Board Members
Margaret Driscoll-(MAHT Clerk)
Raised in ManchesterParalegal
Member of Board of Selectman since May 2011
Board member, The Hooper Fund, The Mary Martin Fund
I currently work in the Manchester Essex Regional School District. I am married and have two adult children. In my past career I was a systems analyst and paralegal for a bank located on the North shore. My first insight into town volunteerism and board membership was when I was invited to be part of an affordable housing committee (in the early 1990's) that was formed by the town to explore the possibilities of creating some affordable housing options at that time. I am delighted that the town has taken a giant step forward and voted the creation of the Affordable Housing Trust and am excited at the possibilities this group may have to participate in providing and sustaining housing that supports our residents ever changing needs.
John William Feuerbach, Jr.-Citizen at Large (MAHT Chair)
Manchester resident since 2005Married with 2 children, both graduates of MERHS
Graduate of Colorado College, Bachelor of Science, Political Science 1980 and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Masters of City and Regional Planning, 1988.
I have a 35-year history of involvement in affordable housing, representing community development corporations, development consultants and municipal government. I have served as Senior Development Officer for the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development since 1998. As a Senior Development Officer I have established and managed initiatives to promote green and energy positive affordable housing, created multiple models to promote new mixed income homeownership housing, designed program guidelines for the rehabilitation of foreclosed properties, and managed and underwritten for city subsidy numerous large site rental housing developments utilizing city, state and federal funding including low income housing tax credits. I would like to explore ways to increase the supply of affordable rental and homeownership housing in Manchester, which is important to attract and retain a balanced work force to drive our economy. Offering a range of affordable housing options is both lacking and critical. I look forward to working with our town residents, local board of officials and development partners to increase affordable housing in town.
Gretchen Wood-Manchester Housing Authority Designee
Served as Town Clerk in Manchester for over 20 yearsCurrent board member of the Manchester Housing Authority and the ADA Advisory Committee
Served on the Board of Action, Inc. for over 25 years.
Raised in Manchester, have lived here for 70 years, and raised my four children here. I have seen housing prices rise dramatically over those years, and I'm happy to serve on this board to try to find solutions to affordable housing. Our existing senior housing sites are in need of expansion and renovation. Other seniors who would like to downsize and stay in town, find no available rentals exist here. Young people who grew up here and would like to raise their own families here find themselves priced out. Police and fire personnel, teachers and all town employees who keep our community running need affordable housing. I am excited to work with this excellent committee to achieve this goal.
Joan Macdonald-Community Preservation Committee Designee (MAHT Treasurer)
Manchester Resident since 1984Past President of Manchester Historical Museum
Past Board Member of Friends of the Manchester Library
I am a Real Estate Agent at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and have some experience in Financial Services. I am married to Rick and have three adult sons. I am looking forward to working with this group of very talented people.
Sarah Mellish-Finance Committee Designee
Manchester Resident since 2000
ERISA Attorney
Member of Finance Committee since July, 2011
Member of Zoning Board of Appeals since April, 2016
I have worked in the financial services industry for many years in various cities and responsible for various large organizations including responsibility for re-engineering and setting business strategy for the support and administration of employer sponsored retirement plans.
Having grown up in Lincoln, MA, I moved to Manchester to be active in a small town on the ocean. The ambiance and culture of the town is important to me. I decided to become involved in the town to contribute to maintaining its character and the relaxed atmosphere influenced by the beautiful harbor. I feel it is important to find solutions to provide living arrangements for all residents of our town to enable the life long elderly residents to remain in town in a safe and secure residential situation and to continue to permit the children of our residents to remain in town through affordable home ownership or rental opportunities to encourage a more dynamic and diverse population. I am excited to pursue our housing opportunities in a fiscally responsible manner.
Christopher Olney-Planning Board Designee
Raised in Manchester, Resident since January 2015Harvard BA
University of North Carolina, Master of City and Regional Planning
I have worked for 16 years for a privately held company called Hudson Housing Capital based in New York which arranges financing for the development of affordable housing across the US. The company makes use of the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program to assemble equity for affordable housing developments in exchange for ten years of Tax Credits for the investors-banks and insurance companies. The firm has a portfolio of over 35,000 housing units in 350 apartment complexes. We have helped to create housing for artists in a suburb of Washington, DC, for young adults emerging from foster care in Los Angeles, for the replacement of public housing with mixed income communities in Cincinnati and Baltimore, for homeless veterans in Los Angeles, for seniors both in independent and assisted living complexes and many other properties. I served as the Director of Salem Redevelopment Authority during its award-winning urban revitalization project in the 1970s and 80s. One of the major initiatives of my tenure there was the introduction of residential uses into the downtown, a concept that needs no explanation now- but was a radical and unheard of proposal back then. Its success was instrumental to sustaining the economic vitality of Salem. I served for two years a s a Peace Corps Volunteer in Brazil. I grew up in Manchester, and was in the first grade class in Memorial School. My mother, Annette Olney, served as the librarian at the school for many years; and my sister, Elise Dudley, taught there as well. I have no illusions about the difficulty in creating and sustaining affordable housing in Manchester. There is little land available for development. The stigma of low income and subsidized housing and the fear of its impact on property values is a challenge-usually unfounded, but a reasonable concern for any neighbor. However, Manchester needs to preserve its heritage as a diverse community which can offer affordable housing options to teachers, workers, seniors and their caregivers. It is critical component of the town's future stability and prosperity. It will require some creative thinking and the participation of many facets of town government, and I am looking forward to working with the other members of the Trust in this endeavor.
Peggy Hegarty-Steck- Citizen at Large
Manchester resident 2019, have lived on Cape Ann for 18 years Married with 1 child, MERHS student
Boston College - Bachelor of Arts - Psychology; and Boston College Graduate School of Social Work – Master of Social Work - Social Policy, Planning and Administration
I have worked for 29 years in both the public and private non-profit sectors, and at the local, regional, and national levels. Throughout my career, my commitment to helping others and providing opportunity has guided my work in community mental health, public health, and affordable housing. In the past, I held positions at South Shore Mental Health, City of Cambridge Community Development Department, National Center for Healthy Housing, and Essex County Community Foundation. Since 2009 I have worked locally at Action Inc., a multi-service non-profit organization providing affordable housing, basic needs assistance, job training, education, and energy conservation services. Currently, I am proud to serve as the President & Executive Director. At Action Inc., I led two new construction affordable housing development initiatives - the Home Together family housing in Gloucester, MA, and the mixed-use Harbor Village development in Gloucester, MA. Additionally, I serve on the DCF Cape Ann Area Advisory Board, Masscap Board, and Age & Dementia Friendly Cape Ann Steering Committee