1. In light of a recent federal executive order on homelessness that incentivizes local policies to ban outdoor camping and to require mental health and substance use treatment, how would you assess Salem’s responses to people experiencing homelessness, and what would you plan to do if elected?
Salem must focus on solutions to homelessness grounded in evidence and centered on the dignity of people. This means policies like expanding access to mental health and substance use treatment, expanding supportive permanent housing models that have been proven to work, adding more emergency shelter beds, and ensuring those shelters are accessible so people choose to use them.
Ward 4 is already home to a fantastic example of a safe and efficient Housing First initiative through Harborlight Homes. Boston Street Crossing is permanent supportive housing that provides residents with a studio apartment coupled with integrated programming that aims to ensure there is both housing and personal stability for residents. I would like to see Salem embrace more models like Boston Street Crossing that guarantee permanent housing, as well as increased self-sufficiency in accessing basic needs and dignity. In a perfect world, by guaranteeing tenancy first, then layering on health, employment, and peer-support services, people experiencing homelessness will have the space and support to find long term stability.
This will require working with state and federal partners to secure funding and develop regional services. Homelessness does not stop at Salem’s borders, so we must collaborate with surrounding communities to tackle this regional problem.
2. Since the federal government has withdrawn its support for combating climate change, including eliminating tax credits for wind and solar energy and halting federal permits for wind power, what would you propose the city do to mitigate climate change and its effects locally?
Salem has a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy, as well as strengthen our community to better weather the effects of climate change.
We have set ourselves on solid fitting, adopting policies that guide us toward climate neutrality like the Green Building Ordinance, which promotes energy conservation and the embrace of electric technologies, and the Specialized Energy Code, which mandates stricter energy efficiency standards. As City Councillor, I will lead with innovation when approaching this green transition, expanding support for EV owners, piloting programs like Cambridge’s over the sidewalk charging initiative or Melrose’s pole-mounted EV chargers, and advocating for the deployment of microgrid technology, which uses community solar arrays tied to community battery hubs to provide reliable, resilient, and localized power.
In addition to leading the emission reduction charge, Salem and its residents must prepare people for the effects of stronger storms, higher tides, and hotter days. I will do so by advocating for greater proactive management and maintenance of our seawalls and recommending increased funding for organizations like the Salem Sound Coastwatch to revitalize our shorelines with native vegetation. Given that Ward 4 was the site of brushfires in fall 2024, Salem should also continue to promote water conservation, incentivize drought-resistant landscaping, and increase emergency preparedness and wildfire awareness. Salem must also ensure that our most vulnerable populations, people experiencing homelessness and seniors, have access to air conditioners or cooling centers on days when heat can jeopardize their safety.
No single community can mitigate climate change, but we can do our part to respond to the climate crisis facing us and avoid its worst effects.
3. With the loss of federal grants and funding for food pantries, and the closure of Daily Table, what ideas do you have for helping residents who are food insecure?
As a legal aid attorney, I represent low income residents of Massachusetts who rely on food assistance to survive and feed their families every day. Salem is lucky to be home to the Salem Pantry, as well as other free food resources like the Mack Park Farm Community Market, and robust free food and nutrition services to Salem Public Schools students year round (through free school breakfast and lunch as well as the Summer Eats Program). Over the past few years, the Salem Pantry has become a regional food hub for hungry families across the North Shore. Last year, the Salem Pantry also took over mobile distribution of food following the closure of the North Shore Moving Market. Salem should continue to spread awareness about free food sources such as the Salem Pantry and the Mack Park Market on Saturdays that provides fresh produce to residents at a bi-monthly Saturday market. The City should also consider expanding the Mack Park community agriculture program, as well as educational programs focused on how to garden and grow food. Outreach should happen simultaneously through schools, health centers, hospitals, and other public channels so food resources are easily accessible.
One of the difficulties of food access in Salem is that the bigger grocery stores with affordable staples are located at the edge of the City off of Highland Ave in Wards 3 and 4. Salem must ensure that the Salem Skipper and bus system have regular, reliable service to these grocery stores and that information is made available in the most common foreign languages spoken in the city like Spanish and Portuguese. Salem should also use tax and other incentives to help make grocery store locations in mixed use developments a feasible reality and to help ensure that no neighborhoods in Salem are a food desert.
4. Do you support or oppose the plans to build a new high school inSalem and the debt exclusion proposal to allow Salem to fund its share of the cost of the new school? Why or why not? What points would you make to communicate with Salem voters about this project?
I support the construction of a new Salem High School. There is a clear consensus from our teachers, school administrators, and students that we need a more modern high school to get the best results for Salem students. If elected, I will vote to issue a bond order to fund the construction project and vote to include a debt exclusion initiative on the ballot for voter approval. Federal funding cuts have already created uncertainty in the state budget, which could reduce the matching funds we rely on when the voter initiative is approved. Acting now is the most responsible choice for both our students and Salem taxpayers.
Elected officials and community leaders in Salem must collectively sing the praises of a new high school so that voters know they must vote YES so we do not lose the matching funds from the state. The current school is almost 50 years old and waiting to build a new one will only drive up costs. Because of its age and energy inefficiency, the current Salem High School building uses approximately 25% of the City’s annual energy consumption. Many aspects of the building are not up to code and cannot be remedied due to the building’s age. But even worse, the mechanical systems cannot meet the building’s need for heating and cooling, causing our students to suffer in stifling heat and frigid cold depending on the season. These are not conditions in which students can thrive academically. Salem students deserve state of the art classrooms, career and technical education, and fields and athletic buildings.
5. How do you plan to keep your constituents informed about policy issues before the City Council if you are elected?
Clear and frequent communication with residents is one of the most important responsibilities of a City Councillor. As the level of government closest to the people, I want to be the first person constituents call when their trash isn’t collected, a sidewalk is broken, or they need help navigating city services. I will hold regular office hours in convenient locations such as McGrath and Gallows Hill Parks in seasons with good weather, and locations like the Community Life Center or even a neighborhood Dunkin Donuts during colder seasons. I will also keep residents informed through regular social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, and an opt-in email newsletter. I have already been monitoring See Click Fix requests that are happening in Ward 4 so I can see what type of complaints are common and need addressing.