“Hi! My name is Margaret Laforest. I am running for Ward 1 City Councilor and I would appreciate your support.

As a fifth generation and lifelong Quincy Ward 1 resident, I believe that my personal and professional experience uniquely qualify me to represent Ward 1 on the Quincy City Council. I am a passionate person who looks for ways to help others and I am proud of my many years of professional services and extensive work as a volunteer for the Quincy community. Running for the City Council is a natural extension of the volunteer work that I have long invested in our community.”
                                                                                                                  - Margaret

As the only child of Betty (Cullen) and Wally McLean, Margaret was raised in Houghs Neck and currently lives in the family home where she grew up on Rock Island Road. She recently completed her term as President of the Houghs Neck Community Council, where she has also held the titles of Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Chairman and Executive Board Member. During her tenure with HNCC, Margaret has initiated and chaired various events throughout Houghs Neck, a role she was introduced to by her mother, who was also active with HNCC. In recent years, Margaret resurrected Illumination—a contest to decorate houses for the Fourth of July that was popular around the turn of the century—and chaired Chowdafest, a waterside chowder contest held at the Maritime Center in September. She also created the Mayor of Houghs Neck contest, an annual community fund-raiser in which the winner is awarded the honorary title—and a flounder trophy commemorating the accomplishment. Margaret’s efforts to establish events like these help bring together neighbors and foster pride in the community.

Margaret is also well known and respected throughout Quincy for her former position as Volunteer Development Director and Coordinator of Volunteers for the USS Salem/United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. From 1988 to 1995, Margaret actively solicited supporters and initiated campaign efforts to return a Quincy built naval ship home to Quincy. Upon the arrival of the USS Salem to Quincy in 1995, Margaret was named Commodore of the Massachusetts Navy by Governor Weld, in recognition of her work to make the 717-foot heavy cruiser the centerpiece of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum at her homeport, the former Fore River Shipyard. Now this piece of Cold War history is open for tours and the popular “Haunted Ship” for Halloween.

Margaret was introduced to Quincy political campaigns at a young age. She was inspired from her involvement as a sign holder and made a scrapbook for the candidate her family was supporting. Ever since, Margaret has been actively involved as a volunteer in many Quincy political campaigns, and worked with political leaders at various levels of government. She is also currently active with many local community groups including: Abigail Adams Cairn; the former Beechwood on the Bay; Broad Meadows Middle School PTO; Cleaner Greener Quincy; The Clifden Academy of Irish Step Dance; Friends of Wollaston Beach; Holy Trinity Parish; Quincy Bay Race Week; Quincy Environmental Network; Quincy Youth Soccer; Sacred Heart School; and Town River Yacht Club. She also previously volunteered at Broad Meadows Middle School as a mentor with an after school group whose interest was Quincy History, and she has been involved with the Parent To Parent Program, which visits families with new children and connects them with services provided in the City of Quincy.

Margaret and her husband, Jeff, a 13-year Verizon union employee, have two daughters: Kelsey, age 13, and Krista, age 11, who are the sixth generation of Margaret’s family to live in Houghs Neck, Quincy.