Kellie Verga 

RN, BSN, Wife of Greg Verga
“Letter: Gloucester needs an honest mayor”

Published on Sept. 30, 2021 in the Gloucester Daily Times

To the editor:

I am a nurse of 28 years. I am also mayoral candidate Greg Verga’s wife. In January 2021, I volunteered for the Medical Reserve to help fight against COVID-19. I was assigned to the Senior Center to administer vaccines. The clinic was a fine-oiled machine. The team worked together to be efficient and safe.

I had the pleasure of meeting Public Health Nurse Kelley Hiland. I was excited that Gloucester had acquired such a talented nurse. Kelley did a fantastic job coordinating the clinic.

Months later, Kelley resigned. Not for another job, but because she felt as though she could no longer work in Gloucester. She said “Public health is an evidence-based profession, where clinical decision-making must be prioritized, trusted, respected and insulated from outside interests. I am proud I upheld my personal and professional values and morals…”

Nurses take values and morality seriously. We strive for health care equity and stand together. Nurses are hard to find. The job website Indeed has almost 10,000 open positions for nurses in Massachusetts. Why is this important? Because it makes it difficult to find another nurse like Kelley Hiland to come and work here.

How can we change this? We can reset Gloucester with a new mayor. A mayor who is honest, listens to others and will work to build a more collaborative Gloucester. A city where qualified people are applying to work here, not resigning from their positions.

Please Vote Verga on Nov. 2

Kellie (Martin) Verga
Gloucester