Rita Lombardi
Hello Canton Friends & Family!
We are at a critical turning point in the history of our town. Now
more than ever we need leaders who represent our values and
who will act ethically and responsibly while overseeing the
spending of taxpayers’ dollars. I am running for Select Board because I will do just that – work for you, not just a select few!
I moved to Canton in 1979 after graduating high school and have proudly called Canton home for 45 years. My children, Michelle (29) and Tristan (27), were born and raised here, as was my dad, Willie Lombardi (90). In 1906 my great-grandparents left Italy to join family who had settled in Canton. They raised upwards of 20 children in this town. One hundred and eighteen years later, Canton remains home to the Lombardi/Gallo/Pesaturo decedents. In my heart, Canton has always been my home!
I worked full-time while attending evening courses for 14 years at Bentley College and earned a BS in Marketing. In 2016, I earned a Master Certificate, Project Management, from Boston University. I am an ordinary, random citizen with tremendous work ethic!
Throughout my life, I successfully navigated the most difficult challenges and was blessed with a rewarding 30-year career. I built customer service teams from the ground up and turned around poorly performing service operation teams. I have an unrelenting passion for creating distinguished customer experiences and delivering rapid results that greatly reduce costs while increasing revenues.
For the last 10 years of my professional career, I worked directly with every U.S. state and territory, overseeing regulatory compliance. It provided me insight into municipal operations versus private sector. In my opinion, the standards in municipal operations often don’t match the best practices of the private sector. This is a disservice to all of us and comes at a great cost to taxpayers.
I have always been passionate about creating the best customer experiences. Recently, I spoke with Town Administrator Charlie Doody regarding the trash removal contract proposals that are now pending. At a recent Select Board meeting, Finance Director Randy Scollins all but confirmed that the town likely would be going with a new company, based on purely on cost. He wasn’t interested in the input of residents.
Our current trash company has serviced Canton for 30 years. Most residents like their trash workers and even know their names! Charlie shared that he successfully got them to lower their bid, but not enough. I urged him to solicit feedback from the residents. He said he would try to negotiate further. I was thrilled by his willingness to hear my concerns and take additional steps to advocate for the residents. That’s what I want to see more of in our government!
I recently participated in a sustainability initiative where I learned that trash removal costs are based on trash category and weight. Did you know it costs significantly more to dispose of “wet trash” (non-recycled) than it does recycled? If we collectively strive to change behaviors and increase recycling volume, we could significantly reduce taxpayer expenses while creating lasting environmental benefits! And it also could mean that we could keep the trash company that residents like.
My achievements in leadership, collaboration and departmental turnarounds have prepared me for the challenges of the Select Board. Encourage everyone you know to register to vote by March 23 so they can vote for Rita and Trish for Select Board.
Forever Canton Proud!
Rita Lombardi
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