REGION – Northborough resident Mike Vulcano is challenging incumbent Meghan Kilcoyne to serve as the representative of the 12th Worcester District.
The district includes parts of Northborough and Sterling along with Berlin, Boylston, Clinton and Lancaster.
Voters will head to the polls on Nov. 8.
Democrat: Meghan Kilcoyne
Kilcoyne, who currently lives in Clinton, graduated from Wachusett Regional High School.
She was elected in 2020 to the seat previously held by Rep. Harold Naughton.
Prior to her election, Kilcoyne had 10 years of experience working in the Legislature, including as legislative director for Naughton.
“I’m proud to say in the last almost two years since getting elected I think that we’ve been able to do a lot for Northborough and the other five towns in the district,” Kilcoyne said.
Kilcoyne is the first woman to serve the 12th Worcester District. She served on the board of directors for the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, which advocates for policy that they hope will encourage women to serve in government and improve gender equity.
“It is so important to see examples of people that you can identify with in these positions,” she said.
She said the delegation was able to bring earmarks for public safety equipment for the Northborough Police Department and a culvert repair on Lincoln Street and increases in local funding.
Among the issues facing Northborough and the district, Kilcoyne cited income disparities and the need to let the community know that there were resources available for families to stay in town. She also noted efforts to make downtown Northborough a central hub.
“We really need to make sure that we’re continuing to find ways and places for communities to come together — whether that’s parks, open spaces or even making sure that the downtown is walkable and businesses can come in and thrive,” Kilcoyne said.
For more information, visit https://megkilcoyne.com/.
Republican: Mike Vulcano
Vulcano was born in Danbury, Conn., and he moved to Northborough in 1988.
“I’m a dad. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m a grandfather. I think that’s first — family,” Vulcano said.
Vulcano currently owns the Subway in the Worcester Walmart and had worked as a development agent for Doctor’s Associates Inc., which is the Subway holding company.
He has been a football coach for about 15 years, including 12 years at Assumption College and the past three at Holy Cross where he is the assistant director of operations.
Locally, he started and ran a youth football program for 10 years in the 1990s. He served as the head football coach at Algonquin Regional High School and on the Recreation Commission.
“It was basically dads and moms who were here in town who had kids in school who were interested in having great programs for the kids,” Vulcano said about the commission. “It’s about the community.”
Vulcano said he never thought he would run for office.
“I’m not a politician. I won’t pretend to know what it is to be a politician,” he said. “But what I will tell you is, I recognized when COVID hit, leading up to this election that there was something seriously wrong with government just in general, whether it be at the federal or local government. It just didn’t make sense. There’s just a lack of common sense.”
Among the issues facing the district, Vulcano voiced concerns about the electrical grid being able to handle the Green New Deal and rising costs, particularly for seniors being able to pay to heat their home and the cost of goods.
For more information, visit https://vulcano2022.com/.
