About Sam Liao
I’ve been involved in Sharon Town government, ever since I moved with my wife and two children to Sharon 28 years ago, first as a member of the Sharon High School Expansion Building Committee from 1995 to 1998, then as a member of the School Committee for eleven years from 1999 to 2010, including as its Chair for three of the eleven years. As part of the being on the School Committee, I’ve served on various joint and appointed Town Committees including the Capital Outlay Committee, the Priorities Committee (for the Town’s overall Budget), and as the School Committee’s representative on the Standing Building Committee. In 2007, I was elected and served on the Town Charter Commission, which purpose was to examine and propose a charter for Sharon’s form of town government, particularly Open Town Meeting versus Representative Town Meeting or a hybrid of the various forms of government. Currently, I am an appointed member of the Town’s Transportation Board and a member of the Standing Building Committee Selection Committee.
Qualifications & Experience
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I’ve lived in Sharon for over 28 years and raised my family here.
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B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, a Ph.D. degree from MIT, and an MBA from Boston University.
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Member of the Sharon High School Expansion Building Committee from 1995 to 1999.
School Committee Member for eleven years from 1999 to 2010, Chair for three of the eleven years.
Served on various joint and appointed Town Committees including Capital Outlay Committee, Priorities Committee, and as the School Committee’s Representative on the Standing Building Committee.
Involved in the funding, renovation, and expansion of 4 of the 5 school buildings in Sharon, including the installation of the first-ever solar panels in Sharon atop the Sharon Middle School.
Elected and served on the Town Charter Commission in 2007- 2009, looking into Open Town Meeting versus other forms of Town Government.
Founding committee member of the Father Bullock Charity 5K Race, run every summer starting in front of Our Lady of Sorrow’s Church
Past member of the Town’s Personnel Board and a member of the Standing Building Committee Selection Committee.
Currently, I am a member of the Town’s Transportation Advisory Board.
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Recently appointed by Office of Governor Maura Healey to be a member of the Designer Selection Board (DSB), in a pro bono unpaid position, which the Board is responsible for the selection of firms to provide design services for State building projects for the Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I have been involved not only in government and politics at the Town level, but also at the State and National level, and have supported the campaigns of candidates for county, House, Senate, and statewide elections, including for candidates running for Attorney General, Treasurer, Governor and Lieutenant Governor. I have organized and hosted fundraisers for many candidates, including for State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, and over 8 years ago -- a fundraiser for Michelle Wu, after she had just been elected as a member of the Boston City Council. I have been a member of the Democratic Party State Committee since 2008, as part of the Affirmative Action Outreach Committee (AAOC), and have been an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008 for Hillary Clinton, in 2012 for Barack Obama, and in 2020 for Joe Biden. I have close ties with State Committee members in adjacent towns, including Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Mansfield, Attleborough, and Easton.