Question 1: Why are you running for Councilor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
My life experiences from a very resourceful country and my chosen profession of saving lives made me more passionate to be of service to people, more so to the community that embraced me as their own when I arrived here 32 years ago.
In my 40 years as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, collaboration has a special meaning to me. My everyday routine at work allows me to collaborate with other health professionals to solve health issues. Helping doctors research for the right tests for their patients and troubleshoot challenges that arises along the way, I have become a strong leader who instills teamwork, positive attitude, acceptance of cultural differences, and camaraderie not only with peers in the laboratory but in the entire hospital setting.
As we live with the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel that my experience and role as a frontline worker and Reference Laboratory Coordinator will be of benefit to our community by way of educating residents about the virus and its variants, the importance of masking, hand washing, distancing and vaccination.
I have served as one of the Salem Garden Club President leading a 100+ membership, going over budgets and plans for community service, and I am currently serving as the corresponding secretary of the Salem Willows neighborhood Association, responsible for proper communication between the leadership and the members. If elected, I will use these experiences to be a strong advocate for the Ward 1 residents at City Hall.
Question 2: What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
The crisis is nationwide and in a smaller scale, in cities, like ours, tax credits, rental capping (such as that proposed in one of the cities in California), our ALAs (Accessory Living Area) proposals are worth looking into. As with all problems, the root causes need to be looked at, addressed and collaboration with the right people and programs, detailed solutions should be implemented. The housing issue is a complicated matter with many variables and there is no single answer that will begin to address the issue both in the short and long term. Bottom line is, all residents should have a roof over their heads and should have a say in any of the proposals pertaining to housing.
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?
Salem is a coastal city, and with intense storms and flooding frequency, we need to look at coastal resiliency. I live by the sea and I have witnessed how vulnerable our Willows neighborhood is during intense storms and so our Willows Neighborhood Association in which I am one of the active leaders has formed the Seawall and Flood Advisory Committee to look into ways of preventing water surge during storms into our neighborhood that could cause property loss and destruction. The committee is working closely with the Conservation Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection. We are looking into reinforcing the seawall and relocating the sand near the walls to the ocean side of the neighborhood so that the surge will not just roll over the walls.
If elected, I will work on adapting plans to develop practices that can preserve lands and allowing coastal wetlands to thrive and measures to take during flooding and how to help affected neighbors.
I will advocate for smart and responsible planning for renewable energy projects, which will help us combat climate change keeping in mind the utmost importance of protecting wildlife habitats, wetlands, and cultural resources in the process.
As an avid gardener, I strongly advocate for “greening” the city with gardens and parks to reduce CO2 in turn cooling urban areas.
I will collaborate with organizations that have programs to educate and inspire residents to produce behavioral changes, such as reducing the use of energy in buildings; producing food and products locally and patronizing local businesses to lower the use and cost of transportation; up-cycling and establish responsible consumption and production.
Question 4: Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
Civic engagement, when implemented effectively, will bring more residents together in decision-making process about the issues impacting their lives making more governance effective. Having said that, I would like to see a community-based (non-partisan) online page wherein all residents can discuss issues impacting their daily lives. This proposed online page can also be used for conducting surveys asking for residents’ input on issues that impact their daily lives; getting more information or discussions from the residents on how they feel before things are set up or implemented. I am one of the administrators of a Salem FB page (Salem MA Forever) wherein city issues are discussed but not politics, and everyone is encouraged to be respectful, and it is working great.
Getting involved in the neighborhood associations and taking actions to help with civic issues and initiatives is a great way to enhance civic engagement. Enhancing civic engagement should be innovative, practical and fun to encourage all residents to participate, after all, they should always have a voice and say in every issue that impacts their daily lives.
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?
Salem should continue working on adequate representation of race/ethnicity/culture when it comes to cultural events, activities and programs. The addition of more programs, events or activities geared towards the inclusivity of the different races/ethnicities/culture such as festivals, cultural celebrations, cultural exhibitions and fairs, etc., will make Salem a more welcoming and enjoyable community to live in.