Meredith Fry Joins Crowded Field Of Select Board Candidates

CHATHAM – Meredith Fry, the current chair of the park and recreation commission, has joined the field of candidates running for the select board in the May 14 annual town election.

 Fry joins Carol Gordon, Brian Phillips and Randi Potash in running for the three-year seat on the board. Incumbent Shareen Davis is not seeking another term.

 A 20-year veteran of the park and recreation commission, Fry said in an email that that experience gives her an extensive knowledge of the town’s waters, beaches, parks and the community center and its programs. She also serves on the Kate Gould Park beautification committee, which is currently developing plans to restore and upgrade the downtown park.

 In her work on the commission, the safety of the beaches, which she called the town’s greatest asset, has been her greatest concern. She helped lead the implementation of a safety plan for Lighthouse Beach to educate residents and visitors about conditions there, including the presence of great white sharks. She also initiated or helped implement other programs including new pickleball courts at the middle school, improvements to Veterans Field and town tennis courts and playgrounds.

 She sees housing as the top issue facing the town, with the lack of affordable and attainable risking the town “becoming a seasonal resort with no year-round community.” Coastal resilience and climate change is another top issue. Property values, tourism and water safety depend on protecting the coastline, and the town should invest in flood mitigation and shoreline protection and support science-based planning for sea level rise.

 Other top issues include infrastructure upgrades, such as alternative transportation to alleviate traffic congestion and parking; cutting costs to year-round residents and saving money through regionalizing services with neighboring towns; working with the state on more grant opportunities; and streamlining the permitting process for small businesses.

 Chatham, she said, has a special place for her; her parents dated here while her father worked at Pate’s and her mother at the Christopher Ryder House. She grew up in New Jersey but spent weekends here. Her father taught her to fish and shellfish. As a teen, she worked at the Port Fortune restaurant nights and as a chamber maid during the day. Her father moved the family to New Canaan, Conn. “just to be closer to Chatham,” she said. Her parents eventually retired here.

Fry received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Denison University. She moved to Chatham with two young children 24 years ago after she lost her husband on 9/11. “I moved to the only sanctuary I knew – Chatham,” she said. She found support here and married Shanon St. Pierre. The couple have a son.

Fry played field hockey and lacrosse in high school and college, and she coached recreation department soccer and middle school soccer and was assistant varsity lacrosse coach at Nauset High School. She’s also volunteered with the Housing Assistance Corp. and the Witches on the Water fundraiser.

Fry is also an active runner, tennis player and platform tennis player.

 “I know the importance of building a strong community and teamwork,” she wrote. “I have seen Chatham change and grow and I am committed to preserving Chatham’s beauty and charm. I have the time and energy to devote to the select board and Chatham. I am a leader and I want to get things done.”

The last day to turn in signed nomination papers at the town clerk's office is March 26.