Engman to Run for Precinct 4 Council Seat

Heather Engman has announced that she will be a candidate for the Precinct 4 position on the Winthrop Town Council in the 2015 elections this fall.

Engman, a 39-year-old attorney, said she made the decision to run for the seat after current Precinct 4 Councilor Craig Meal informed her that he would not be a candidate for re-election. Mael is reportedly considering a run for council president.

Engman grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and attended Colby College in Maine. She worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after college and is an attorney with the Massachusetts Department of Health. She is a 2005 graduate of Northeastern University Law School.

Engman and her husband, Dr. Michael Murphy, have resided in Winthrop since 2008. They have a daughter, Vivianne, who will begin kindergarten in the Winthrop school system in September.

“When my husband started working at Mount Auburn and we were ready to buy a house, we sort of stumbled across Winthrop and fell in love with the town immediately,” said Engman. “Great beaches, beautiful scenery, beautiful ocean views and close proximity to Boston. We just feel really lucky to live in Winthrop.”

Engman is a board member of the Winthrop Board of Health, having been appointed in March, 2014, by Council President Peter Gill. She is also on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association.

Engman was active in the “Repeal the Casino Deal and “No Eastie Casino” campaigns, often appearing at Winthrop Town Council meetings to express her opposition to the proposed casino/resort at Suffolk Downs.

“For me that was about protecting the

quality of life that we have in Winthrop,” said Engman. “I don’t have any moral or ethical objection to gambling but the statistics show that crime goes up in the neighborhoods near casinos and small businesses suffer, especially restaurants, and property values go down. With those facts, I felt that I had to stand up and fight for the high quality of life that we have in Winthrop.”

Engman said her love for the town was a factor in her decision to run for office for the first time.

“I decided to run because I really love living in Winthrop. It’s a great community and we have a lot of important issues and exciting opportunities coming up and I think I have the skills and experience to keep Winthrop moving in the right direction. I think the town is moving forward but there is still a lot of hard work to do.”