Woburn Candidate Profile: Lori Medeiros For City Council

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

Here, we learn more about Lori Medeiros, who is among four candidates running for two open at-large seats on the Woburn City Council. One of the seats was vacated by Mike Concannon, who is running for mayor.

Robert Ferullo Jr. is the lone incumbent in the race. The other candidates are Robert Meaney and Rob Toro.

Medeiros is employed by the New England Associations of Schools and Colleges as an educational accreditation coordinator for the Commission on International Education.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Lori (Buonanno) Medeiros

How old will you be as of Election Day?

63 years old

What city or town do you live in?
Woburn

What office are you seeking?

Councilor At Large

Education

Proud Graduate of Woburn High School – Class of 1978

Occupation

I have been employed by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, located in Lowell, MA, for over seven years as an educational accreditation coordinator for the Commission on national Education. I work with hundreds of international schools in over 90 countries around the world, building accreditation teams of volunteers who visit the schools during their accreditation journey.

Family

I have been very happily married to my husband, Paul Medeiros for 33 years. I am also the very proud dog mom to our rescue pup, Hannah-Belle Medeiros, a ten-year-old Black and Tan Coonhound mix.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My husband, Paul, has been a proud employee of the Woburn Department of Public Works for 5 and half years.

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

I currently serve on the Woburn Board of Assessors (since 2011). I have also served in an appointed volunteer capacity on the following City of Woburn committees and commissions:

• Business representative on the Woburn Traffic Commission
• Chairperson of Woburn Disability Commission
• Member of Woburn Human Rights Commission
• Woburn Recycling Committee
• Friends of Woburn Agricultural Commission

Why are you seeking this office?

Running for Woburn City Council has been on my radar for at least 10 years, and with the support of my husband, I decided that this was the year! As a lifelong resident of Woburn, I have been actively involved in our community my entire adult life. My husband Paul served as Ward 5 Alderman for 14 years and I not only lived the experience along with him, but I loved it! There is nothing more rewarding than giving back to the community that has given so much to you.

In addition to serving on the Board of Assessors and the other commissions noted above, my prior work experience in commercial real estate development and property management has given me the tools to be able to strike a balance when a property owner wishes to develop their property (for which they have every right), and when residents are concerned about the impacts of said development. I am also very well-versed in Robert’s Rules and Parliamentary Procedure and will be able to hit the ground running on day one for the residents of Woburn. My goal is to bring a no-nonsense approach to city government and your representation. I feel I can make a very positive difference for our city and its people.

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

It is difficult to identify a “single most pressing issue” as situations can change almost daily when it comes to running a city the size of Woburn. I think to characterize “just one” would be unfair to the actual folks who have concerns and issues, as each ward/neighborhood has its own specific concerns on any given day, as does the city as a whole. One might say that traffic is the biggest issue on a given day, but traffic could be the result of an influx of development —the development, in turn, could have impacts on our public safety, education system and and infrastructure. It can really be a trickle-down effect.

If fortunate enough to be elected, I will always take everyone’s concerns seriously as their issue is the most pressing to them. I think the most important thing that anyone who seeks elected office can do is to always remember who put them where they are and who they represent — the residents of the city. What I intend to do about ALL issues when they come to the forefront of a public discussion where decisions must be made, I will always listen to and respect the concerns and opinions of everyone in our community and will ensure that all sides of issues are heard and discussed thoroughly before final decisions are made and votes taken.

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

I bring a fierce passion to wanting to represent the people who live in the city I love and call home. For me, there would be no learning curve. Both my personal city involvement as well as my past professional career in commercial real estate has built a strong foundation for what it takes to forge and foster positive working relationships with the necessary stakeholders to get things done for the greater good.

I already have strong working relationships with key people in the city with whom I would be working, if elected. I never commit to any cause or endeavor unless I can give a minimum 100% of myself and if elected, you can count on that!

Over my career, I have been involved in commercial and residential developments and I understand how to read plans and how to properly apply zoning. Having sat simultaneously on both sides of projects — as a former employee and a resident, I understand the need to strike a balance for all involved. The cornerstone of my campaign is and remains that our residents’ safety and quality of life should NEVER suffer as our city grows and evolves.

I have years of experience forecasting, creating and managing multi-million dollar budgets and variance analysis. I possess a thorough understanding of vendor contracts, leases and other legal documents that will come across the desk of a city councilor. I understand how to condition a permit to mitigate negative impacts. I am not afraid to speak up! At the end of the day, experience matters!

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

First and foremost, I do not view my participation in this race as a challenge to anyone, nor do I view the three gentlemen who are also in the race as opponents. To me, they are fellow candidates and I am running for an open seat to bring a positive difference to Woburn City Council, if fortunate enough to be elected.

Second, I have the utmost respect for those who are already serving on City Council and the School Committee and those who are running for election in these races, many of whom I have known and worked with over the years. If someone is willing to put themselves out there to be elected on behalf of our residents, I don’t think you can say they have failed the community, as it takes courage and hard work to do so.

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

I would like to see more collaboration between the Planning Board and City Council, most notably when major projects are on the table. Many times PB is the recommending authority to City Council and there are numerous meetings held individually by both bodies that seem to go on forever and can delay decisions and the end result.

We are fortunate to have one of the finest Planning Board Directors in the area as well as a PB with highly respected, experienced and knowledgeable members, and a City Council who provides the same. Some years back, in the case of certain petitions before both boards, joint meetings were held whereby members of both PB and CC were all in the room at the same time and had the opportunity to discuss in depth the matter before them. Not only would this move petitions along in a quicker, more streamlined manner, but think of the vast wealth of knowledge and experience in one place at the same time! This concept should also be considered with the School
Committee, especially leading up to and during budget season.

I would also like to see more consideration given to traffic calming measures throughout our city. Traffic is inevitable, given our attractive location to two major interstates, as well as ongoing development. As a city, I think we are behind the times when it comes to traffic calming measures and I think this could help tremendously, especially on many residential streets that experience speeding and become a major cut-through when accidents and incidents occur on the highways that intersect our city. I understand and appreciate that certain traffic calming measures can wreak havoc with snow plowing and maintaining our roads, but I think a robust discussion to include all of the stakeholders could be the start of something positive, provided it works for all involved at the end of the day.

I would like to work with our state delegation towards the reopening of the former Mishawum commuter rail station as a full-service station. The closing of Mishawum Station as a full-service station with trains both inbound and outbound to Boston has had a very negative impact on workers who come to our retail, restaurant and hospitality establishments each day to work. I saw this first-hand when I was general manager at Woburn Mall. The distance they must travel to the Mishawum/Washington area is not easily accessible on foot and expensive by vehicle transportation. These are some of our minimum-wage workers and they should be afforded the ability to get to and from their jobs without it costing them a fortune. Additionally, folks living in the Avalon Apartments at Woburn Village should be able to take the train into work or for pleasure
without having to navigate down to Anderson Station.

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

I was the general manager of Woburn Mall for many years. In this position, I had the opportunity to work with dozens of local and state elected officials, City of Woburn department heads and employees on numerous levels, and most importantly, with the residents of Woburn. The Mall played host to numerous community events that were brought together as a result of the many wonderful relationships I established with these folks in our community and I am fortunate to have maintained those relationships over the years. This experience enables me to foster positive working relationships and know who to go to in various situations to assist constituents.

Working with a dedicated group of parents, I helped to fundraise and construct Woburn’s first handicap-accessible playground, Kids Kingdom at Leland Park, as well as the street hockey rink. Both of these projects were initially built at no cost to the city as a result of public/private partnerships that I was a part of spearheading. I know how to be creative in finding ways to fund projects and make them a reality. I have played the role of planner, project manager and fundraiser. I co-founded Medeiros Crew Recycling, an all-volunteer group that holds several appliance and electronic recycling collections throughout the year to benefit local nonprofits and the Woburn Memorial High School scholarship fund.

This group came to fruition when our local trash contract began charging fees for the disposal of white goods. In addition to benefitting the groups mentioned above, these collections save residents money and help to save the environment.

In summary, I feel I can handle the job given my vast experience in municipal matters, my thorough knowledge of how municipal government works and my strong work ethic.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

To trust your gut instinct. If something feels or looks wrong from the onset, it very likely
is.

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

Thank you to The Patch for providing the opportunity to answer these questions for the
residents of Woburn. I think those who know me and have worked with me are aware of my unwavering dedication to our city. For those who do not know me, I hope these questions have helped you to learn about me and my passion to represent you. I am an honest, hard- working, results-driven individual with the well-being of all of our community at the forefront of being elected. I am all about diving in deep, getting the work done and not about the photo opportunity.

Please know that I am accessible by several means and would love the opportunity to chat should you like to reach out to me. I welcome you to learn more about me either on my Facebook page at “Elect Lori Buonanno Medeiros Woburn Councilor At Large” or by telephone at (781) 938-0297 or email at lsmedeiros@verizon.net.

I began this journey in July and have never looked back. I continue to walk your neighborhoods, knocking on doors and will do so up until Election Day. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for welcoming me into your homes, answering your doors when your children are napping or the Patriots are playing, indulging me in meaningful conversations, but most importantly for taking the time to care about the future of our great city. Your concerns, no matter how large or small, will always remain my priority, if elected. I humbly ask for your vote for councilor at large (this is a city-wide race, so everyone may vote) on Tuesday, November 7, so that we may continue this journey to the home stretch, together. Thank you!