Candidate Profile: Lilia Maselli For Wilmington Selectman

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington's annual town election will be April 24, with contested races for multiple School Committee seats as well as elections to the Board of Selectmen and other seats. Wilmington Patch asked all Board of Selectmen and School Committee candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and has been publishing candidate profiles.

Lilia Maselli is the sole candidate for an open seat on the Board of Selectmen. She currently sits on the Wilmington Economic Development Committee and works as a Site Experience Manager at Analog Devices.

Are you running for office in Wilmington? Contact Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Wilmington Patch.

Lilia Maselli

Age (as of Election Day)

50

Position Sought

Selectman

Family

Husband, Mark - 53, Sons, Joseph - 18, Michael - 15, David - 11

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Malden High School

Occupation

Site Experience Manager at Analog Devices in Wilmington, 7.5 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Currently serving 2nd 1-year term on the Wilmington Economic Development Committee

Campaign website

Facebook Page - facebook.com/liliaforselectman

Why are you seeking elective office?

Running for the Board of Selectmen will give me the opportunity to give back to a community that has given me and my family so much. I am not looking to join the Board as a divisive member or an agreeable member, but one that will work with the current members and bring different perspectives, opinions and ideas to the table. I want to listen to our residents and work to improve the dialogue between our town government and the people it serves. I want to help Wilmington make great strides towards its full potential not only for today, but also for our future generations. I believe my leadership, hard work and commitment to civil discourse will be a great addition to our Board of Selectmen.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I think we have a few pressing issues in Wilmington but if I had to highlight one, I think we need to work on the economic development of our town. We need to make Wilmington a more prosperous place for its residents. We need to work on making it a place where people passing through will stop and patronize the businesses in our town while giving our residents options to stay in town for shopping and dining instead of always having to go to surrounding towns. This is not an easy task nor is it something that can be done quickly, but I do believe this can be done.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think local officials have done and are continuing to do everything they can in the fight against Coronavirus. Shelly Newhouse and Fire Chief Cavanaugh executed an emergency plan that they had ready to go in the event of a pandemic like Coronavirus. The amount of time that they and their staffs have dedicated to keeping our community safe is commendable. I find it truly upsetting that the State took away the vaccinations that they were prepared for and ready to give our residents.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Having worked as an executive assistant for over 25 years working for C Suite executives and now as a Site Experience Manager, I deal with a lot of different personalities and issues regularly. I know how to switch gears quickly, think on my feet and work well under pressure. I have built my career on hard work and integrity. I take pride in things I do and say as I know they are a reflection of who I am.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Don’t give up without trying or you automatically lose. Even if something seems impossible, you still give it your all, fight for it and if you lose, at least you know you did everything you could to achieve it.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Despite running unopposed, I take running for this seat seriously. I still need to campaign and talk to people and discuss the different issues in our town. I want to be an advocate and ally for our residents. I believe we all get involved in town government because we care about our town and want to help keep it great, improve etc. I hope I can help change some of the preconceived notions out there and show that I will be an asset to this board and our town.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.