Meet Me in Medford | Nick Giurleo, Neighborhood Ambassador

By 4Squares Residential Group with Judi 411

Lifelong Medford Resident, Civic Voice, and West Medford Neighborhood Ambassador

This month at Meet Me in Medford—a closer look at one the people stepping into the role of Neighborhood Ambassadors across the city. Nick’s connection to Medford starts at the very beginning—born at Winchester Hospital and, by his account, back over the line almost immediately. He grew up here, went through the Medford Public Schools, graduated from Tufts, and later Boston College School of Law. His roots here run deep—and now, so does his involvement.

Now, he’s channeling that lifelong connection into something more visible—showing up, speaking up, and finding ways to serve the community he’s always called home.

Are you originally from Medford?

I am. I was technically born in at Winchester Hospital, but I basically crossed the border immediately into Medford from the hospital. I’ve lived my whole life here.

I went through the Medford Public Schools—Brooks Elementary, McGlynn Middle, and graduated from Medford High first in my class in 2015. Then I stayed local and went to Tufts. In my graduating class, I think only four of us went to Tufts, which is kind of surprising given how close it is.

What stands out to you about growing up in Medford?

A lot of my memories are tied to the Medford Public School system and youth sports. I played soccer, Little League baseball, basketball through St. Raphael’s, and then high school soccer.

I wouldn’t say I was the most athletic person out there—that’s probably why I leaned more in an academic direction—but I had great experiences being part of those teams.

What I loved most about it was the sense of community. Those memories really stick. Even now, I’ll run into someone I haven’t seen in years, and we can still talk about a game we played or a moment we shared.

Why have you chosen to stay in Medford?

All in all, it’s a great place to live. There’s a strong sense of community here.

A lot of people I grew up with have left for different reasons. Some of those decisions make sense, but I’ve always felt like this is where I want to be, and I want to stay involved in trying to make the community better.

Tell us about your role and how you became involved in the community.

For a while, I wasn’t involved in Medford politics at all. I’d see things on social media or read something here and there, but I wasn’t going to meetings or really keeping up.

After law school, studying for the bar, and getting settled into a job, things in my life stabilized a bit. I had more time, and I thought I should be more involved. So I started going to City Council meetings.

I went to my first meeting and spoke at the podium. Afterward, a few people came up to me and said they liked what I had to say and encouraged me to keep coming back. That gave me some inspiration. So I kept going to meetings and speaking. One thing led to another.

Eventually, I decided to run for City Council. I didn’t win, but I wasn’t running just to win. I was running to try to make the community better, regardless of the outcome.

What were the main issues that motivated you to speak up?

One of the big things for me was that I felt the Council was getting a little off track. There was a lot of focus on national and state-level issues, and less focus on things that are really in the local community—roads, schools, zoning.

It’s not that those other issues aren’t important. It’s just that local government has limited power. It can repair our roads, but it can’t solve gridlock in Washington. So we should focus on where we can actually enact change.

Another big piece was civic engagement. There are so many people in this city who have good ideas and interesting thoughts, but just aren’t involved in the process. For a while, that was me.

When you look at voter turnout and see that only about a third of registered voters are participating, that’s really frightening. People need to be informed about what’s happening in the community and feel comfortable getting involved.

You’re now a Neighborhood Ambassador. What does that role mean to you?

After the election, I didn’t want to just disappear. A lot of times people run for office and then step away if they don’t win. That wasn’t my mindset.

I saw the Neighborhood Ambassador program and thought it was a good way to stay involved. One of the things that frustrates me most is communication—residents just not knowing what’s going on.

In my application, I was very direct about that. I said I didn’t think communication in the city was very good right now, but instead of complaining and doing nothing, I wanted to take the initiative and try to make it better.

I want this to be a very proactive group. I don’t want it to be symbolic—I want it to actually serve as an ambassadors. To me, that means being a conduit between residents and elected leadership. Bringing concerns forward, bringing information back, and trying to solve problems.

Where can people find your work or follow along?

I primarily use Facebook. It started as my campaign page, and I converted it into more of a community conversation page.

I also have a website—nickgformedford.comnickg4medford.com—that I’ve converted as well.

I did have an Instagram, but my posts tend to be more detailed, and the character limits made it hard to fully communicate what I wanted to say. I try to post more or less daily, and it takes a lot of time to put that content together.

Tell us about your work outside of your community involvement.

I’m an attorney. I work at a firm that primarily handles medical malpractice, along with some serious personal injury cases.

We represent plaintiffs, not insurance companies, so we’re working with people and families who have gone through devastating situations. It does feels very good to help them and to see positive outcomes.

My interests are more in real estate law and zoning—that’s what I focused on in law school. I find the relationship between zoning and development really interesting, so that’s something I’d like to get back into at some point.

Where are your go-to spots in Medford?

I love to eat. I love going out to different restaurants, and I also like trying new places.

A few weeks ago, I tried Twisted Tree Café in West Medford for the first time and was impressed. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, and I had a very satisfying cappuccino and a good sandwich.

I go to Paul Revere Diner a lot for brunch. It’s like stepping into a time capsule—I think it opened in the 1930s.

I also like Lighthouse Café in the Square and Dempsey’s in Haines Square. For takeout, I’ll go to Amici’s for Italian or, Hong Kong Village for Chinese., and Ho Win Palace.

For Italian restaurants, Fiore Italy on Salem Street is probably my favorite, with Bocelli’s in South Medford a close second. They both feel very authentic.

Photos, from upper left: the brick portico at the Brooks Estate, welcome to West Medford, fresh pasta, teen activities at the new Medford Public Library. Photo of Nick Giurleo above courtesy of the subject.

What about outdoor spaces and things to do?

We’re very blessed to have the natural resources we do in Medford. A huge portion of the city is the Middlesex Fells, which is incredible.

I also like the Brooks Estate, especially since it’s close to where I live, and the Mystic River. I’ve done Paddle Boston a few times.

And I can’t forget the Medford Public Library. I’m an avid reader, so I almost always have something checked out. The building is beautiful.

If your best friend were considering a move to Medford, what would you tell them?

I would tell them that Medford is, all in all, a great place to live.

We’re trying to do work politically to address some of the issues we’re facing, like affordability. It is expensive to live here, and it would be nice if it were more accessible to people from different income levels.

But there are so many good things about the city. There’s a strong sense of community, and a lot of people who care about making it better.

There’s a reason I stayed.

Nick is part of a growing group of residents stepping forward to strengthen the connection between the community and City Hall—and this is only the beginning of that story.

If you’d like to follow along with Nick’s work, you can connect with him on his Facebook page at Nick Giurleo for Medford or visit his website at nickg4medford.comnickgformedford.com, where he shares updates, insights, and ongoing conversations about what’s happening in Medford.

Meet Me in Medford will continue highlighting Neighborhood Ambassadors across the city—stay tuned for more voices shaping the future of this community.

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