Local attorney Jim Ianiri has secured a spot on the ballot for select board and seeks to serve the remaining two years left of the term of Jennifer Constable, who recently announced her resignation. Jim has been a member of the Community Preservation Committee since its inception in 2017 and co-chaired the committee in 2018-19. He has lived in Hull since 2015 with his wife, Rebecca Sacks, and previously lived in Norwell, where he also served for

three years on both Norwell’s Community Preservation Committee and its planning board.

Jim and Rebecca first fell in love with Hull in the early 1990s when they lived on Alden Street for three years upon graduating from law school and getting married. Their careers took them away from Hull, but they always dreamed of returning. That dream came true in 2015, shortly after a winter no one would soon forget, when Rebecca found a home on Allerton Hill.
It did not take long before Jim sought an at-large seat on Hull’s newly formed CPC. Jim would be one of a very select few, and perhaps the only one in the state, who has served on two Community Preservation Committees from inception in two different towns. Right out of the gate, the Hull CPC engaged in a year-long effort to get a proposal approved at town meeting to provide $100,000 toward the first phase of restoring the Fort Revere water tower for public access. Because the property is town-owned, the CPC had to secure permission from the town manager and select board, which set up an epic power struggle, since at the time restoring the tower was not a priority to the town but was, Jim and his fellow CPC members knew, in fact the very reason many Hull residents voted to pass the Community Preservation Act. Of course, after much negotiating and Jim’s leadership, a carefully-crafted article for funding of the water tower project passed in 2019.
When Jim learned that Jen Constable was stepping down and three seats were going to become available this year on the select board, he knew it was the right time to throw his hat in the ring, especially at this critical juncture in Hull’s history.
“The truth is, I am not one to sit on the sidelines. Getting involved in community leadership is in my DNA,” he said “And I can see that at this very moment there is a need for fresh leadership bringing new ideas and open minds to the table. From the HRA issue, climate resiliency, the clear need for affordable housing and to help our seniors, the need for continued economic development in town but also the need to protect our limited open space, the issue of what to do with town resources and town-owned buildings like our schools and town hall – you name it – there are many critical issues facing this town my wife and I have come to love. I believe that, my calm, thoughtful and analytical approach to decision-making, unencumbered by ideology and ego will add great value to the select board.”
Jim has been a practicing attorney for 30 years, concentrating in family law, including divorce and high-conflict custody disputes, child welfare and protection, and anything having to do with the Department of Children and Families. He has also served as a criminal defense attorney and real estate lawyer for 15 years. Jim believes his legal and advocacy skills, as well as his eagerness to serve and ability to work well with others, make him a good fit for the select board.
Jim’s other interests include music (he is an avid guitar player and singer), hiking and mountaineering (he has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood, to name just a few mountains, and trekked to Everest Base Camp; he is also an avid hiker in New Hampshire’s famed White Mountains), and enjoys spending time walking around Hull with Rebecca and their new puppy, Ruby Tuesday.