Thomas Melville

Thomas Melville earned a high school diploma from Newton South High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1980 and a law degree from Boston College Law School in 1986. His career experience includes working in journalism.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a husband, father, grandfather, and longtime community volunteer. I served as board president of the Medfield Afterschool Program (MAP) and was a founding member of the Norfolk/Medfield conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which provides emergency financial relief to neighbors in need. Divisive language from the Republican incumbent state representative prompted me to deepen that community work — and ultimately to run for the Massachusetts legislature. I am committed to returning civility to our government and our politics. I am a graduate of Boston University and Boston College Law School, and I am a licensed attorney in Massachusetts. My career began as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, an experience that taught me to listen first and earn trust before offering solutions. I later worked as a television news anchor and reporter, covering politics, agriculture, the courts, and consumer issues, before moving into newsroom leadership — serving as news director at New England Cable News (NECN) and executive news director at WBUR, Boston's NPR station. I received numerous journalism awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award. I later served as communications director at the MIT Energy Initiative. Across every role, I was devoted to getting the facts right and communicating clearly and transparently. After decades in journalism, I am ready to return to public service — to represent every town in our district.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Family budgets are hurting; town budgets are hurting. I’ll fight to get our towns their fair share from the state. As the father of an elementary school teacher, I know how hard our teachers work for our kids; I’ll address the need for more state aid for education and infrastructure. Our energy bills are rising. We should not be paying transmission costs that fluctuate with the amount of electricity we consume. Transmission costs are fixed and we should be paying a fixed price - I will hold the investor-owned utilities responsible. Health insurance costs are strangling household budgets. The state must do more to cap premiums and support our struggling families.I will be a fulltime state representative and dogged advocate for all our towns. Our current state rep was #1 last year – out of 160 state representatives, tied with one other – in missed votes. He missed voting on the $60.9-billion dollar state budget and dropped the ball on key funding for our towns. I’ll hold office hours in all six towns. I’ll give everyone, no matter your party, my cell phone and email; I will work with you. I’ll work tirelessly: to reopen Norwood Hospital, fix the Park Street bridge, save Norfolk’s Kingsbury Pond, and stand up for our veterans so badly hurt by the federal VA budget cuts. I will work fulltime for **all** our residents.I will bring civility back to our six towns and to our state house. We are all neighbors. We are tired of being mad at each other. We can solve our problems, address our issues, stick to our budgets, and still act with civility. We can talk about our differences without vilifying one another. We can be nice to each other and to our kids, all of our kids. We can live by the words our children recite in the Pledge of Allegiance: “liberty and justice for all”. We need transparency: audit the legislature, enact public records laws on the legislature and the governor’s office, improve public meeting laws, and be honest about our own work. I will share via email all of my votes and why I voted the way I did.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

State government must control costs and prioritize our towns. I'll work to audit the legislature, fix broken funding formulas, & strengthen public records/meetings laws.

Our towns face rising costs, aging buildings, and stretched budgets. Fixing education funding is vital so towns get their fair share. We need: more housing while protecting local character, standardized ADU designs and streamlined codes so our workforce and adult children can afford to live here. Utilities shouldn't allow transmission costs to fluctuate; those are fixed, pricing should be too. I'll hold utilities accountable and expand low-cost energy options. Seniors deserve to age in place, with support for caregivers. The state must cap premiums for struggling families.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Plainville Democratic Town Committee

Mental Health Now Candidate Distinction

Medfield Democratic Town Committee

Norfolk Democratic Town Committee

UFCW Local 1445

Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund

Indivisible Mansfield and Beyond