BACKGROUND ON POSITIONS: I have spent the last 13 years working for the City and Schools to build decision making, customer service, and safety nets systems for Somerville children and adults. Prior to that, I did similar work in Philadelphia, Georgia, and Boston. The experiences taught me a great deal about local government and how it operates. More recently, I have been door knocking since February and have had a chance to reach almost 6,000 households. I have spoken with more than 2,500 people and have listened to their concerns. The needs and policy recommendations discussed here reflect a combination of the two decades of work in local government and stories I've heard in the last seven months.
OVERALL THEMES AND APPROACHES: Across all of the focus areas below, here are some general approaches I will take in trying to understand and address each challenge:
Looking for systems connections: The most exciting part about working at the local level is that we have both a challenge and opportunity to work across systems to find solutions. An education challenge may relate to an open space challenge, or a jobs creation challenge may relate to transit. For each topic considered, I mention how other systems relate to the one being discussed.
- Testing solutions: Almost everyone is troubled by the scope of problems our government faces at all levels. These positions focus on what’s possible to address at the local level. I believe that Somerville can be a laboratory to test approaches that will help address the problems of the region, state, and nation.
- Practicing empathy in policy making: For each initiative, we should work for broad-based support among residents. We can use the best available technical tools to find ways that a policy can help the most people or require the smallest sacrifice – those are the win-wins. When there is no opportunity for both sides to be happy, we will need to split the difference and compromise. We will need to find every opportunity to hold onto our community connections – to listen and hear one another’s stories. Then, when we make a sacrifice or a compromise, we will be doing it to help another resident, because our neighbors’ voices and lives matter.
- Taking money out of the equation: I support Somerville being a business-friendly city adn want to make sure those businesses benefit residents by creating jobs and tax revenue. However, harnessing the private sector requires constant vigilance because sometimes the incentive of a for-profit business differ from those of the community. Also, there is some business activity that has less benefit to the community and, instead, takes value out. I think this particularly the case with non-resident investors/developers who purchase smaller buildings and hold them as investment properties. A more serious effort to weigh the costs and benefits of development needs to replace the current environment in which development is allowed to proceed, unless significant nonconformities with zoning requirements or other adverse consequences are identified. Because I believe that we need to be clear-eyed about each policy that relates to development and business – both supportive sometimes and challenging others – I have committed to forgo taking contributions from real estate developers and investors, including our larger realtors. We want our policies to reflect our goals and community values so that the future Somerville aligns with our aspirations.
- Connecting evidence: I believe that human stories help us understand what’s going on, and then data analysis confirms or sometime refines that understanding. We need both to make the best decisions.
- Getting things done: My focus is on results, and for each of the topic below I will work out with residents and other policy-makers and community leaders to set goals and metrics for success. We will track progress on each of these and advertise where we are succeeding and where we are falling short. If elected, I will work on the Board of Alderman position as my primary job so as to get as much done as possible.
Please read and weigh in on the forthcoming position statements! I'm learning as I go and I want to hear from you and incorporate your thoughts, critiques, and ideas.
