Why are you running for Councillor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
Though I enjoy researching and discussing policy, I love to dive into resolving constituent concerns. From noise complaints to speeding in neighborhoods, requests for handicapped parking to snow clearing, there is nothing better than solving problems that constituents report. Last Fall, residents on Southern Highland Ave reported a loud, low hum. I was able to track it down to a commercial bakery which had just installed a new dehumidifier which was critical to their operations. We then worked out a compromise, turning it off at night, until a custom muffler was installed.
Whatever the issue, I do not hesitate to ask questions and do the research required to solve the issue, including amending our ordinances to better serve our residents. We have so many talented City employees who are there to help with issues, and I am grateful for the respectful relationships that I have nurtured with members of City Departments and Boards.
I was honored to be unanimously elected as President of the City Council in 2022, my third year in office. This was a pivotal year in updating our City Council rules to reflect the embracing of technology to allow hybrid meetings. This has proven to be a successful method of increasing public engagement, allowing public comment to be made in-person or via Zoom, the online meeting platform. I also focused on reviewing and updating all of our rules to make our meetings more efficient and engaging to the public. We changed to Roberts Rules instead of Cushing’s, which was severely outdated, and improved the rules to be more inclusive of gender and physical ability. While this gets into the weeds of how the Council works, it’s important to keep rules for the body updated when they become outdated or create barriers to any person who wishes to be a member of the body or to interact with the Council. And finally, I advocated for the creation of the Committee of the Whole, which is utilized for the discussion of larger issues that impact the whole city. This enables all Councilors to offer amendments and have a full voice in the discussion before bringing the item back to the full Council for a vote. This is a more efficient way of handling these items, and has proven to be quite successful.
As a two-time Chair of the Committee on Ordinances, Licenses, and Legal Affairs, and as President, I have demonstrated that I can successfully run effective meetings and work in a congenial manner with my colleagues and the public. My goal is to get to consensus first, through respectful discussion. Once we have achieved consensus, working towards making the modifications necessary to gain unanimous (or near-unanimous) approval is easier. Our discussions have been calm, informative, open, and above all respectful of each other’s viewpoints.
Residents are facing housing instability and displacement. Do you have specific plans that would protect renters in the city?
There is no easy or sure way to protect renters in this housing market. And it is more than just Salem, it is a problem up and down the coasts and in most large cities in the country. The stunted development of new housing units over the past few decades is creating a supply issue that won’t be fixed in the near future but can be eased with every approved project in the greater Boston area. And the lack of federal funding for new public housing has created long, multi-year waiting lists for those who desperately need stable housing.
Safeguarding tenants, who are living under the cloud of displacement is something that has dominated the conversations in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board, where I was a member for three years.
The City Council is ready to take up a Condo Conversion ordinance, which protects renters from being immediately evicted from a unit that is being converted to a condo. We can’t move forward on this until the State Legislature approves a Home Rule Petition allowing us to extend these protections to homes with 2 or more units. State law already protects tenants who are displaced from buildings with 4 or more units during condo conversion, and the City is looking to expand the protection to tenants in buildings with 2 or more units.
Aside from assisting those who are displaced due to condo conversions, we need to once again look at our Short Term Rental (STR) ordinance and the enforcement required to make it effective. Many of us have stories of short term rentals that do not have owners living on the property as required in Salem, or STR’s that are renting more than one unit on the property. We need to hire more inspectors if we are really going to enforce the rules. Each of these units removes a long term rental unit from the market, further squeezing our housing market. While I acknowledge that a homeowner should be able to create a STR unit on their property, they must follow our local ordinances.
And we need to continue to build housing. New housing must include affordable units. Passage of an Inclusionary Zoning ordinance would require developers building more than a certain number of units to provide a percentage of the units at or below prices that are affordable to the median income in Salem.
As a longer-term strategy, we must continue to get the word out about Salem’s right of first refusal contract, offered to owners of multi-family homes, that will allow the City the right to purchase the property at market rate when the owner decides to sell. The City will work with housing non-profits, like the North Shore CDC and Harborlight Homes, to determine if the nonprofit is agreeable to buying the property, which would become deed restricted affordable units.
Discussion of rent control and research into how Salem could implement this policy needs more discussion. This is another policy that would require approval from the State Legislature. And this is one of the problems facing municipalities trying to make policy changes to help those who are being priced out of our City – the need to first get approval from the State Legislature. But we will continue to work to find ways to keep our residents here in the face of market forces.
Salem is already seeing the effects of the climate crisis, including flooding during storms and high tides. Focusing on what you would do, what are your top priorities to mitigate the climate crisis?
Getting people out of their cars and on their feet or their bikes, and advocating for more dependable, safe public transportation is imperative not only to combat climate change but also to address economic disparities. Salem is a beautiful, walkable city, and creating safer pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks will help residents feel safer when choosing to walk. The fewer cars on the road, the less burning of fossil fuels.
Building the South Salem Train Station will be a huge win for Salem, providing easier, walkable access to commuter rail for neighborhoods along Canal Street and Jefferson Avenue. Additionally, those who drive from neighboring communities and from southern Highland Avenue and Loring Avenue won’t need to drive into the heart of the downtown to access the train. Positioning it on the multi-use path also makes it super-accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. Salem has the busiest MBTA station in the system, and would benefit from the second station.
Increasing public bus options would also be important. Express buses between Salem and Wonderland would get cars off Highland Ave and Route 1A. I have been advocating for this since 2019.
Creating more programs like bike-share and the Skipper, to enable those who do not own a car to get places more easily. This helps residents and tourists who can easily travel to Salem by boat or train, and never need their own car once they are here.
But most carbon emissions come from buildings, which is why we need to pass an ordinance to require renewable energy sources in new construction. We have already written an ordinance for municipal buildings, but we need to take the step required to push developers to do the right thing.
Addressing climate change through the Flood Hazard Overlay District ordinance update and the new Climate Resiliency Overlay District ordinance will use the 2070 flood maps to help guide homeowners, business owners and developers to creating more resilient structures. These ordinances will be taken up in the Fall, as a follow-up to the Wetlands Protection ordinance update voted on in 2021. I have been a member of both working groups, which has been an incredibly educational and rewarding experience. These ordinances will have a huge impact on development in Salem into the future
Salem strives to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive city. What have you done to lead on these ideals and how will you support work in this area?
Not only does Salem strive to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive, it has become known for being such. But we continue to work on intersectional issues of DEI, housing, healthcare, transportation, and employment.
Last year as the President of the City Council, I held a meeting to review the City Council rules, to update the language to be more inclusive of all people. This includes not only eliminating gendered language, but also looking at how we create barriers through our rules. For instance, requiring Councilors to stand when speaking is not necessary in order to keep the meetings civil and respectful. And when a Councilor is elected who is physically unable to stand, the rules would need to be changed, which puts the spotlight on that one person, and is not in the spirit of inclusion.
I am proud to have voted for a budget which added the position of a DEI director for the City. We all need to be open to understanding how our habits and work customs may affect our working relationships and our customer service. I am also proud to have led the Council discussion on the creation of the new Race Equity Commission. The commission will be developing and advocating for programs, education, and policies to reduce racism and bias in Salem.
I have always had my eye on gender equity in our public services like the Police and Fire Departments. At budget hearings I have been consistent in pushing both Chiefs to describe the gender and racial makeup of their departments, and to explain how they are creating more diverse departments, and what the barriers are to attaining a more diverse department. I have also advocated for more Spanish speaking employees in all City departments, especially those that are public facing. Being able to communicate comfortably when you are most in need of help goes a long way toward feeling welcomed in a community.
Showing up and being an ally speaks volumes, whether it is to stand up for the LGTQ+ community during Pride month, or when the community is feeling fear due to threats or actions here or elsewhere. Standing up and showing up during Black Lives Matter events, demonstrating that we are one community, and that as City leaders, actions against one community are actions against the whole community. And writing resolutions to be read in City Council, calling attention to disparities felt by any group is an important way of calling out an injustice and setting the tone for building a Salem that is more inclusive, more equitable, more diverse.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion intersects with housing and transportation policies and factors into much of what we do on the Council. Skyrocketing housing prices are crushing recent immigrants and minority members of the community as well as our seniors and young adults. We can’t have a city that is only affordable for the wealthy. We need to continue to work on ways to support those who can’t afford or choose not to have a car, and to support those who are housing insecure.
On average, 30% of Salem residents voted in the past municipal elections. Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance voter engagement and elections.
This is something I take very personally. Ward 3 is repeatedly at the bottom of the list in the percentage of voter turnout. I strongly feel that civic engagement of the residents is imperative to voter engagement and turnout.
Since I began my term as Ward 3 City Councilor in 2020, I have published a weekly newsletter, keeping constituents informed about issues in front of the Council, public meetings of Boards and Commissions, and events in the City. I try to demonstrate the importance of local elections, and the direct impact on their everyday life. I look forward to mailing out the newsletter, because I regularly receive emails from residents with follow-up questions. This is the engagement that we need and that I appreciate. Expanding the reach of my newsletter is something I am always working on and will continue to do.
As candidates, knocking on doors and speaking directly to residents is very important for voter turnout. Since the Mayor will not be on the ballot this fall, the turnout is expected to be low. Engaging people one-on-one, explaining the importance of finding the time to vote, and inquiring about any barriers to voting are conversations I am having.
Learn more
Campaign Website: pattiforsalem.com
Campaign Email: pattiforsalem@gmail.com
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/PattiForSalem