Andover School Committee member Chris Shepley is running a write-in campaign for the 18th Essex District state representative seat, adding a political race to his plate as the district navigates a superintendent transition, a high school building project and a redistricting lawsuit headed to an Aug. 19 court hearing.

Shepley, a Republican, published an op-ed in Andover News on Wednesday, Aug. 12, pitching himself as "an independent voice at the State House." He failed to qualify for the Sept. 1 Republican primary ballot and will ask voters to write in his name, according to Andover News.

The seat is open because current state Rep. Tram Nguyen is running for Congress in the MA-6 Democratic primary, also on Sept. 1. The 18th Essex District covers Andover, North Andover, Boxford and Tewksbury. The only candidate who qualified for the Democratic primary ballot is Connor Murray of Andover, according to a legislative primary overview from WWLP. Nguyen has endorsed Murray, according to Shepley's op-ed.

"I am running because our communities need an independent voice at the State House," Shepley wrote. "We need a representative who is willing to ask tough questions, challenge leadership when necessary, and demand to know where our tax dollars are going."

What it means for the School Committee

Shepley's candidacy raises questions about the board's bandwidth at a critical stretch for Andover Public Schools. It is unclear when his School Committee term expires or whether a vacancy would trigger a special election or an appointment.

The committee unanimously appointed Keith Taverna as superintendent on June 15 after a search process Shepley co-led with fellow member Dave Crow. Taverna signed a three-year, $235,000-per-year contract starting July 1. Michael Pfifferling, formerly Marblehead's school business administrator, has been hired as assistant superintendent of finance and administration to fill the role Taverna vacated.

At the June 29 meeting approving Taverna's contract, Shepley raised concerns about a new provision requiring a two-thirds vote to terminate the superintendent for cause, arguing it set a precedent that changed the committee's governance.

Meanwhile, the School Committee is ramping up community outreach on the future of Andover High School. Voters rejected a $450 million locally funded new building at a November 2023 Special Town Meeting; the committee voted in March to pursue a possible April 2027 Statement of Interest submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, contingent on public feedback and a financial analysis due this fall. An AHS Future Subcommittee formed in August is expected to hold its first public meeting later in August.

"The community has an expectation for something at AHS," Crow said at the committee's Aug. 6 workshop, as we reported. "We're going to go in with an open mind."

Redistricting lawsuit looms

A separate challenge also awaits. Parents John, Colin and Sean McDonnell have sued the committee over its March 20, 2025 vote to redraw middle school boundaries, reassigning about 200 households from Doherty Middle School to West Middle School. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Division of Open Government found in March 2026 that the committee violated the Open Meeting Law because the agenda did not adequately notify the public of the vote.

An Essex Superior Court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m., less than two weeks before the 2026-27 school year begins Sept. 2.

Shepley has not publicly addressed how he plans to balance School Committee duties with a campaign. The Andover Ledger has reached out for comment.