Melrose Candidate Profile: Leila Migliorelli For City Council

MELROSE, MA — With the Melrose Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Leila Migliorelli, who is among 10 candidates running for four councilor-at-large seats on the Melrose City Council.

Migliorelli is an incumbent who was first elected to the City Council in 2020. She works in donor relations at a local university.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Leila Migliorelli

How old will you be as of Election Day?

Old enough to have consistently voted in local and national elections since I turned 18 in the 1990s.

Campaign website

https://leilaformelrose.com

What city or town do you live in?

Melrose

What office are you seeking?

City councilor-at-large

Education

Bachelor's in Political Science from Providence College, Master's in Public Policy from Tufts University

Occupation

Donor relations for a local university

Family

My husband Matt and I have two sons who attend Melrose Public Schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No family members currently work in government, but my father was the commissioner of the MDC (now DCR) under both the Dukakis and Weld administrations.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

I have served on the Melrose City Council since 2020, and as an appointed member on the Melrose Human Rights Commission prior to being elected.

Why are you seeking this office?

It has been an honor to serve as your city councilor-at-large. If reelected, I will continue to lead with integrity, focus on fiscal oversight, ask tough questions, and advocate for all of Melrose. I am ready to bring my diligent, inclusive approach and willingness to do the hard work to a new term on the City Council.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The issue I hear most from residents while knocking on doors around the city is the declining quality of our infrastructure. While we have made some strides over the past four years, we still have a way to go. If reelected, I will continue my advocacy to make investments in sidewalks, roadways, parks, municipal buildings and our schools, which improve the quality of life for all of our residents.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The major difference is experience and vision. As your city councilor over the past four years, I have led the council in taking action to hold the administration accountable for its fiscal practices, advocated for smart growth and affordable housing, helped small businesses during the pandemic, and supported critical investments for local infrastructure. The work of the City Council is largely unseen (and sometimes misunderstood). I have done the hard work of researching issues, asking challenging questions of the administration, and taking in a lot of information to make informed decisions in the best interests of our residents. I have a keen sense of where we are and where need to go as a community.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

We need a council that is prepared to take on some pretty serious issues over the next couple of years. It's critical for voters to understand that the power of the council is bigger than any single member. Votes to approve or deny funding requests, make changes to zoning, add new positions, or cut budget line items require 8 votes. That means we'll need eight councilors to approve a bond for the public safety buildings should the debt exclusion initiative pass in November (and 8 votes to continue to support ongoing maintenance of these buildings in the interim, or if it doesn't pass).

I will be advocating that the new mayor address the systemic issues related to the school budget in the long term. But in the meantime, we'll need 8 votes from the City Council to ensure proper funding for the schools so that they can provide level services this current academic year. The City Council's strong power of "yes" or "no" will prove critical this term, and that's a collective power.

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

I have already spoken about my current experience on the council, and the ways in which I've worked to identify and recognize issues (i.e. lack of affordable housing) and solutions (i.e. co-filing legislation to accept the city's first Affordable Housing Trust). I've also advocated on behalf of residents (i.e. concerns about street safety) by working with the City to fund traffic calming measures and with our state delegation to push for improvements on the Lynn Fells Parkway.

I have also served during a moment of national crisis and found ways in which the council could provide support locally (i.e. filing and passing an order to waive licensing fees to restaurants and stores that serve food during the pandemic). So my experience is understanding what the role of the city councilor is and how to advocate and find solutions.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

When it comes to governing, the best advice I have received is that if you're making everyone happy, you're not doing your job. It is true that to govern you need to work with others for a common goal. But no matter what, not everyone is going to agree with everything you do and that's okay. Being a leader and pushing for change requires courage.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The skill that is needed in a city councilor is the ability to balance immediate needs with long-term concerns.

This job is not an easy nor glamorous one, but I serve on the City Council because I love the city of Melrose and I believe in giving back to the community. I look forward to working with the new mayor, whoever she may be, to help determine how we move Melrose ahead to capitalize on our strengths and overcome our challenges.