UPDATED: Ashland Selectman Yolanda Greaves Announces Candidacy for State Representative

Yolanda Greaves, who currently serves on the Ashland Board of Selectmen, announced her run for 7th Middlesex District State Representative seat, yesterday, Feb. 4.

She said her many years of experience in business, town government, and the arts make her the ideal representative for the district.

“Now is the time for me to take my experience working for Ashland and expand my service to Ashland and Framingham at the state level,” said Greaves .

Greaves is in her fourth year on the Ashland Board of Selectmen, with two of them as chair.

She is registered as a Republican.

As a member of the Ashland Board of Selectman, she said she works tirelessly for the town. Most recently her work has brought new state funding to the area in the form of the Community Compact and the Complete Streets programs. These will provide Ashland with additional resources to accomplish its goals, said a press release.

She has also served on Ashland’s School Committee. She said her time there and on other volunteer boards and committees has prepared her well to serve us at the state level.

Greaves will not only bring many years of experience working with town government but also years of experience working in both business and the arts, said a press release.

She is currently the finance and human resource manager for a local software company. With 30+ years’ experience in business, she said she has the knowledge and expertise to understand the support small businesses need from government to create jobs in Massachusetts.

She said her background in dance and theater provides her with a unique perspective that lends itself well to creative thinking and problem solving.

Greaves said her experience, skills and unique perspective give her the ability to understand and address many issues facing us today.

She said she will bring her combined experiences to the state house and use it to work for all citizens of the 7th Middlesex district.

Rep. Tom Sannicandro, a Democrat from Ashland, announced he would not seek re-election in 2016, after a decade at the State House in November. Framingham Patch was the first news source to publish his decision.

The 7th Middlesex District includes Ashland and one-third of the 18 precincts in Framingham. They are 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18.

Greaves is the sixth candidate to announce a campaign for the seat.

As Greaves is a Republican there likely will be both a Democratic and Republican primary election in September, with the final election in November 2016.

Visit her website for more information about the candidate: www.yolandagreaves.com

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Originally posted at 4 a.m. Updated at 8:30 a.m. with photo. Updated with 9:05 a.m. with party affiliation.