Question 1: Why are you running for Councilor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
For the past 8 years, I’ve had the pleasure of voluntarily serving on some exceptional city committees, non-profit board of directors, and directly with city-based initiatives to improve the quality of life for residents across the board. I first considered running for office a number of years ago, though I thought it prudent to first immerse myself locally to identify and understand the needs of residents and to better learn how our municipal government can rise to meet the current challenges we face in Ward 4 and as a City. I am a straight shooter, a proactive problem-solver and creative solutions’ developer. I’ve done it for the past 15 years as a successful business owner and a non-profit executive director, in addition to countless hours of volunteer work on behalf of residents, the Ward, and the City we call home.
Having lived myriad life experiences myself, I understand the plights of those not often seen or heard and will work in tandem with Ward 4 residents to ensure that the needs of the majority of residents are being met. That is why as Councillor, I will form a Ward 4 Advisory Committee from the start, composed of residents from each Ward 4 neighborhood, from myriad backgrounds, with varied expertise and lived experiences to weigh-in on critically important city measures that will be voted on by the council. I’m committed to it and have expressed such intent to the residents, many of whom have expressed interest in being a part of it and the solution. This seat does not belong to the councillor who sits in it, but rather to the people who elected them in the first place. This campaign is about the collective and, as such, I hope to empower the residents of Ward 4, bringing them into the fold with me.
These experiences have placed me in a position where I know what and how to tackle issues and navigate municipal government to get the work done. When I vote, I always want to know what others have done for the City to move it forward. That is a commitment that matters deeply to me.
Question 2: What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
The housing crisis must be approached from an omni-directional perspective and with innovative solutions being brought to the table. However, many innovative solutions that would pull us out of the crisis are limited due to decades old zoning laws, which must be revisited and updated to be more consistent and inclusive of sensible development in order for many solutions to become a reality.
While canvassing, I’ve discussed this issue at length with Ward 4 residents that are renters and homeowners alike. Some people have had to move in with their elderly parents to help ease the tax burden on them or, otherwise, they would be forced to leave the city, for example. In those cases, residents have had to take on 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet. The average household income in Salem is approximately $64,000/year. That makes it nearly impossible for folks to be able to afford a mortgage of $500,000 or a rent of $2,400/month. We have many large-scale developments going up that have an incredibly large footprint, are not resilient, and cater to individuals and families with higher-end incomes, when in fact most Salemites do not fall into that category. People are becoming displaced and that should not be happening. However, until our zoning regulations are consistent, and loopholes are closed that make it easier for large scale developments — that often linger on for years of construction — to be built while making it more difficult for sensible, smaller scale and resilient development, we will continue to see things spiral.
Where and what is being developed also matters. For example, does it affect the overall health of the community in which it's being built? Personally, I’ve been surrounded by construction for the last 6 years and it has taken an adverse toll on my pulmonary health, which has worsened. I would like to see sensible, smaller scale projects, like multi-family or single-family homes being built, with a definitive completion timeline that cannot linger on for years at a time. I’d like to see buildings that are owned by the city, and are currently unusable, turned into homes that are more affordable for families that cannot afford market value rate but who also earn too much to qualify for low-income housing.
Homes that are built with off-site framing typically cost significantly less due to faster productivity, reducing time and cost. Those savings could be passed along to the homeowner at sale. Other densely populated cities have created entire tiny-home communities, which are excellent for resiliency, for young professionals, those who do not want to have a large footprint and for older residents who may have a more difficult time navigating around a larger home or who can no longer afford it. A part of the tiny home phenomena, “container homes” could also be used as a transitional living space for our homeless population. There are endless possibilities to counter the housing crisis, but we must have the infrastructure, space, and zoning that supports it.
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?
Designated as a “Green City” we must do all that is possible to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. Being a coastal city, we are especially vulnerable to sea level rise, extreme precipitation, heat waves and storm surges, the Sustainability, Energy and Resiliency Committee (SERC) found. We’ve already experienced all of these during this summer alone. According to the Commonwealth, Salem has been deemed a “Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Community,” which will assist Salem to become more resilient to combat the climate crisis.
We are fortunate to have committees and organizations such as SERC and SAFE, who are tackling environmental issues head on. I applaud their efforts to create a sustainable future for us all and I fully support the relentless work they do. There are many steps we can take to ensure that we do our part as a City to prepare for the inevitable future. For example, we should be using energy efficient lights to line all our streets, new construction should have concrete resiliency standards, and our seawall must be secured to help protect us from rising sea levels. Wetlands should be protected to help mitigate the impact of storm surges and subsequent flooding by acting as a sponge to absorb water that would otherwise flood specific areas of the city, of which many of those areas exist in Ward 4. Additionally, wetland preservation offers many other benefits such as improving water quality, filtering out pollutants, providing space for nature-based recreation, preserving wildlife and more. Looking ahead, in terms of renewable energy, wind and solar are our future.
While we protect our city against the consequences of the climate crisis, I want to ensure that those who’ve worked in the fossil fuel industry are not left behind as we work toward clean energy and a more sustainable city. I’d propose a clean energy-training program for fossil fuel workers so that they can learn how to operate clean energy plants and continue to work in the energy sector and provide for their families as resiliency initiatives forge ahead into the future.
Question 4: Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
Collective participation is critically important to me to be able to represent those in the ward based on factual information. As councillor, I would cast votes based on the majority perspective of the ward, not based on special interests of any kind. That is why the inclusive Ward 4 advisory committee I plan to establish is critical. When residents become stakeholders and are empowered in Ward and city initiatives, civic engagement increases exponentially and leads to better solutions with innovative approaches and broad perspectives. It is similar to the old adage; two heads are better than one.
However, lessons in civic engagement should start at a very young age. I’d like to see civic engagement programs implemented in our public schools that teach kids about the importance of civic engagement, how to get involved in their communities, and how to create positive change in the world in which they live. Ideally, I’d like to work with Witchcraft Heights Elementary School to help bring in this type of programming to the students, who many times, do not have access to it. These types of early education experiences help to create lifelong participation in civic engagement. My wife is also a public school teacher and I’ve often provided presentations for at-risk youth and was asked and also presented at Salem High School’s career day. Our family is personally and professionally vested in public school education.
Additionally, we often hear about low voter turnout, especially in municipal elections. I’m a firm believer in meeting people where they are in their lives. This also includes where they are physically. For example, in Ward 4, I’d love to see block parties, neighborhood barbecues, a kid’s night out, etc., to generate more civic engagement from residents. At these celebrations, we can also have voter registration drives or city committees could set up tables so that residents can learn more about what groups and committees are available in the city to become a part of and so on. Another tool for people to learn more about a specific topic or become involved in it are public forums.
As a result of the pandemic, we’ve learned that resident access to and participation in city meetings, via Zoom or another broadcasting platforms, has increased tenfold. The more residents that can participate, the more they are empowered to become active in the process. We should be using every tool available to boost civic engagement as an essential part to our democracy of which we all benefit from when it is strong.
Question 5: How do you think Salem should continue working on issues of race equity now that the City’s first Equity Task Force has submitted its report?
As the only Ward 4 candidate that sat as a member of the City of Salem Race Equity Task Force’s (CSRETF) Public Safety Subcommittee and also the Health subcommittee — along with retired members of the SPD, State Reps & Senators, University administrators, former educators, and other highly regarded colleagues and well-known leaders of color and allies in our community — I believe there’s still work that the CSRETF can do in various areas. I’ll provide a couple of examples below (though seen from various angles), for the sake of time.
The Task Force should continue to address racial equity gaps in all segments of everyday life. For instance, race equity includes issues that play a crucial role in everyone’s lives via a domino effect. When someone’s daughter is treated unfairly or paid less than someone’s son that is something that affects families across the spectrum. Equal pay, partner violence, reproductive health issues, single-parent households, etc., are issues of equity — as well as race — and it’s something that should also be a part of the work done by future CSRETF volunteers next time around. When one group of people isn’t treated fairly and equally in the City or in society, everyone suffers. There is a perception that this Task Force will not work with the intersections of our collective and complex amalgamation of identities — something each one of us possesses. That is not the case. The Task Force’s initial report is not the means to an end but rather it laid the groundwork in the areas of which were identified by the Task Force as a whole that needed attention within the city at the moment.
Health inequities affect people from every spectrum. Whether you have health insurance or not, or you (or your parents/spouse) lost your/their job recently or they are left without a place to call home due to COVID (like many Americans around the country have experienced today), or are hearing impaired, experiencing psychological trauma, or whether they know only one language that is not English (sign language, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.); many Salemites have found themselves in similar circumstances at one point or another in their lifetime. When you add race and ethnicity to the mix, along with any other debilitating disease, the results can be disastrous for the most disadvantaged amongst us. Because of that, the CSRETF’s work should also focus on that quality and equitable treatment of all people who go to the hospital seeking to be treated, not just the people that society considers to be the norm in all settings. When it comes to race, just about every person I know knows a person of color, whether they are family members, neighbors, co-workers, or even some of your elected officials. The question isn’t whether we need a Race Equity Task Force — we, indeed, need one — because the betterment of everyone makes for a healthier Salem in the future and one person’s livelihood is as important as that of the person next door.
We need to hire more BIPOC people in managerial positions, not just in service industries or as essential workers. Children of color need role models, starting with those they see in the classroom, so that they can thrive and excel in all things they wish to accomplish. With equal access to opportunities and exposure to people who look like them, dropout rates (which are the highest for Latinx students according to a report by State University), will decline and teenage pregnancy can also be ameliorated because youth will be more motivated to stay in school and succeed rather than to look elsewhere to find acceptance, affirmation and cultural understanding and relatability. You are what you see, is the adage. And, it applies to all aspects of everyday life. The Task Force should also focus on banking, housing, political leaders’ accountability — not all political leaders of color stand for their community or help it without having hidden agendas, just as not all white supremacists or patriots are white, as we’ve learned from the riots that happened January 6th 2021 — a day that will live in infamy in the hearts of those of us who love this country. And those of us who love this country come from all walks of life, in all colors, ethnicities, marital status or partnership, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, etc.
Find out more about Graysen Martinez Ocasio at graysenocasio.com and via his FB, IG or Twitter social media pages @ocasioForWard4. You can also call Graysen at 978-209-0012 or email him at ocasioforward4@gmail.com.