Promoting civil and inclusive dialogue

Our political climate is polarized.  As a councillor, I will promote a civil dialogue and work collaboratively with council members, residents, and city staff to develop effective solutions to the challenges we face. 

 

Hiring a City Manager through a transparent process

One of the most important decisions the next city council will make is hiring a new city manager.  I believe we must hire a city manager who will maintain our public services and strong financial standing while minimizing growth in residential taxes.  A new manager must also engage our residents, businesses, the council, and city staff to develop a vision for a more equitable future that we can all work towards. 

 

Supporting Climate Resilience through Regional Collaboration on Housing and Transportation 

Cambridge and the rest of Greater Boston must address climate change through our housing and transportation policies.  I believe that Cambridge should work to develop more housing stock for residents of all income levels.  I will support transit-oriented development to increase density near centers of public transportation and scaling development to reflect the surrounding neighborhood.  We must provide better transportation infrastructure for cyclists and incentivize alternative modes of transportation to reduce carbon emissions.  However, these issues aren’t unique to Cambridge and are impacted by local, regional, and state forces.  We must engage other cities and towns in the region, our state legislative delegation, and organizations like the Massachusetts Area Planning Council to develop regional solutions to our housing and transportation infrastructure challenges.

 

Maintaining livable neighborhoods

Cambridge’s assets are its neighborhoods, small businesses, and strong sense of community.  I will advocate for policies and infrastructure investments that maintain vibrant and livable neighborhoods, improve our quality of life, and create sustainable economic growth.

 

Expanding early childhood education and care

Cambridge provides a wealth of services to our children and families, but I believe there is room for improvement in the area of early childhood education.  The cost of sending one child to preschool coupled with rising housing costs is making our city unaffordable for many families.  I believe we should allocate some of the American Rescue Plan’s relief money to expand access to pre-K education.  We should prioritize this issue and treat it with the urgency it deserves.

 

Restoring our local economy and supporting equitable growth

I will work with our business community, especially the small retail and hospitality sector, to support their return to full operation and growth.  This is essential to the character and quality of life of our city.  It is also essential to maintaining our strong municipal finances that provide residents with the array of public services that we have come to expect from Cambridge.  As property values increase, maintaining residential tax rates is important for individuals and families whose incomes are not rising at the same rate.

 

Ensuring Public Safety and Reform

I will partner with the community to address their concerns regarding policing practices and reforms to protect our civil rights.  I believe Cambridge has been leading the way on this front.  We must, however, continue to provide our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders with the funding and resources necessary to maintain the high quality of public safety services.  

 

Creating pathways to prosperity and reducing income inequality

Our city has many educational and employment opportunities, yet large numbers of our residents do not have access to them.  We need to create pathways to prosperity for all Cambridge residents by supporting greater coordination among our city departments, nonprofits, higher education institutions, unions, and businesses to give our residents access to the opportunities of the 21st century economy. 

 

Supporting public schools and out of school programs

I have advocated for students, parents, and teachers my entire career.  My own children have attended Cambridge Public Schools.  As a teacher and president of the Cambridge Teachers Association, I fought for improvements to our schools and support for our educators.  As the local president, I developed a strong and collaborative relationship with the school administration.  Together we created the Tobin Montessori School, Cambridge High School Extension Program, block scheduling at CRLS, and extended learning time programs at the Fletcher Maynard and King schools.  I believe that all students deserve a high quality education and access to a robust set of internships, enrichment activities, and wrap around support.  I will be a strong advocate for public education and the wrap around services that help our students succeed.   

 

Increasing programs for our seniors

Cambridge provides many services to our seniors. I will work to maintain and expand our programming to improve the quality of life for our seniors throughout the city and provide resources and supports for them to be able to age in place.

 

Implementing the Digital Equity Plan and investigating a Municipal Broadband Plan

Internet access, device ownership, and digital skills are essential for our residents to learn, connect, and work in the 21st century economy.  The inequities in access to these tools before the pandemic were made even more apparent because of the pandemic.  I will work to implement the recommendations of the recent Digital Equity Study to provide our residents and businesses with more affordable access to broadband and digital resources and tools, including examining the possibility of municipal broadband.