Greetings voters of Wilmington,
Today I am announcing my candidacy for one of the two seats on the Wilmington Select Board that will appear on the ballot this April.
For those who do not know me, I am a lifelong resident of Wilmington. My parents moved our family here from Medford in the early 1970s. I had the privilege of attending Wilmington Public Schools before graduating from Shawsheen Tech with the Class of 1994. I currently hold degrees in Criminal Justice as well as Criminal Justice Administration.
I am married with three children, all of whom attend public school (Wilmington Public Schools and Shawsheen Tech). Over the years, I have volunteered countless hours coaching baseball in town and have also been very active in local civic and political matters. If you have attended any recent Town Meetings or regularly watch Select Board meetings, you may have seen me take positions on issues relating to the quality of life we cherish as residents of Wilmington.
I come to you with a very public record, one that I am proud of. I have taken a strong stance against what I believe to be the overreach of the State into local control by adamantly opposing MBTA Communities Act “3A,” a position I have only grown more determined about. I was also one of three petitioners who worked to save one of our long cherished buildings, the Buzzell School. We called a Special Town Meeting and successfully won the vote to preserve the building and fund the upgrades necessary to bring it into compliance so that it can once again be put back into use. I have also been a vocal advocate for smart, controlled spending — an issue that has affected every resident, especially this year as we opened our tax bills.
I have spent my entire life in Wilmington, and I do not plan on ever leaving. I remember Wilmington from 30 years ago when it was a much different place. Over time, I have watched as many of the things that brought families like mine here — reasonable utility rates, a suburban environment, and the small-town feel — have gradually disappeared. Now, as a Select Board member, can I change every aspect of that? No, I cannot. However, as we have seen from today’s and past boards, there has been little difference of opinion on many of the decisions that have led us to where we are today.
This brings me to my goals should the voters choose to support the change I will bring.
First, I want to address the issue of trust and transparency in town government. I believe our town government should operate in a customer-service mindset rather than the increasingly adversarial tone we have seen. We have even seen Select Board members say they will not listen to a Town Meeting vote “because there weren’t that many people there.” We have also seen time and time again Public Records requests be wrongly denied or worse, documents held back. Trust starts with listening to the people, keeping residents informed, and telling the truth. I will make this promise: regardless of whether I personally agree with the outcome of a Town Meeting vote, I will always respect and follow the will of the people, and I will always be honest with questions from voters. Further, I will always demand accountability from the town administration when dealing with Public Records Requests and more importantly information requests.
Second, I want to address taxes. The Select Board is responsible for signing the checks, setting tax rates, and overseeing many of the financial decisions that impact our residents. In my memory, I cannot recall a time when the Select Board recommended a special audit to examine where our tax dollars are going and if we could do better. In addition to beginning public discussions on recommendations provided through the annual audit. As we experience multiple years of double-digit tax increases — and as some seniors are being forced out of their homes — I believe it is responsible to examine whether money is being spent efficiently and whether improvements can be made. Wilmington currently holds roughly $50 million in “free cash,” which directly came from the taxpayers via over taxation.
Third, related to taxes, I want the Select Board to explore ways to attract more businesses to invest in Wilmington. When speaking with residents around town, I often hear about the lack of sit-down restaurant choices and limited shopping options. The Select Board has used targeted tax incentives in the past to attract business investment, and I would like to explore whether similar tools or new approaches could help grow our commercial tax base. The commercial tax base is the main driver of keeping residential rates low. Increasing this base, especially if its commercial business that residents have been asking for is a win all around.
Finally, I am committed to keeping Wilmington a suburban town. With this, I will continue to oppose the mandate put down by the state in the form of the MBTA Communities Act. Towns are separate entities with different needs and characteristics. What might work for Brockton or Milton may not work for Wilmington. The state has put forward a one-size-fits-all mandate that ignores the unique character and needs of individual communities. Wilmington has already done quite a bit in the way of high-density housing, and continually building these developments risks eroding the very reasons many of us chose to call Wilmington home.
To conclude, I do not expect that everyone will agree with me 100 percent of the time. In fact, I believe that healthy disagreement is part of good government. However, everyone who knows me personally knows that I deeply care about Wilmington. As a firm believer in term limits, I will limit myself to no more than two terms if elected. At the end of that time, I will consider my service a success if residents say, “I may not have agreed with him all the time, but he always did what he believed was right for the people of Wilmington.”
The Annual Town Election will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026. I respectfully ask for your support and your vote, and I look forward to speaking with many of you in the weeks ahead.
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