Kelli Martin Taglianetti fought back against pollution in her own backyard, and now hopes to be there to help Bliss Corner residents if she is back on the Select Board.

For Taglianetti, running for office was not always on her radar. She was born and raised on Hixville Road in North Dartmouth, married, and move into her own home close by. But one issue brought Taglianetti into politics: the Cecil Smith landfill project, which hit close to home as it was in her neighborhood.

She got involved in a resident-run coalition of neighbors concerned about the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) proposal to cap the former landfill with contaminated soil. After a long legal battle, a Superior Court judge upheld the Conservation Commission’s rejection of the project, preventing it from moving forward.

Her neighbors and friends urged her to run for Select Board when the position was open in 2015, which she won.

While serving, her proudest accomplishment was being involved in the construction of a new police station, library, and Padanaram causeway.

She announced in 2018 she would not seek re-election, as she faced a possible move to Florida, but is now committed to remaining in Dartmouth.

If elected, Taglianetti plans to focus on using what she learned from the Cecil Smith landfill fight to help residents of Bliss Corner. MassDEP is currently investigating the scope of contamination of a large swath of the neighborhood.

“I think I’ll be able to provide a lot of assistance in speaking with the different departments, and working with DEP to resolve this issue,” Taglianetti said. “It could be huge for this town, and I think I’ll be able to provide a lot of insight, a lot of help, and a lot of compassion because I dealt so closely with it.”

She also hopes to work on the town’s financial stability by making the right decisions from a fiscal point of view.

“I want to make the right decisions, to spend the money in the right places, and get people the raises that they need,” Taglianetti said.

When she’s not working, Taglianetti can be found in the summers at Demarest Lloyd State Park, or at one of Dartmouth’s many restaurants. Her personal favorite is Not Your Average Joe’s.