Leora Mallach Is The 'First-Time Homebuyer' Framingham Councilor

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Leora Mallach is not a longtime Framingham resident, and she's never won (or ran in) an election before 2021.

But in a city with a close-knit political culture, Mallach sees her relatively limited political experience as an asset. Framingham, she says, is a community in transition with a municipal government that's only about five years old. And there are plenty of new people moving here all the time from the Boston area — just like Mallach did a few years ago.

"We are in a period of adjustment and transition to this new system," she said. "I didn't grow up here, I don't have that same deep-rooted connections some do — but I do love the deep roots people have in Framingham."

Mallach, 48, is originally from the Philadelphia area. Before Framingham, she lived in Burlington, Vt., and Jamaica Plain. She moved to Framingham in 2017, choosing the downtown area because she could easily access commuter rail. But she quickly learned how rooted local residents are. When she moved into her home near Butterworth Park, a neighbor introduced himself and said he had grown up climbing the tree in her yard.

District 7 has been represented over the past two terms by Margareth Shepard, who decided not to seek reelection in 2021. Shepard is a local business owner, radio host, and major figure in Framingham's sizeable Brazilian community, and was a town meeting member before the transition to a city. Mallach ran against Magda Janus, who touted her 30-years as a resident (25 years as a District 7 homeowner). But Mallach, who Shepard endorsed, came out in the lead with almost 65 percent of the vote.

(Of note, Mallach's sister also won a race on Nov. 2, getting elected as the town supervisor in Harrietstown, N.Y.)

Since the election, Mallach has been talking to other sitting Councilors, and met up with Noval Alexander, the newly elected District 5 Councilor. She's still thinking about which Council committees she wants to sit on, but did identify the proposed new south side elementary school, economic development and environmental sustainability as items she'd like to focus on.

"As a City Councilor who represents a piece of the downtown business district, I intend to put a significant amount of time and energy into building vibrancy in all of the downtown area," she said. "That's going to include economic vibrancy, transportation and parking, holistically."

Mallach describes District 7 as a "first-time homebuyer" neighborhood — a descriptor that encompasses very new Framingham arrivals including immigrants and transplants, and people who bought a home decades ago and never moved again.

"That's sort of the unique character of this district," she said. "I'm excited to represent that in city government."