WILMINGTON, MA — Selectmen candidates Kevin Caira, Joseph Lavino, Greg Bendel and Tom Miller were recently asked the following questions by Wilmington Apple — I’m sure there were questions that you wish were asked at [last] Tuesday’s debate but were not covered due to time constraints. List two or three of these questions and provide your answers.
Below are their responses, in their own words:
Kevin Caira
There were many pertinent questions asked at the recent debate which, among other things, enabled candidates who were familiar with Wilmington the opportunity to answer questions with specificity as opposed to generic hyperbole. Equally important has been the opportunity to answer questions in this forum (The Wilmington Apple) which has allowed residents to learn more about the candidates.
One question that I would pose is:
What is the best way to evaluate a candidate’s fitness to serve on the Wilmington Board of Selectmen…by what they say or by what they have accomplished?
Certainly a candidate should be judged by a wide range of criteria. I know that I want to vote for someone who is honest, unbiased, independent, and principled. A candidate for Selectman should be experienced in municipal and state government and should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the town in which he or she hopes to serve. Most importantly, a candidate should have a track record of service that voters can examine and evaluate. As the saying goes: “Actions speak louder than words.”
I believe that over the past three decades I have demonstrated, by action and not just words, my dedication and commitment to Wilmington. Like many of you, I find the time to volunteer in a variety of ways to help keep Wilmington a great community in which to raise a family. Volunteerism is the life-blood of our community; it is what makes Wilmington “tick.”
Like many of you, I belong to local service organizations, I coached youth sports, and I take leadership roles in town committees and associations. Just two weeks ago the town broke ground on the Yentile Farm Recreational Facility. As Vice Chairman of that Committee, I enthusiastically spent hundreds of hours of time, along with an outstanding group of volunteers, to ensure that Wilmington gets a first-rate recreational complex for all of its residents to enjoy. Moreover, I spend time raising private funds to save the town money in my role as Vice Chairman of the (Yentile) Fundraising Committee.
On April 8, 2016, supporters of Wilmington High School student athletes came together to raise funds at the annual Wildcat Athletic Alumni and Friends dinner. I am proud to be a founding member of this organization, its Vice President, and chairman of the annual dinner. Like the other members of the committee, our motivation is to help Wilmington “kids.” None of the committee members have children in the school system; we happily volunteer for the benefit of all Wilmington youth.
I believe the town should elect individuals whose past actions show that they are “in it” for Wilmington. We need elected leaders who are innovative and solution-oriented. Several years ago when funds were unavailable, I worked with the Italian Consulate to secure a grant enabling the high school to reintroduce Italian as a component of its foreign language curriculum. As a volunteer in the Wilmington Recreation Basketball League, I worked with the department to establish and organize a new program for junior and senior high school students who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to continue participating in recreation basketball. It is certainly important to “discuss” the problem, but more important to “solve” them.
What sets Wilmington apart from many surrounding communities is its tremendous and seemingly never ending cadre of volunteers, countless numbers of residents who make our town so special. I am proud to be one of them, and I can assure the residents of Wilmington that regardless of the outcome of this election, I am “sticking around.”
Joseph Lavino
The WCTV debate held on April 5, 2016 was professional, cordial, informative and extremely well done. I deeply express my gratitude to all involved with the preparation and execution of the debate. I had the privileged opportunity to get to know Mr. Caira, Mr. Bendel and their families at the debate. They are amazing people and I’m proud to be their neighbors. I wish I had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Miller throughout this process. The debate, while informative, was focused primarily on the candidate’s positions on very granular town specific issues. The following represents what I would have further appreciated sharing with the voters of Wilmington.
1. Please describe your higher level political platform and your guiding principles, which may impact your decision making?
My political platform is aligned with that of the Republican Party. As such, I strongly believe that The United States of America is exceptional, that Massachusetts is exceptional and the Town of Wilmington is exceptional. I believe in the rule of law, a strict interpretation of the Constitution and the rich and diverse traditions and history of this country, state and town. I believe in strong families, strong communities, strong marriages and well educated children as the foundation of our town. I believe in a smaller, more efficient government that does not interfere with individual rights and choices, while providing those that protect us with the necessary resources to be best in class such as our military and first responders. I believe that Veterans have risked everything to protect us. As such, they deserve nothing but the best opportunity and care at the conclusion of their service. I believe in driving innovative solutions and technological advances through the lens of positioning businesses, both large and small, for success. Lastly, as a Roman Catholic, I strongly believe in the sanctity of family, life, freedom and charity.
2. In a hypothetical town crisis, what experiences can you rely on to guide your decision making? Please provide an example.
While no one invites a crisis and certainly wants to deal with one, I have had experiences, through my employer, that have deeply educated me, prepared me and opened my eyes that anything is possible. These experiences have been primarily focused on working with governmental agencies for the protection of our employees, our property and providing resources to help the public. These include deploying mobile pharmacies when Albany was hit with over 70 inches of snow at once, strategizing next steps for a potential lava flow impact in Hawaii, and the safety of our employees during riots in Baltimore. These experiences are to name a few and these are the types of experiences needed on the Board of Selectmen should Wilmington, God forbid, be in crisis management mode.
3. Please contrast your experience to those of any other candidate and articulate the argument as to why those experiences best qualify you for the position of Selectman?
I believe this was the biggest area of opportunity during the debate. While I appreciate sitting next to my fellow candidates to discuss policy positions, I feel the voters of Wilmington need and want a debate where candidates could challenge each other on the merits of their experiences and skills to perform the tasks of Selectman, above those of their competitors. Although this format is more adversarial, that’s the nature of an election. I have positioned myself, since day one, with the argument that, although I was not born in Wilmington, or don’t have the most lawn signs or the most friends, I am the most qualified candidate for the position. I feel that the argument has been well articulated; however it has been articulated in a silo. It should be clearly visible through robust debate. I would like to know how Mr. Bendel’s, Mr. Caira’s and Mr. Miller’s experiences and skill set better position them over my experiences and skill set. Let them make the argument and give me the opportunity to rebut and state my case. I feel another debate is an absolute must prior to election day and I feel the debate format should be focused on highlighting or exploiting a candidate’s strengths and deficiencies through back and forth argument. I challenge Mr. Bendel, Mr. Caira and Mr. Miller to another debate, anytime, anywhere, focusing on our experiences, skills, strengths and areas of opportunity, head to head.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide these questions and answers. I invite folks to reach out to me on Facebook, via message, at http://www.facebook.com/LavinoForWilmington or call my cell at 781-801-0607, to challenge my positions, get more info or show your support.
Greg Bendel
Question: What will you being doing from now until Election Day?
From now until Election Day I will be working as hard as I possibly can to earn one of the resident’s two votes. I plan on continuing to talk with neighbors, visiting with local groups and discussing my candidacy. For the past four months people have been very responsive to my campaign. Families have welcomed me into their homes, invited me to speak at different events and even held a rally on my behalf. For all of these opportunities I am very appreciative. I am thankful for everyone who has reached out to me via the phone and email and grateful for the two hundred homes who have requested to put a sign on their lawn. I really appreciate all the people who have stood out in the cold and held signs, despite the recent wet weather!
I will continue to engage in conversations with residents and listening to their concerns. I have been, and will continue to be committed to learning about all the issues that are important to our town. The support I have received has energized me to work until the very last minute. This is my chance to give back and volunteer my time to help the town that has been so good to me. I hope people will continue to write letters, make phone calls spread the word until Election Day. I have enjoyed meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends. The support has been both overwhelming and humbling.
I would like to remind residents that absentee ballots are now available at the Town Clerks office for those who may not be around on Saturday, April 23rd. Please take the time to vote over the next two weeks if you are unable to on Election Day. For those who will be in town on Saturday, April 23rd, I hope they will consider me for one of their two votes. For more information please visit Greg Bendel for Selectman on Facebook.
Thank you,
Greg Bendel
Tom Miller
Wilmington Apple has not received a response from candidate Tom Miller. In fairness to all candidates, response deadlines will be strictly enforced.
Wilmington Apple will run any press releases, announcements, endorsements, letters to the editor, etc. — that are submitted by any Selectmen candidate or campaign between now and April 23 . Wilmington Apple has informed all candidates of this fact.
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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