants to help continue making Dresden a welcoming and vibrant community for current and new residents and businesses.

Getchell looks forward to meeting as many constituents as possible between now and Election Day on June 11 to share his thoughts and hear their concerns.