In their first contested race since 2017, longtime incumbents Michael Greis and Matt Spengler secured School Committee seats for their 8th and 4th terms, respectively — winning against challenger Lauren Soper.
Candidates, campaign volunteers and enthusiastic family members held signs through the morning and into the evening at each polling location. Soper moved from site to site in “game day” heels, and Greis sported his “Needham occasion” tie colored blue and yellow.
When the votes were counted at day’s end, Spengler and Greis had topped the ballot. The preliminary tally: 3,841 votes for Greis, 3,549 votes for Spengler and 2,670 votes for Soper.
“Relief” and “excitement” were Greis’ reactions to election results.
“I worry about everything, and, you know, I think you should take these things seriously,” he said. “But as Gloria [Greis’ wife] says to me, you do everything you can, and that’s all you can do, and the rest is up to the voters and what people decide.”
Since securing a seat for the first time in 2005, Greis’ 21 years as a committee member have been marked by major school construction projects and the hire of a new superintendent. Greis has also lent his financial expertise to administration efforts.
“It means a lot to me that people recognize what I’ve done and are on board with the things that we hope to achieve,” said Greis. His priority in this new term, he stated earlier in the race, is the construction of Pollard.
Spengler, elected to the committee in 2017, initially won a spot by successfully unseating an incumbent — the most recent candidate to have done so. In his time on Needham’s School Committee, Spengler has focused on closing opportunity gaps for students, emphasizing equitable policy and results-driven solutions. These continue to be his priorities moving forward.
“I want to thank the voters of Needham for the honor of being able to serve on the School Committee for another three years,” he said. “I look forward to working on the important issues ahead of us in a community that places so much value on education and our schools. I’d also like to thank Lauren and Michael for running this race together and for their commitment to Needham and to our students and families.”
Soper expressed surprise and disappointment at election results, but emphasized that her work is not yet finished.
“Michael and Matt are wonderful gentlemen; I really enjoyed getting to sit next to them and debate them, and they are smart, and they know a lot — and I’m going to hold them accountable, because they took my spot,” Soper said.
The election race, she noted, caused her to pay attention in new ways to Needham schools.
“I wish I could have been elected and been the voice to help get some of this done, and right now I’m just trying to think of what I do next; I want to take a rest for a little bit too,” she added.
Spengler and Greis now have new three-year terms as School Committee members, facing projects such as the new Pollard building and Stephen Palmer property decisions.
Following the swearings-in of re-elected committee members, the School Committee will hold an organizational meeting Wednesday, April 15 to determine individual roles for the coming year. The committee will convene for its first regular meeting post-election April 28.
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