WILMINGTON, MA — Selectman Candidate Joseph Lavino was recently asked the following questions by Wilmington Apple — What do you feel are three of the most significant challenges facing the Town of Wilmington and how will you help address them as a member of the Board of Selectmen?
Below is Lavino’s response, in his own words:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to these questions. First off, I think the residents of Wilmington are best positioned to identify and vocalize the challenges that face our town because they are the folks that deal with or face the repercussions of these challenges on a daily basis. As Selectman, my first priority is to listen to the folks, which doesn’t include driving an agenda, performing favors or taking a position preferred by the town establishment. My challenges are your challenges and unbiased collaboration is the overarching first step to face those challenges.
On a high level, my strategy and process would be the same for addressing any recognized challenge. Simply put, a deep investigation and analysis of the facts in addition to retrieving robust public input would provide the foundation for the recognition of a challenge that would affect the constituency. This is followed by an attainment of subject matter knowledge, as well as collaboration and communication with all key stakeholders. Analysis and application of the law is a must, as well as exploring the drivers, barrier, risks and benefits of implementing a solution. Finally, execution of a detailed project plan while using the prism of fiscal responsibility, public safety and the “best interest of the resident” standard. I believe my credentials as an attorney and as a pharmacist, as well as key experiences within my profession and unwavering guiding principles, best position me, more so than my competitors, to address challenges in Wilmington as we move forward.
I would like to take the opportunity to provide, on a high level, what I perceive as some challenges facing the town today. Again, these challenges have been vocalized from our neighbors as I have rang hundreds of doorbells and have had great conversations in the comfort of our neighbor’s doorsteps and living rooms.
As I stated in the last article in the Wilmington Apple, as a community pharmacist, I’m extremely tuned into issues with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues and the out of control opiate epidemic that threaten members of our community and our children on a daily basis. The statistics unfortunately do not lie. Year over year, our amazing first responders are called to the scene of opiate overdoses at an increasing and alarming rate. With the use of Narcan, they are saving lives and should be commended. However, as a Selectman, I would be in favor of a multi-faceted approach to combating the epidemic in our town, above and beyond our current mechanisms. Specifically, to incorporate an educational component, not only targeting students, but educating adults, additionally, to incorporate a support component, for the purpose of guiding folks in the right direction that need help and lastly, the involvement of the community, beyond the local departments, to tap into the experiences and expertise in our community and to truly display our culture of volunteerism. We have physicians, nurses, mental health experts, etc. etc. all right here in our community. Let’s work together to combat this health issue that threatens the safety of our neighbors.
A second challenge, in which I would fully support as Selectman, is the investing in and driving of innovative educational initiatives to keep the Wilmington education system amongst the top in the state. Specifically, this includes an investment in technological advancements, course offerings beyond traditional curricula to position our students to explore career paths and build a roadmap for their future. Additional services in our education system are a must. Students today face many different challenges that I, and many of you, did not face in school. The curriculum is more rigorous, cyber-bullying is a reality, and as we have all seen on the news, mental illness and anxiety disorders amongst children and adolescents is prevalent. As a parent and as a pharmacist, my eyes are wide open to this. Therefore, as Selectman, I would be in favor of allocating the proper resources to a robust support system for Wilmington students to explore and combat mental health challenges as well as stress reduction techniques, which I believe can positively impact the student’s academic performance and overall health.
I believe maintaining and driving transparent decision making on saving, borrowing and spending by continuously retrieving and incorporating public input, with the intent of optimizing efficiencies and reducing overall risk is a challenge and one I am ready to take head on. First, I believe it’s important to share my position and philosophy on finance in general. As Selectman, I will apply my deeply held fiscally conservative ideals and always strive for a balanced budget. I believe in responsible taxation of our residents and not squeezing every penny out of them. Lastly, I am pro business and pro industry. That being said, as Selectman, I support the development of a capital improvement plan and I support the strategy in accumulating free cash, if the economic climate is conducive to do so and if it does not countermine the will and needs of the people.
I was asked to expand on 3 challenges, but feel it’s important to include an additional one. It is the challenge of ensuring the culture, history, and traditions of Wilmington stay intact while continuing to progress the town to be a leader in education, industry and business growth in Massachusetts. I believe projects such as the Yentile Farm project and the Dog Park are 2 examples of how we as a town continue to grow in a direction to foster a family friendly, fun and neighborly atmosphere. As Selectman, pursuant to the will of our neighbors and if financially prudent, I would support these types of initiatives going forward. I also believe, very strongly, that our traditions stay intact, including keeping the Fun at the Fourth celebration intact as demanded by the folks and as dictated by history.
Every town has its challenges and Wilmington is no exception. With strong leadership, motivation and perseverance, any challenge can be met and overcome. I am running for Selectman because I believe my qualifications and experiences have given me the tools needed to be successful on the Board of Selectmen and to represent all of you in a professional, diligent, accountable, collaborative and effective manner. Thank you for the opportunity to present my positions. For more info, please “like” my Facebook page or message me at http://www.facebook.com/LavinoForWilmington or call my cell at 781-801-0607.
About The Questions
During this local election season, Wilmington Apple will ask a question of all the Selectmen candidates each week. Wilmington Apple will run one response per day, Monday through Thursday, with a recap on Friday. Responses are in the candidates’ own words, unedited. Each candidate is given the same question and the same amount of time (approximately one week) to answer. Order of answers will alternate each week.
About The Election
Four candidates — Greg Bendel, Kevin Caira, Joseph Lavino, and Thomas Miller — will be competing for two open 3-year seats on the Wilmington Board of Selectmen. Longtime incumbents Lou Cimaglia and Mike Newhouse are not seeking re-election. The Town Election will be held on Saturday, April 23. Polls will be open from 8am to 8pm.
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