Hillary Lima Announces Run for Vacated Council Seat

Lima to seek District 4 seat on Coventry Town Council in upcoming special election

January 25, 2021 - COVENTRY, RI - Hillary (Costa) Lima today announced her intentions to run in the special election for the District 4 seat on the Coventry Town Council. The seat was vacated by Gary Cote on December 16, 2020 for personal reasons.

Lima is no stranger to the community she hopes to represent. She grew up in West Warwick with her parents and younger brother, graduating from West Warwick High School in 2010. She earned a B.A. in Communication and a B.A. in Political Science from Rhode Island College in 2014.

“Some of my fondest childhood memories can be traced back to Coventry and I hope to preserve them for generations to come,” Lima said. “From my first Awful Awful at the Tiogue Ave. Newport Creamery, fishing on Tiogue Lake, school awards banquets at the old Nino’s, picking out my winter sleds at the former Benny’s, grabbing that box of bakery pizza from DePetrillo’s on the way to a birthday party, countless summers spent tubing on Johnson’s Pond, and much more, which are such community staples we can continue to emulate and elevate as we move Coventry forward.”

Lima has felt a strong calling to public service for a majority of her life, but it has never been as strong as it is now on the heels of a global pandemic.

“I’ve wanted to run for public office since I was a child. I have vivid memories of my mom taking me to the school committee and town council meetings as well as some town financial meetings in my youth,” Lima said. “My passion has always lived within the local sector of our democracy, the stage at which I believe voters are impacted the most and I’m proud to put that drive to use in service of Coventry’s electorate.”

Upon graduation from Rhode Island College, Lima professionally served in various marketing and public relations roles with Women & Infants Hospital, CVS Health, South County Hospital, and most recently as an account executive with a Providence-based B2B agency servicing healthcare IT, software, and other emerging technology companies from a local to global scale that impact the way we live, work, and play.

“I look forward to leveraging my skills as a writer, marketer, public speaker, and communicator to inject transparency into the political process and increase constituent outreach for the benefit of voters as well as effectively position and leverage Coventry's potential for future opportunities,” Lima said. “I know this job won't be easy; especially on the heels of a global pandemic with many still out of work, small businesses shuttering daily, and our education and healthcare systems turned upside down. I’m ready to lend my unique background in healthcare and technology to see Coventry through this inflection point in our nation's history.”

Beyond the workday, Lima serves as the Secretary of the Rhode Island College Alumni Association Board of Directors and is also a lifelong parishioner and volunteer lector of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church on Washington St. in Coventry.

For more information on Hillary Lima, visit www.hillaryforcoventry.com. Follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and updates.