LETTER: Selectman Gary DePalma Asks Voters To Re-Elect Him On April 22

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This Saturday, April 22, 2023, Wilmington residents will head to the polls to elect 2 Select Board seats. I, Gary DePalma, am seeking re-election for a second term and humbly ask for your vote.

Thirty years ago I moved my family to Wilmington. My decision at that time was very easy, as Wilmington was a community with great schools, government, and public safety. Nearly three decades later many more families continue to make Wilmington their home for those same reasons. Wilmington was an ideal place to raise my family and is now a peaceful place for me to enjoy my retirement. My time here in Wilmington has given me the opportunity to see and experience the challenges faced by younger and older residents in the community.

I am currently a member of the Economic Development Committee, the Commission on Disabilities, and the Public Schools Strategic Plan Committee. I am invested in these committees and take what I learn from its membership to my Select Board meetings. My time on these committees and listening to others around Town has equipped me with the information and resident viewpoints that I have used to advocate for the needs of our townspeople on the Select Board.

In my first term as a member of the Selectboard, I made sure to stand up for the residents of Wilmington and honor my campaign commitments. Many times throughout my first term I had to go against the grain, most notably the Town Manager contract renewal. I challenged his “rubber stamp” re-appointment, as many residents had expressed concerns over a lack of responsiveness and transparency from the Town Manager. Since that time, I have tried to take the concerns expressed by those in our Town and work with the Town Manager on many undertakings.

I have used my voice on the Selectboard to advocate tirelessly on issues that would negatively impact the quality and character of our community, such as the Nichols Street Project. The developer is attempting to put a large apartment development in a single family zoning district. Due to our towns inability to have met low income housing thresholds (which I hope to address in the future), the developer is able to circumvent zoning and the towns permitting process. I will continue to fight to stop this project, with the support of the neighborhood and others in our community. I am not anti-development, but rather I am supportive of smart development.

I will continue fighting for things that will enhance the vitality and sustainability of Wilmington, such as sensible residential and commercial development, a public safety substation, a comprehensive school development plan, and protecting our community’s long held traditions.

Like every community, Wilmington is facing multiple changes and challenges at a time of fiscal and economic uncertainty. I promise to hold our government accountable to the townspeople, and to promote transparency in all decision making.

I respectfully as for your vote on April 22, 2023.

Thank You,

Gary DePalma