John McDaid has announced his candidacy for Portsmouth's School Committee. For the past four years, McDaid has covered Portsmouth news and politics at the hyperlocal site harddeadlines.com. Today, he has filed papers to run for school committee and has been endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee.

"I'm not a politician," said McDaid, "But with the challenges our schools are facing, the time is right to make the move from journalist to candidate, and I'm asking the voters of Portsmouth for their support."

"There are those trying to take advantage of the current economic climate to force harmful radical change," said McDaid. "I will stand up for the quality schools the people of Portsmouth want and our kids deserve. This is not just about budgets and numbers, this is about our vision for education in Portsmouth."

In addition to covering the schools, McDaid has been deeply involved. He serves as an appointed member of the Facilities Committee which oversaw the RGB report recommending major renovations. He was a participant in last year's Future Search workshop which developed a strategic plan for the schools. He is a volunteer on the district's information technology committee, where he helped the schools launch their redesigned web site. He also serves on the board of the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation (PPEF) which provides annual grants for innovative teaching projects.

"I'm all about transparency," said McDaid. "Everything I've written about the schools is out there on my web site at harddeadlines.com. I make no secret of the fact that I'm an unwavering advocate for our kids, and for open, participatory government. I believe an informed public is critical to the democratic process, and I'm happy to have been able to contribute to our town's conversation about the important issues facing us. If elected, I would use every tool available to make citizen involvement easier (what some call 'Government 2.0') by insuring everyone has access to good information and that the school committee can hear from all Portsmouth residents, not just the special interests who have the time to show up at every meeting."

McDaid brings a variety of skills from his background in academia and business. He was a pioneer in using computers in the classroom, and helped create one of the first hypertext writing programs in the country at New York University in 1987 during his doctoral work. He taught at the college level for seven years before moving into the private sector, where he has had experience as a software developer, project manager, and webmaster. He is also an award-winning professional science fiction writer. "You can google me to check my bona fides," said McDaid. "I'm the John McDaid who's not the Irish pop star."

McDaid has deep roots in Portsmouth. "I'm proud to be the third generation to live in Island Park, where my grandparents, the Kirkwoods, bought our house in 1925." His wife, Karen, is a teacher in Massachusetts, and his son, Jack, will be entering fifth grade at Portsmouth Middle School in September.

Resources
See all candidates on the Secretary of State Web site