Freeman to run for mayor
Andrea M. Freeman has announced she is planning to run for the office of mayor.
She is running to work with Leominster residents and community leaders to improve its public schools, attract more living-wage jobs, and to position the city for a future as rich as its storied past, Freeman said in a press release.
Freeman believes her coalition-building skills and relationships with leaders in many sectors throughout the state can help the city prosper in a postpandemic economy, she said.
“Leominster has so much go
ing for it, and when we get past COVID-19 there will be innovative ways for families, businesses and nonprofits to thrive. I want us to be asking the right questions and listening to lots and lots of people to find solutions that work for everyone, not just those with deep pockets. We need to share ideas and plan together — as a city, and as a region,” Freeman said.
Freeman, 51, has lived in Leominster for 18 years, since moving to the state from Washington, D.C., to help establish The Trustees’ Doyle Park & Conservation Center on Abbott and Lindell avenues.
For 25 years Freeman has directed programs in Massachusetts and nationally to protect public health and wellness; conserve parks, farmland, and clean water; and slow the pace of climate change.
In 2012 Freeman left The Trustees and joined the staff of the Massachusetts Public Health Association — a nonprofit organization that advocates for statelevel policies to reduce poverty, dismantle structural racism and promote
healthy communities for all.
While Freeman’s family roots are in rural western New York, she grew up on Air Force bases around the world.
“Wherever we lived, my parents encouraged my brother and me to be curious about the world around us and to help people — it’s our family culture. They are in their eighties now and still volunteer at their local library, food bank and fire hall,” Freeman said.
In Leominster, Freeman has been active with the Twin Cities Rail Trail Association, helping to make the long-envisioned 4.5mile paved path a reality. When completed The Twin
Cities Rail Trail will link the downtowns of Leominster and Fitchburg.
Freeman was a leading board member of Growing Places, having served for six years as either secretary, treasurer or chair. Growing Places helps improve access to healthy, affordable foods by teaching climate-sensitive gardening and cooking techniques; managing community gardens and farmers markets; and advocating for public policies that improve food security.
Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree in natural resource policy and planning from the University of WisconsinStevens Point. She is married to Tim Silva, former Head of Adult Services for the Leominster Public Library and now the director of the Ayer Library.
On Dec. 10, she established a campaign committee with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance to run for mayor.
She is the first declared candidate for the office held by current Mayor Dean Mazzarella, who was first elected in 1994 and is the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history.