Karen Canfield is the newest addition to the Board of Selectmen for the town of Scituate. Canfield, who was elected on September 17th, 2017, ran a contentious campaign against her opponent Keith Walo. Canfield grew up in a town outside of Detroit, Michigan, and ended up on the East Coast after attending Boston University, where she majored in public relations for her undergraduate degree. After graduation, Canfield attended the London School of Economics, earning a degree in Urban Regional Planning. There she met her husband, who was studying abroad in London from the U.S. as well. She also took a certificate course at Emerson College in writing and proofreading. Canfield and her husband moved to Scituate when their eldest son J.P. was nine months old, and they have lived here for 23 years.

All of Canfield’s children are Scituate High School graduates. Canfield’s eldest son, J.P., attended Bryant University; her son Billy is a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder, and her daughter Libby is a sophomore at Bentley University.

Canfield’s main interests include reading, writing, singing, and dancing. She also enjoys a daily beach walk with her dog Brady, a golden-doodle.  Canfield’s favorite place in Scituate is Minot Beach, and her favorite memory of Scituate is the first St. Patrick’s Day parade held there. She enjoyed this small community event that “brought everyone together.”

Canfield started her political career as a Library Trustee at the Scituate Town Library. In this role, she worked closely with the Library Foundation, a town organization that raised private funding for the new library.

Canfield says she is very pleased with the new library. She thinks students come to the new library more frequently now, as it offers a quiet place for students to study. Canfield also joked, “You can bring lidded drinks in now.”

As Canfield’s position of Library Trustee was ending, she decided to take her town involvement to the next level by running for selectman. Canfield was first prompted to run for office once she saw the success of the library project, and “saw what happens when you focus on something important for the town.” Canfield had three Scituate High School graduates helping her campaign, as well as hundreds of volunteers and supporters who contributed to her victory.

Canfield said the first goal she wants to accomplish for the town is to hire a new town administrator.

Canfield’s biggest piece of advice for high school students is to get involved in the town in any way that interests them and to “not underestimate how important the work that they do in high school is.”