Ward 6 Candidate: Meg Riccardi

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. 

Ward 1 Candidate: Chris Malstrom

Question 1: Why are you running for Councilor and what particular skills can you bring to the position?
As a young person living within the reality of our ongoing climate crisis, I feel I need to be a voice advocating for unabashed leadership on this issue to protect our citizens from the worst effects coming. I find this particularly relevant to the danger faced by Ward 1 as almost ⅔ of the ward is surrounded on three sides by water and projections of sea level rise show large swaths of the ward becoming regular flood zones in 15–25 years. As a member of our city’s working class/service industry, I believe that the city has significant steps that need to be taken to provide adequate support and protection for the workers that make up the backbone of Salem’s economy, including, but not limited to, the adoption of a wage theft ordinance to protect workers from exploitative practices. As a resident of Ward 1, I’ve also heard - and felt - frustrations with the way in which the city has historically communicated with residents, including a selectiveness in regards to responding to resident issues and complaints. I believe what is lacking from this element of city communication is a sense of hospitality, which I would bring to the position. It is important that our Ward is represented by someone who holds genuine empathy for its residents when planning city projects, communicating with stakeholders and addressing concerns/issues; a person who will prioritize responsiveness when residents reach out, even if that means delivering news a resident may not want to hear.

Question 2: What are some of your proposed solutions towards resolving the housing crisis in Salem?
We are in desperate need of an update to our zoning laws within Salem to incentivize the production of more affordable housing at tiered levels to ensure we are providing housing options that can be considered truly affordable for residents across the spectrum of income levels from working class through middle class households. I intend to work closely with the North Shore CDC and other similarly aligned organizations to work towards expanding our affordable housing stock in the short term while continuing to pursue policy measures that can work to this effect. In order to protect current residents within the rental market who are vulnerable to the rapidly inflating prices of the housing market throughout the region, we need to form partnerships with elected leaders across the region to push for an end on the statewide ban against rent control so the city can finally enact rent control measures that would protect renters from exploitative price gouging. Affordability won’t just be solved by building more units within the city, though, which is why I also intend to prioritize policies that will help to uplift working class families economically so they have a strong foundation upon which they can build lives in Salem. 

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?
As a coastal community threatened by sea level rise and already seeing an increase in severity of coastal storms, Salem is particularly at risk to the worst effects of the ongoing climate crisis. For my Ward, we are seeing projections with entire neighborhoods underwater during the twice-daily high tide. With the current push for offshore wind industry investment, Salem is poised to take on a leadership role for the rest of the nation in how a city can invest its resources in green & renewable energy while creating resilient and green-focused infrastructure throughout the city. I would push for a green building ordinance to ensure that all new developments are approached with a focus on environmental sustainability and resiliency, incorporating green energy solutions such as solar panels and/or city cooling/greening architecture in the form of green roofs. I will also advocate for the installation of more public e-vehicle charging stations and the creation of more public transit options as a way to incentivize residents to reduce car usage and switch to electric vehicles when a car is needed. It is also a priority of mine to start the discussion around how the city will work to protect its residents if and when the worst does happen due to this climate crisis. The city needs to take responsibility and begin planning for what happens in 20 years when the oceans have risen by feet and severe storms have increased in frequency so no neighborhood is left blindsided by the worst.

Question 4: Please outline some ideas you have that can enhance civic engagement at the city level.
Across the country we have let civic education fall by the wayside, resulting in a voting population that feels unsure about the workings of their government, from the local, through state and to federal level. While the average person might have an understanding of their Congressperson or US Senator, often the more local positions and their associated responsibilities remain more of a mystery beyond a sea of yard signs every few years. Salem has a responsibility to engage with its populace to help keep them engaged and informed on the workings of government and the importance of voting. As an initial step in this process, I intend to spearhead a Voter Resource Guide for the city to send to every registered voter. This guide will include such things as: Ward and Precinct info, with maps displaying boundaries and polling locations; a list of all locally focused elected offices from City Councillor through State Senator, with descriptions of the roles, responsibilities and how the position functions within the government at large; and a basic explainer of the workings of city government, discussing Salem specifically and making reference to how it differs or operates similarly to other cities and towns in MA. After sending to every registered voter, the city should automatically provide this information with every voter registration to ensure a continuously informed voting population. I plan to extend this into a community class the city could host to help with hands-on education for the public.

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 whole, we need to work harder to self-educate and address the role of systemic racism within our world today. Salem holds a unique role in the legacy of slavery due to its position within the triangular rum/molasses/slave trade, and that past participation should serve as a constant reminder of the work the city needs to pursue to attain a measure of restorative justice. One of my main priorities is advocating for Salem’s piloting a Universal Basic Income program for low-income residents. The success of these programs have already been demonstrated in pilots run by Stockton, CA and Chelsea, MA, and have led to a significant number of cities spearheading their own programs with a combination of private investment and allocation of federal COVID relief funds, including Cambridge, Chicago, and my home town of Baltimore. Salem can join these other cities leading the nation in policy to address racial equity and economic justice within their communities. In developing this program, I would place a heavy emphasis on the perspectives of BIPOC and immigrant members of our community to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community are properly considered and represented in this program. Stakeholder meetings would be held in neighborhoods most likely to be impacted by the program and information will be communicated in multiple languages to ensure full accessibility.

To learn more about Chris, please visit: www.vote4chris.org