Question 1: Why are you running for Mayor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
I'm running for mayor because I care deeply about Salem, its people, its history, its diversity, and what I see now is a Salem under-served and headed in the wrong direction. Our schools continue to under-perform. Traffic and parking are worsening problems. Too many of our streets and sidewalks are crumbling, and our aged infrastructure is failing. Sea-level rise and storm surges threaten huge portions of our city. Excessive development is changing Salem for the worse and giving us little or nothing in return. All of this while our taxes continue to increase, and more and more families are deciding to leave Salem. I want ACTUAL affordability, ACTUAL help for families, workers and seniors in Salem. I want more job opportunities. I want a City government that listens to its residents and respects our neighborhoods, our history, and our residents. We need more than happy talk and slogans. We need action.
It has been my great privilege and honor to serve as Salem’s Ward 7 City Councillor now for three terms. That time has seen many challenging issues come before the Council, and the work of finding consensus among the eleven councillors is often difficult. With good will and hard work, we will find it. Too often, though, politics and division have thwarted finding that consensus. And the Council has had its independence challenged by a mayor who seems to regard it as a hindrance or annoyance rather than a co-equal branch, a mayor who prefers councillors who behave more like staffers than the independent representatives of the wards of Salem. This needs to end - as mayor, I will end it. I will not treat the Council as though it is merely an obstacle or a rubber stamp, but will seek genuine engagement and cooperation with every councillor. And rather than foster division among the councillors, I will encourage collegiality and cooperation on the Council.
A similar attitude exists from our current mayor towards many residents, and it shows itself in the top-down approach and the disregard for resident input. I will change that. I pledge to listen to all Salem residents and not simply make a pretense of doing so with ignored surveys or empty "listening sessions" with pre-determined outcomes. Working cooperatively and emphasizing shared goals has been an approach that I have used successfully during my professional years working as a Salem Planning Department leader, with my family business designing public parks, my volunteer work as a Scout leader, and teaching and coaching in various youth programs. My experience in city government and in private business have given me the skills and experience to deliver. I have a proven record of listening to residents, of building coalitions, of protecting Salem on the Council and improving our ordinances. As mayor, I will bring all of this experience to the office.
Question 2: What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
As we all know, this is a widespread issue. And the hardship it creates is painful. Rising housing prices for both rental and purchase, combined with growing income inequality, have made affordability a struggle for many and even closed it out entirely for some. This is a problem we need to take on, but we need to be clear-eyed about it. Salem residents face struggles which are very real, and so should our response be. Our policies should be directed to providing them actual help, not simply promoting broader initiatives or promoting them without regard to the effects on Salem. Governor Baker has been urging housing construction, especially along commuter rail lines. And the emphasis and onus has fallen again and again on Salem to supply it, however this is a regional problem. One that Salem cannot and must not try to relieve on its own. Of course, every city and town should do its part. But I would argue we've done more than our share. We need to focus on what's right for Salem and calibrate our policies to that. That means building based on what Salem and its residents need, and in ways that benefit Salem. Further, we need to realize that the underlying problem is not simply one of basic supply and demand. Salem is an attractive place to live, and demand far outstrips what we can supply. Metro-Boston-area residents in particular are happy to move here for what are relatively lower housing costs, costs which are often still onerous for Salem residents.
In short, this is not a problem we can build our way out of. Yet what we have seen from the current mayor is building for building's sake, and it is promoted in the name of affordability, when in reality, we have merely created expensive housing which has not benefited Salem's families, workers and seniors. The best way to help Salem residents is to help them find better-paying jobs. This means attracting businesses to Salem, and not converting commercial spaces to residential.
In the more immediate term, we need to require REAL affordability in proposed development: 30-60% AMI, and we need to require a larger percentage of affordable units in proposed developments: at least 20%, as opposed to the current 10% rule of thumb. Salem is in demand, so we can demand more of developers. Historic Salem deserves, and must demand, top quality architectural design and materials for all new building projects. No more “any city” flat, blank, oversized boxes! We must also protect Salem’s neighborhoods, its verdant green spaces, its wetland habitats, and the historic buildings and streetscapes that fuel our economy by bringing in tourist dollars, in addition to the exciting cultural programs and venues that contribute to the much loved “Salem experience.”
Question 3: How do you see Salem impacted by the climate crisis and what new initiatives would you take to lead Salem's resiliency efforts?
Sea-level rise and increasingly energetic storms and rainfall associated with climate change represent major challenges for Salem. As a low-lying, ocean-front community, we are particularly vulnerable. And we have already seen major ocean flooding and erosion in the harbor-front areas, in the Willows, along the Bridge Street corridor where the North River spills over. Additionally, many other locations around Salem have seen flooding due to rainfall. This will be a long-term and expensive endeavor. My administration will vigorously pursue all available grants and government funding opportunities to support these projects. Nevertheless, it cannot be accomplished in one fell swoop and will require care, forethought, and selectivity to manage our funds and respond to change as it comes in order to successfully mitigate and control the risk and damage. Salem can benefit by evaluating measures already in practice in other communities. We have already secured major funding to address seawall repairs and begin reinforcement construction, which will be our first line of defense against rising tides. It is important that this money be carefully monitored and wisely applied to these critical projects. We must continue and expand our comprehensive tree planting program. Trees provide a canopy to reduce heat and thus lower fuel usage, while they also absorb nearly half of seasonal and storm-water surges. We can do our part to lower emissions and encourage less dependency on automobiles by improving and expanding public transportation options. The pilot programs for both low-cost taxi service (Salem Clipper) and bike rentals (e.g., Blue Bikes) are examples which represent a first tentative step in this effort. As mayor, I will support the work of the joint Salem-Beverly "Resilient Together” initiative. And unlike the current mayor, I will actually live up to the name by seeking to end inappropriate development in flood zones and strengthening protections for wetlands and the environment. Her irresponsible and short-sighted approach will only result in extremely costly future remediation measures as water levels continue to rise, imposing a cost burden on the next generation of Salem residents. My administration will not let that happen.
Question 4: Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
I have a lifelong passion for the outdoors and engaging children and adults in sports and other social activities, a passion which has found expression throughout both my professional and private life, whether in my current work as a City Councillor, as a Salem Planning Department leader (1986–2000), in my years as a Scout leader, and my work with many youth programs. I will bring this passion to the office of mayor to support and develop a wide range of activities to bring all levels of our community together. These kinds of activities enrich the lives of residents, bring together diverse groups of people, and foster understanding, unity, and friendship. Our public parks are underutilized, and increased usage through activities is not only enriching for participants, but also fosters a safer and more welcoming atmosphere for people of all ages. One example is the recently completed Charlotte Forten Park on Derby Street, which had accommodated the annual Halloween carnival. Despite this conversion being touted as offering a great central gathering space, a new and welcoming amenity, it is now a largely vacant wasteland, rarely visited. We need to address neglected park-maintenance issues more broadly, including adequate provision and emptying of trash receptacles, timely mowing, replacement of dead trees, not to mention completing park-development work, like the minimal work left on the infield base lines at Gallows Hill Park. This stalled completely without explanation this April, resulting in a full season of youth sports now lost. I will seek to bring back our college students to revive the park counselor posts that were so important over the years, creating lasting connections among neighborhood kids and benefiting entire families. Great venues such as the Espacio Community Center in the Point, the Assembly House in the McIntire Historic District, and the indoor and outdoor facilities at Winter Island, for example, offer opportunities for a full complement of social activities and educational programs, which I will encourage.
Question 5: How do you think Salem should continue working on issues of race equity, now that the City's first Race Equity Task Force has submitted its report?
The dedicated work accomplished by the year-long effort of the Race Equity Task Force provides us with an excellent framework for improving racial equity throughout our community. Salem has been historically an inclusive city, proud to welcome immigrants of all races, creeds and ethnicities. Under my leadership, we will continue to be. We must support local leaders who are contributing to Salem’s culturally diverse and welcoming lifestyle. Additionally, we need to continue to promote multicultural events, and at the same time work to remove any systemic policies that pose barriers to inclusion. As mayor, I will work closely with the new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and encourage smart, creative ideas to pursue equity in all aspects of life in Salem.
This is a prime concern in Salem schools. The problems across Salem’s educational system are long-running and deep. As mayor, I will remove the current stranglehold on our educators and end the micro-management and “top-down decision-making” that has shown so little effect over the past decade and a half. Problems in our schools are not simple, but I believe in our teachers, and I believe that they thrive when we empower them, and our students will thrive with them. The games that have been played by the current administration -- changing school names to avoid State takeover of under-performing schools, such as the Bentley School, and even closing schools altogether, such as the Bowditch School, which was sacrificed to boost the overall Salem school system rating to a level out of State takeover reach.
My administration will support our educators to reach all children, whatever their needs, and guide them from elementary to secondary levels, eliminating the double-digit student attrition that has so eroded the confidence of parents in our school system. Salem’s student attrition levels, according to the (DESE) Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, for grades 5 - 9 were at only 1% at the beginning of the current administration in 2005, and have ballooned to a shocking average of 25% over the past 3 years. We must end the parade of departing teachers and administrators, as well as the ever-present threat of state take-over. Our test scores continue to fall dangerously close to the level that triggers state intervention. And because our schools are the largest portion of our City budget, we need to carefully evaluate our school budget against performance. We need to reduce the number of under-performing, top-heavy and highly salaried school administrators, who were budgeted at a cost of $3.5 million in FY 2018 and have now ballooned to a taxpayer cost of $5.8 million for FY 2021. Our high school was built to accommodate 2,000 students, and yet today our student enrollment has fallen to just 900 students. Have we seen a good return on our investment? Or is it time to try another approach? As mayor, I will push to trim administration positions back to what is really needed and empower them to innovate and find ways to move our school system forward.