November 12, 2020

Beverly City Council

191 Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915

Dear Members of the City Council,

I am writing to express interest in the Ward 6 City Council seat that will soon be vacated by the
resignation of Councilor John Frates.

As a former two-term City Councilor At-Large I have the experience to hit the ground running
on behalf of the residents of Ward 6. During my time on the Council I served on the Finance &
Property sub-committee and served as Chair of the Legal Affairs & Ordinances sub-committee.
I am very familiar with the budget process and the City Charter and Ordinances. I will not face
the learning curve that new Council members confront and the residents of Ward 6 would be
fully represented on Day 1.

I also have established relationships with many City Council and School Committee members as
well as with Mayor Cahill, Representative Parisella, Senator Lovely, our City Clerk and many
city department heads, business owners and community leaders. Having served as a senior aide
to Governor Charlie Baker in the Governor’s Office I also possess a vast network of contacts
across state government. In normal times, these relationships are invaluable to any elected
official. During a pandemic with social distancing and in-person gathering limitations in place
they are even more critical as it will be daunting if not impossible for a new Councilor to forge
the relationships necessary to be effective over the single year remaining in the term.

Our city faces many challenges including the impacts of COVID-19 and the resulting economic
crisis as well as pressing issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion in our society. I am
tackling these issues every day in my professional role as the Chief Human Resources Officer of
a large public agency. I am well prepared to step in right away to work with you to address these
complex and difficult issues.

During my time on the Council I partnered closely with Councilor Frates on many local issues in
Ward 6. In fact, residents still reach out to me for assistance to this day! I have direct
experience working on both the big picture issues facing the City of Beverly as well as the local
issues facing our neighborhoods and residents in Ward 6.

Several City Council members have expressed concerns to me about the annual Beverly Farms
4th of July “Horribles” Parade. I respect your perspectives and I agree that discrimination cannot
be tolerated anywhere in our city. I am embedded in the Beverly Farms community and I
believe I am uniquely positioned to help bring folks together to advance the conversation and
make progress. I pledge to work with you proactively on this issue.

Lastly, the residents of this district know me and they have been my biggest supporters. As an
At-Large Councilor I was on the ballot three times in Ward 6 and I consistently received my
largest vote share from the voters of this district. Even in my last campaign in 2017, an election
in which I finished in 4th place citywide, I was the top vote getter in Ward 6, Pct. 1 and the
number two vote getter in Ward 6, Pct. 2. You can feel confident that my track record, values
and approach are in step with the views of the residents of Ward 6.

These are historically challenging times and competent leadership is required now more than
ever. I believe I have the experience and qualifications to best represent the residents of Beverly
Farms, Centerville and Prides Crossing over the next year. As the Ward 6 City Councilor, I will
be responsive to constituent needs and I will seek to work collaboratively with each of you to
help make the best decisions for the future of Ward 6 and the City of Beverly.

It would be a great honor to serve my community on the City Council. I humbly ask for your
consideration and vote for the interim appointment to the Ward 6 City Council seat.

Sincerely,

Matthew St. Hilaire