I am a General Contractor, and have been running a small business with my brother for almost thirty years. I am a graduate of the University of Lowell and hold a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I own a home here with my wife of 25 years Kathy, and my two sons Will and Jack. My sons are graduates of Salem High School and both went on to UMass Amherst (One graduate and one senior).
Owning a small business has taught me many things that translate into being an effective Councillor. It has taught me how to communicate with people, listen to them, work with them, problem solve in a group setting and finally how to work within a budget to get the job done. I take pride in not getting the headlines and instead getting the work done. I have tried to do all those things in my years on the City Council.
Fourteen years ago, I said that Salem needed to reinvent itself - embracing its maritime past and not solely relying on Haunted Happenings. Salem has come along way in the last twelve years and here in Ward One working together we have been able to make a lot of things happen: the Blaney St lot, with a new pier, new commercial dock, and a ferry. We were able to work to close the old, dirty coal and oil-fired power plant and replace it with a gas plant a fraction of the size. We now have joint ownership of a deep water dock, and another ferry coming in the near future. We have coming opportunities to redevelop the former power plant land responsibly. There’s new parks at Peabody St and 289 Derby St and so much more. Our link to the water is one of the keys to our on going future success.
I’m looking forward to the next two years and the opportunities we have to keep moving forward here in Ward One and across our City.
Why are you running for Councilor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
I am running again to continue to move Salem in a positive direction. I want to have a Salem that gives every family the same opportunities that my family was given over the years. I have demonstrated over my 12 years on the Council my ability to listen and work with my Colleagues towards solutions to the issues that come before us for the betterment of our constituents.
What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
There is no magic ball to solving the housing crisis here or any where. There are many pieces that will help us address this issue and no one proposal will do it all. We need to pass the religious and municipal reuse ordinance and we need to take a hard look at the accessory use dwelling ordinance and develop a plan to give homeowners that tool to help them stay in their homes.
How do you see Salem impacted by the climate crisis and what new initiatives would you take to lead Salem's resiliency efforts?
Salem is a coastal community and sea level rise are real. We need to continue to identify seawalls that are in need and find the resources to improve them. Salem has been at the forefront of resiliency efforts over the last ten years and we need to continue to do so by enhancing and promoting the programs we have put in place.
Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
Salem is one of the most engaged cities around. Some people do not have the time or the means to attend all the meetings. We try to have SATV televise as many meetings as possible. We need to continue to push hard to have meeting minutes on line quickly.
The city has started to use various social media outlets to get out more information in a timely manner and we need to enhance that. For those who do come to the council chamber we are installing speakers and a TV monitor to show presentations so everyone can hear and see what is going on during the meeting.