For anyone who missed the Meet the Candidates Night put on by the Women’s Club, I wanted to highlight some key takeaways about Shahidul Mannan. I think it’s always a good question when candidates are asked if they’ve volunteered in town before. It helps inform your decision when voting. Shahidul Mannan has lived in town for decades and volunteered a ton (too many boards and committees to include), especially as a Select Board member, which is often a thankless job. Shahidul represents so many of us in town who believe in integrity and impartiality when voting on issues and implementing town policies and operations, all while remaining professional and even-tempered.

Several years ago, Shahidul hosted a group of parents at his home to meet with our state representative regarding early literacy screenings in Massachusetts. Our group had been meeting throughout the pandemic and felt the pains of dealing with children who had been diagnosed with dyslexia and/or language-based learning disabilities. We felt that the current methods and curriculum in Hopkinton schools and beyond were not backed by evidence or science, even though we have one of the best school systems around. We wanted all schools (especially lower-performing schools) to benefit from changes that would help identify these students earlier. In 2023, DESE [the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] created a guidance document to support schools as they conduct required early literacy universal screenings. This grassroots effort was made possible by Shahidul connecting our group with state Rep. James Arena-DeRosa. I will be forever grateful.

Shahidul Mannan is one of us. He is at every event in town, putting in the time and energy to make Hopkinton a great place to live for all of us, including people who are new to town and people whose families have lived here for generations.

— Caitlin Tirrell