Re-Elect
Marianne Cooley
Needham Select Board
About Marianne
Marianne Cooley’s long commitment to service in Needham spans more than 25 years. She and her husband Al chose to settle in town in 1986 for the same reason many families do: the excellent schools, convenient services, accessibility to the highway, and frequent commuter rail service. Once their son and daughter were in the schools, Marianne began getting involved.
When her children were young, Marianne served as the co-president of the Needham Education Foundation and PTC co-president at Pollard Middle School. She wanted to ensure all students had access to the best opportunities Needham could offer. While her daughter was at Pollard, she also helped form what is now Citizens for Needham Schools. Her dedication to the schools and to education led her to run for the School Committee where she served more than three terms.
In 2013, when a seat opened on the Select Board, Marianne once again stepped up to serve. Over the past ten years, she has been the Chair of the Select Board twice, and has worked collaboratively with her fellow board members and with every board in town to foster and execute countless initiatives. More recently, one of Marianne’s proudest accomplishments is the support the town was able to offer its businesses, including making regulatory changes to enable outdoor dining. Needham was one of the first communities to offer the option, and the only one to offer a much-appreciated tent for its residents. Marianne has also been instrumental in helping to develop a Climate Action Plan for Needham, taking a leadership role in creating the Select Board’s Climate Action Plan Committee, on which she is a member.
An active listener, Marianne knows that the more she hears from stakeholders, the better a plan will become. Though reserved in her demeanor, Marianne is dogged about following all the steps needed to bring a plan into reality, and she is not afraid to pursue what she believes is best for the town and its residents.
After ten years on the Select Board, Marianne is seeking one final term. She is grateful for the collaborative partnerships she has developed with the Town Manager and her colleagues on the board, and she looks forward to forging new relationships as the board welcomes new members. She is excited to continue the important work laid out in the Select Board goals. Her priorities include funding school infrastructure without overburdening the taxpayer, improving transportation and safety, moving forward with plans for the MBTA Affordable Housing, making Needham an even more welcoming community, moving toward environmental sustainability, broadening citizen participation in government, and supporting town businesses.
Marianne looks forward to connecting with even more residents over the next few months and earning your vote in April.
Marianne’s Experince
Marianne has been dedicated to Needham for many years.
Learn more about her service on civic and town boards and committees.