Get to Know
Jen Grigoraitis
Jennifer Grigoraitis is a proven leader, ready to move Melrose forward.
Like any city, Melrose faces a unique set of challenges that requires an in-depth grasp of complex issues paired with a broad, long-term vision and effective, inclusive communication. Through her many years in state-level leadership positions, as well as City Council President, Jen has built the deep expertise, proven competence, and visionary leadership that our city truly needs. Jen leads by example and collaboration, building the coalitions needed to raise all voices and bring everyone together for a common goal. Moving Melrose Forward means not leaving anyone behind. This campaign is for everyone.
Through her years on the City Council and as City Council President, Jen has been a continuous and vocal advocate for public schools, fiscal oversight, and robust city services for all residents. She has served as the Council’s president for two terms and as the Appropriations Committee Chair and the Legal & Legislative Committee Chair. Leading the City Council during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jen provided stability and advanced important community priorities, including sustainably funding city services throughout unprecedented challenges, easing the burden for local businesses, establishing supports for affordable housing, and expanding access to City Council proceedings.
“From downtown Melrose to the top of Mt. Hood, I love my community. I want to help it evolve into a sustainable, inclusive, growing, and thriving city that is open to all. I am ready to be part of Melrose’s next chapter, and I want to work with the community as we move forward together.”
—Jen Grigoraitis
In the community, Jen has been an engaged parent-volunteer at the Winthrop School and the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School, a Member of the Melrose Chamber of Commerce, and the Ward 6 Chair of the Melrose Democratic City Committee. She previously served as a founding member of the One Melrose Campaign and as a Board Member of the Melrose Education Foundation. Not only does she know Melrose inside and out, but she does the hard work to serve and lead this community.
Through her unmatched experience in state and city government, Jen has time and again proven her competence and leadership across many key areas such as:
Large Scale Budget Expertise
Throughout her time as Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance (MOVA), Jen has planned and managed a successful budget of over $60 million across multiple years. She has found efficiencies, stretching and responsibly stewarding public funds, and working collaboratively to make the hard choices when needed.
As City Councilor, she has used the available powers of the council to scrutinize and question budget decisions. Now she looks forward to being able to shape and set the agenda as Mayor to achieve sound, long-term, responsible budgeting stability.
With an annual city budget of over $100 million, Melrose needs a leader with real-world experience working through budgets at a similar scale.
Professional Management & Executive Experience
Jen is proud of her long track record leading and managing teams. True professional leadership comes with practice and experience, learning how to assemble teams of great people, manage to their strengths, and inspire them to work together for a common goal. Jen has been doing exactly that since 2007 at the state level, managing a team of over 30 people to achieve continuously better outcomes and results for residents across the Commonwealth, and she will bring that proven leadership experience to Melrose’s city operations. Jen’s leadership style has always been one of collaboration and example, finding common ground among varying perspectives and leading those teams as they work through challenges to achieve collective results. She sets and maintains high expectations for her team, coaching them to rise to the occasion.
A Deep, First-Hand Grasp of Melrose’s Most Important Challenges
Through her years of work on the City Council, chairing committees and serving as City Council President, Jen has direct insight into Melrose’s most important challenges. In her 4 years on the council, she has advocated for the advancement and sound management of many key issues such as fiscal management & budgeting, great public schools, services for senior residents, housing & development, transportation & safety, local business support, and sustainability. Most importantly, she has pursued all this advocacy in a spirit of partnership and collaboration with all the different perspectives in Melrose, leading to vocal endorsements from a broad array of public officials at the city and state level. What makes us great and strong is the diversity of those perspectives and our ability to work together to solve hard problems. With Jen’s proven leadership, we truly are One Community with a bright collective future ahead of us.