Platform and Key Issues
Ward 1's residents comprise a diverse population from across many cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The years I've spent living in our ward have given me a comprehensive view of common issues from multiple perspectives: renter to homeowner, recent transplant to longer-term resident, driver to pedestrian to cyclist, local employee to Boston commuter, and many more. My goals for Ward 1 reflect my variety of Salem life experiences and aim to make our ward as safe, welcoming, and resilient as it can be, for everyone. I've lived with the same challenges as many Ward 1 constituents, and that puts me in a great place to help you, however you landed in Salem.​
Promoting Safe, Efficient Transportation
It's no surprise that a city that was settled in 1626 has significant growing pains with modern vehicles and traffic patterns. I've driven, walked, and cycled Ward 1 from Palmer Cove to the Willows (so many times!), and my personal experiences combined with the work I've done with the Transportation Commission have given me an understanding of the challenges faced by residents using all forms of transportation, as well as an understanding of the tools we can use to solve these challenges. Moving people around Ward 1 as efficiently, safely, and easily as possible is a major motivator of my desire to run for ward councillor. Whether it's fixing potholes or the timing of a traffic signal, making sure our sidewalks are cleared after snowstorms, or building better connectivity between our cycling routes, I want to help you get from Point A to Point B as easily and safely as possible.
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Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change
Every neighborhood in our ward is susceptible to flooding, temperature extremes, and other effects of climate change. Our coastal borders make us an attractive place to live and a valuable location for development, but king tides and storm surges continually put our homes and businesses in danger. At my home in the Point, I am all too familiar with the consequences of rising flood waters - the sump pump in my basement has been working overtime with many recent high tides and heavy rainfalls. As Ward 1 Councillor, I want to ensure that future development and infrastructure projects are completed in a manner that is fiscally responsible, energy-efficient, and considerate of the beauty and power of our marine environment. I want to facilitate the use of alternative methods of transportation for those who wish to utilize them to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. I want to make sure we can protect our residential and commercial areas and keep them habitable and productive for years to come.
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Increasing Access to Housing
We Salemites are fortunate to live in a city where so many others want to live. Unfortunately, this means our housing costs increase much more quickly than those of other local cities and towns, leading to unaffordable rents and mortgages and the very real possibility of becoming unhoused. I will work to keep Ward 1's residents in their homes by preserving and improving our current housing stock and by doing everything we can to mitigate the economic factors leading to displacement. I also want to ensure that we can keep pace with the burgeoning demand for housing from people who are considering making Salem their home. Finding a balance between these needs is a difficult task, but we can make it easier by focusing on refining our zoning, increasing the availability of small, efficient units and other affordable housing, looking closely at who does (and who doesn't) require vehicle storage, and facilitating new housing near easily accessible transportation routes, ideally walkable to critical daily necessities.
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Reducing the Cost of Living
There are so many benefits and desirable aspects of living in Salem, but that doesn't change the fact that it can sometimes be difficult to make ends meet. Personal finance is a very individualized situation; however, there are some aspects that can be influenced at the ward and city level. We can support the supply of locally sourced and sustainably farmed foods, including hyperlocal affordable resources like the Salem Pantry and Daily Table. We can facilitate residents navigating our city without needing to unquestionably rely on fueling and maintaining (and parking!) a personal vehicle. We can encourage the creation of public third places and parks that don't require a food or beverage purchase to visit, and we can promote the establishment of local businesses that serve residents' most basic needs, here in their own neighborhoods. There are so many possibilities that we can still explore to help our residents be able to afford to stay here in Salem, and I'm excited to dig in.
Improving Seasonal Experiences for Residents
October. Septovember. Weddings. School vacation. Beach and boating season. Visitors from all over the world visit Salem to see for themselves why we love living here, and it feels like the tourist season grows longer with each year. While beneficial to the local economy, this influx of visitors puts a strain on our city resources and can make life quite a headache for residents. Our ward is particularly impacted by this seasonal ingress of visitors, especially in the Derby Street and downtown areas. I want to focus on policies that reduce stressors for locals during peak tourism times, while also recouping revenue from our seasonal visitors to help reduce the financial impact of fluctuating demands on our infrastructure and public services. I look forward to working with Mayor Pangallo, our other councillors, and you, the residents and business owners of Ward 1, to implement strategies to better manage and benefit from the impacts of local tourism.
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