LAKEVILLE — Finance Committee member and former Town Administrator Maureen Candito is running for the second year in a row for a seat on the Lakeville Select Board. 

“I wanted to give it another shot,” she said, in light of last year’s unsuccessful run. 

The Lakeville Select Board will expand from three to five seats at this year’s town election. The top vote-getter will earn a three-year term; the candidates with the second and third highest totals will serve for two and one year, respectively. 

Candito said she has known Lakeville has been facing financial struggles for several years now, and with her finance background and “ten years of budgeting experience under [her] belt,” she said she could offer some perspective. “I want to be able to insert myself and be part of the process from the very beginning to make sure sound fiscal policies are being developed.”

When it comes to balancing the Freetown-Lakeville school budget with other big municipal expenses, Candito believes in what she calls the “same side of the table bargaining” approach. 

Coming to an agreement, she said, starts with realizing that residents all want the same end result, to help the town and the children. She noted that this year the town and school district were able to reach a resolution because of “great rapport and a setting of expectations on what we could afford.’’

Candito wants to bring more business to Lakeville, while also respecting resident’s wishes to maintain Lakeville’s rural character, she said. Residents made it clear that they wanted less building in town on the last economic development survey, she noted. 

As a way to bring in revenue, while taking into account resident’s desires, she proposes maximizing the industrial space on Route 44, and exploring the option of “creating a secondary industrial space in town,” she said. That way, “those really good revenue-creators” are “contained within an industrial park,’’  which she described as something that really appeals to the people in town. 

With respect to the question of a new fire station, Candito said she agrees with the necessity of an updated facility “one thousand percent,” and that it’s an issue that’s “ten years overdue.”  She added that the locations proposed along Route 18 are the best options in terms of being centrally located and accessible. 

Candito also wants to push for more types of affordable housing in Lakeville. She specified that she would like to see more options for younger and older residents. “We don’t have options for young people starting out, or for older people who want to downsize. That’s where we’re missing the boat.”