Question 1: Why are you running for Councilor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
I ran for Salem City Council because I saw a need on the council for effective collaboration and better communication with all constituents.
When I moved to Salem over 20 years ago it was because of Salem State, but the diversity, inclusion, and vibrancy of the city are why I stayed. I am running because I believe Salem deserves a fair and balanced council as diverse as its residents, with unique perspectives that reflect our community. As a working mom, I understand the difficulties many face in our community. Childcare, food, housing, commuting – all items that affect us, but unfortunately most are often working, commuting, child rearing and more, and lack time to participate in local politics. But we need to hear all voices, and I think that providing information on how to join in on conversations and have your voice heard is one of the most important tasks of Ward councillor, and one that I am always striving to improve upon.
In my professional life, when I am tasked with finding a solution, it needs to be one that would not only solve a problem, but the solution must also not negatively impact others. It is important to think like this whenever change is being discussed. Change can be hard, and unwelcomed, but often necessary. We need to be able to find a fair balance as a city council, but also not be afraid of change.
Communication is paramount to achieving this, and I ensure communication is open; from regular updates via newsletters, social media, and community meetings, I will continue to make myself available to listen to the concerns and needs of residents and stakeholders. In 2020, I held the first “virtual” neighborhood meeting to endure that residents were up to date on local items, and had an open forum to ask questions. I will continue to think creatively and not be afraid to have these difficult conversations.
Question 2: What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
The housing crisis is a complex problem not unique to Salem that does not have one single solution.
Salem is unaffordable for a large portion of the population – those just starting in the workforce, our service workers, seniors on a fixed income – and we need to find solutions for all. Salem is also historical and home to many properties and neighborhoods that we need to preserve and protect. Not a simple problem and there are no simple solutions.
When people hear “affordable housing” they often think of low-income, government funding housing, but the solutions are much broader and complex. There needs to be many tools utilized to help alleviate this crisis, many of which I support in moving forward with, including Inclusionary Zoning (or a requirement of private development to include affordable units) and creative solutions such as a condo conversion ordinance. The face of many neighborhoods is changing as rental units are being removed from the market and converted to condo units, and the rental housing stock becomes more strained.
We also need to work collaboratively with those that are looking to build in Salem. Our housing analysis shows us actual data on the type of housing that is needed here, and we should be pushing for that when the opportunity is available.
We will not be able to build ourselves out of the housing crisis, nor can we say “sorry, Salem is full.” We need to think creatively and collaboratively and not be afraid to lead the way in housing solutions.
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?
Much of Salem’s uniqueness is due to its geography, and being a coastal community is something that needs to be respected and carefully managed. We see the climate crisis literally on our streets and at our doors when each major storm rolls through and the tides rise up.
Resilient Together, Salem’s collaboration with the city of Beverly, just released their Action Plan, which is very exciting. The Action Plan hits on areas such as solid waste reduction, buildings & development, energy use, infrastructure and more. I recommend checking it out if you have not yet (Resilient Together Dashboard (resilient-together.org)
There are also tangible items in front of council now that I will continue to support and shepherd through, including:
A Green Building Ordinance. As seen throughout town, there is new construction going on. It is a shame that there are not additional requirements put in place for building sustainability. Did you know that buildings account for over 40% of our carbon emissions? Retro-fitting older buildings may be complicated and costly, but there should be no excuse on new buildings, whether it be making sure their roofs are solar ready, low flow water features, and more – there is much more that can be done.
An Urban Agriculture Ordinance. This will support and encourage local growing, increase access to fresh, healthy foods, improve the local economy and environment, increase the resiliency of our community, and benefit public health. Factor in the additional environmental benefits (less carbon from the transportation needed to import foods as just one quick example) and this just makes sense to work towards.
Question 4: Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
While speaking to residents of Ward 6, one topic I am hear often is that people want to be involved and know more about what is going on, but they are not entirely sure who to speak to about what. City government should not be a mystery. Having a family, or an irregular job schedule should not be a barrier to civic engagement.
Neighbors become empowered when together and can provide insight into their unique needs. Getting out from behind fences and computer screens helps knock down those divides - and everyone can have some fun while doing so.
In reading my response to this question from 2019, I found this line: “We also need to be leveraging technologies that are easily available to make city meetings accessible to more.” Well, I think we got this – and then some – with 2020. This past year has been monumental in so many ways but increasing accessibility and transparency with city meetings is one benefit that must stick around. We cannot go backwards from where we are now.
We do need to watch out for information overload - the increased accessibility of meetings and information can be overwhelming at times. Being able to summarize items of importance is critical, and a skill I bring to the job.
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?
As a member of the Race Equity Task for the past year, I had the honor to be part of these important conversations and fully support items presented in the Race Equity Task Force Report.
It is hard to boil the entire ocean at once, but we need to start somewhere. I feel that the newly created position to lead up our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion activities will help us in these efforts. Many of our neighboring communities have created such a role, and it is our time to do so. A community member wrote in during our budget sessions with this note: "While Salem is a wonderful place to live, it is not perfect." I am looking forward to this new role to help lead the change in helping Salem get closer to perfection.
I am also in full support of a new Race Equity Commission – the work of the task force was just the beginning of our efforts. To continue this important work, the commission is needed.
To learn more about Meg, please visit her website: www.meg4ward6.com, or follow her on social media: https://www.facebook.com/meg4ward6/, https://twitter.com/meg4ward6.