Bridgewater Councilor Paul Murphy Balances Higher Education Career with Local Politics After Override Defeats
The MIT student affairs professional discusses his academic pursuits, the failed school funding measures, and the need for alternative revenue sources in both Bridgewater and Raynham.
BRIDGEWATER - June 25 - Paul Murphy's path to local politics wasn't traditional. The Bridgewater town councilor started his career in finance, earning an MBA from Curry College before discovering his passion lay elsewhere.
"I thought my passion was going to be in finance, and it still kind of is, so blending the two," Murphy said during a recent interview on "Moments with Mary." "I was not the most studious or academic focused student in high school, so this was an evolving thing for me."
Now 15 years into his higher education career, Murphy works in student affairs at MIT, where he has spent the past four years after seven years at Boston College. He helps college students with everything outside the classroom, from housing and conduct, to involvement with student organizations.
Murphy is also pursuing his doctorate in higher education leadership, a three-year program where he's currently in his final year writing his dissertation on college presidents. "(I) paid a lot of money to get to that point," he joked about the upcoming "doctor" title.
His work with college students has given him insight into the challenges facing young people today. Murphy noted that students who experienced COVID in high school came to college with different perspectives, and many found being on a college campus new since they hadn't been in traditional high school settings.
"Mental health is the utmost priority right now with students in college and in high school," Murphy said. "Just finding ways to navigate them and support them through the mental health, some of us say mental health crisis that's happening."
The conversation turned to local politics following the recent defeat of override measures in both Bridgewater and Raynham. Murphy, who serves on Bridgewater's town council, said he saw that Raynham's vote failed with a smaller turnout but proportionately similar results to Bridgewater.
"I think it's about navigating where we go from here," Murphy said, noting that the school committee would meet to determine next steps and Bridgewater would hold a special meeting to make plans going forward.
While acknowledging that using free cash to cover the approximately $1 million shortfall could solve the immediate problem, Murphy expressed concerns about the long-term implications. "My mentality is I hate to touch that free cash for something like that, only for the fact that solves a problem for here and now," he said. "But next spring or next winter we're going to be in the same spot."
Instead, Murphy advocates for focusing on bringing in more revenue. "I think we really have to start focusing on bringing more revenue in," he said, emphasizing the need for what he calls "responsible revenue" rather than simply building more residential developments.
The councilor suggested exploring whether Bridgewater should withdraw from the regional school district, though he acknowledged the complexity of such a move. "I think there would be a lot of undoing there," Murphy said, noting that similar discussions occurred 10 to 15 years ago when the towns were in different financial positions.
Murphy praised the town's recent success with grant revenue over the past five years and revealed that hiring a grant writer was considered for inclusion in the override package. "A grant writer as a position was something that we questioned about putting on the override to support, because that would bring in the revenue," he said.
The discussion also touched on the need for better oversight of school spending. While some residents call for audits, Murphy offered a different perspective, calling it potentially "a lazy approach."
"The numbers are all out there, the people are out there. It's public information," Murphy said. "If folks dive into it and take the time to understand what the budget is and ask the tough questions, they will have a better understanding of the spending."
Murphy emphasized the importance of continuing to advocate at the state level for better education funding. He has visited the State House twice to advocate for chapters 70 and 71 funding, noting that transportation reimbursements promised at 100 percent are never fully met.
"Why are we not prioritizing public education from the top down? Why is it falling on the backs of towns?" Murphy asked, pointing out that numerous communities have attempted overrides this spring, including Easton, Braintree, and Randolph.
Looking ahead, Murphy stressed the importance of finding alternative ways to support schools despite the override failures. He mentioned meeting with Fire for Effect about organizing a September event for schools and emphasized that citizens shouldn't give up after the vote.
"Just because Saturday happened, you don't stop there. You find other paths," Murphy said. "The citizens have spoken in Bridgewater. They don't want to burden the tax anymore on them. They can't. A lot of the folks can't, and that's why they came out to vote. But that doesn't mean it's over."
Murphy also addressed the divisive rhetoric surrounding the override debate, noting how difficult it has become to bring people together on issues. "It got nasty," he said, expressing hope for more civil discourse and compromise in local government.
As Bridgewater prepares to welcome a new town manager, Murphy sees an opportunity for better long-term planning after what he described as a transitional year. "We can create that path and he can carry it out for us," Murphy said. "We haven't been able to do that for a year. We've almost lost a year when it comes to long-term planning."
Watch the complete conversation courtesy of Moments with Mary and BTV.
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