Platform and Key Issues
Ward 1's residents comprise a diverse population from across many cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The years I've spent living in our ward have given me a comprehensive view of common issues from multiple perspectives: renter to homeowner, recent transplant to longer-term resident, driver to pedestrian to cyclist, local employee to Boston commuter, and many more. My goals for Ward 1 reflect my variety of Salem life experiences and aim to make our ward as safe, welcoming, and resilient as it can be, for everyone. I've lived with the same challenges as many Ward 1 constituents, and that puts me in a great place to help you, however you landed in Salem.​
Promoting Safe, Efficient Transportation
It's no surprise that a city that was settled in 1626 has significant growing pains with modern vehicles and traffic patterns. I've driven, walked, and cycled Ward 1 from Palmer Cove to the Willows (so many times!), and my personal experiences combined with the work I've done with the Transportation Commission have given me an understanding of the challenges faced by residents using all forms of transportation, as well as an understanding of the tools we can use to solve these challenges. Moving people around Ward 1 as efficiently, safely, and easily as possible is a major motivator of my desire to run for ward councillor. Whether it's fixing potholes or the timing of a traffic signal, making sure our sidewalks are cleared after snowstorms, increasing access to shared and public transportation, or building better connectivity between our cycling routes, I want to help you get from Point A to Point B as easily and safely as possible.
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Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change
Every neighborhood in our ward is susceptible to flooding, temperature extremes, and other effects of climate change. Our coastal borders make us an attractive place to live and a valuable location for development, but king tides and storm surges continually put our homes and businesses in danger. At my home in the Point, I am all too familiar with the consequences of rising flood waters - the sump pump in my basement has been working overtime with many recent high tides and heavy rainfalls. As Ward 1 Councillor, I want to ensure that future development and infrastructure projects, especially plans for Shetland Park, are completed in a manner that is fiscally responsible, energy-efficient, and considerate of the beauty and power of our marine environment. I want to facilitate the use of alternative methods of transportation for those who wish to utilize them to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We should support the offshore wind industry, both as a renewable energy provider and as a toehold in our country's future economy. I want to make sure we can protect our residential and commercial areas from the effects of climate change and keep them habitable and productive for years to come.
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Increasing Access to Housing
We Salemites are fortunate to live in a city where so many others want to live. Unfortunately, this means our housing costs increase much more quickly than those of other local cities and towns, leading to unaffordable rents and mortgages and the very real possibility of becoming unhoused. I will work to keep Ward 1's residents in their homes by preserving and improving our current housing stock and by doing everything we can to mitigate the economic factors leading to displacement. I also want to ensure that we can keep pace with the burgeoning demand for housing from people who are considering making Salem their home. While we should carefully consider specific plans for the Shetland Park project, this could be an unmatched opportunity to add necessary housing units and provide climate resilience for the Point area while providing jobs for our construction unions and tradespeople. Finding a balance between our city's needs is a difficult task, but we can make it easier by focusing on refining our zoning, increasing the availability of small, efficient units and other affordable housing, looking closely at who does (and who doesn't) require vehicle storage, and facilitating new housing near easily accessible transportation routes, ideally walkable to critical daily necessities.
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Reducing the Cost of Living
There are so many benefits and desirable aspects of living in Salem, but that doesn't change the fact that it can sometimes be difficult to make ends meet. Personal finance is a very individualized situation; however, there are some aspects that can be influenced at the ward and city level. We can support the supply of locally sourced and sustainably farmed foods, including hyperlocal affordable resources like the Salem Pantry and community-supported agriculture. We can facilitate residents navigating our city without needing to unquestionably rely on fueling and maintaining (and parking!) a personal vehicle. We can encourage the creation of public third places and parks that don't require a food or beverage purchase to visit, and we can promote the establishment of local businesses that serve residents' most basic needs, here in their own neighborhoods. There are so many possibilities that we can still explore to help our residents be able to afford to stay here in Salem, and I'm excited to dig in.
Overcoming Seasonal Challenges for Residents and Businesses
Visitors from all over the world travel to Salem to see for themselves why we love living here, and the tourist season seems to grow longer with each year. However, this influx of guests puts a strain on our city resources and can complicate life for residents. The effects of tourism can lead to unpredictable operating costs and revenues, creating financial hurdles for essential service providers like grocers, dry cleaners, and medical facilities - companies that need to maintain profitability to serve our residents year-round. As a small business leader myself, I appreciate how hard it can be to balance finances, maintain employee attendance and satisfaction, manage shipping and deliveries, and consistently provide necessary services in a relatively high-demand commercial environment like Salem. I want to reduce stressors for locals during peak tourism times, while also capturing revenue from our seasonal visitors to help mitigate the financial impact of fluctuating demands on our infrastructure and public resources. This can include strategies like implementing tour bus entry fees, creating parking benefit districts to provide supplemental funding for public services, and improving transportation options for local employees and healthcare providers who commute in seasonal traffic. I also want our city to support essential and non-seasonal small businesses whenever possible and recognize that they often pay a premium to operate in Salem. Our city's economy is rooted in entrepreneurship, and I hope to utilize my business management experience to make it easier and more sustainable for small businesses to flourish here.
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