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To the editor:
I am a 2010 graduate of Salem High School where I served as class president, student representative to the School Committee, commanding officer of the Marine Corps JROTC program, peer mentor and vice president of the National Honor Society.
For four years I have had the privilege and honor of working alongside the people of Salem. Today I am writing to thank each and every single one of you who helped make me the man I am today and the man I am preparing to become as I leave for the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Over the past four years the great people of Salem have supported my peers and me in times of crisis, times of need, and in celebration. This community has helped to teach me that public service is a noble, decent and worthy cause. You have taught me that a single person willing to do the right thing can effectively invoke and promote change throughout the community.
Over the years I have discovered that the strength and tenacity of the people of Salem is unmatched by any other community in the commonwealth. I am proud of the work that we have accomplished together and I am excited and ready for the work that lies ahead.
Over the course of the next four years I will be studying political science and legal studies. It is my hope to utilize this knowledge and come back to Salem where we can continue the great work of serving one another and making our city better. It is my hope that I can earn your trust and be elected mayor of Salem one day so that we can ensure that Salem will continue to lead our generation through the 21st century with courage, strength, distinction, conviction and the will to do better.
I thank you all for your guidance, your words of inspiration and your courage. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the future.
Zachary Broughton
Salem
