Welcome
Every Election at every level is important. Local elections are not an exception. It’s often been said that “all politics is local.” This is true. Candidates for local office need to know their community, care for their community, and be able to demonstrate that knowledge and care through thought and action.
My decision to put my hat into the Ward 2 race here in Salem was not made lightly. I struggled with it for some time, thinking that perhaps our local politics had passed me by. After speaking with friends and associates about the issues facing Salem today, and in the days and years to come I realized that is not the case. Life experience and political experience are important. Independent voices are important. Our city deserves voices that will speak for the residents, but only after listening to the RESIDENTS, not to special interest groups that often serve other purposes other than than those of the residents of a particular ward or the city as a whole. There are times however when special interest groups do serve local interests and should and must be heard.
I want to be your voice in Ward 2. From 2013 when I was appointed to succeed Joan Lovely as Councillor at-Large when she ascended to the Massachusetts State Senate, and when elected on my own merits later in that year I strove to be that voice for the entire city., but was also known to assist when needed in ward level issues. That three year learning experience with with a group of veteran councillors was a day-by-day tutorial on how to conduct oneself in dealing with constituents, boards, commissions, and the Mayors office. That experience continues to serve me well today.
My public service to Salem began in 2002 when I was appointed by then Mayor Stanley Usovicz to the Task Force on Homelessness. During and after that time I became a regular at various meetings of the City Council, and the various boards and commissions, with particular attention to the Planning Board, The Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Licensing Board. While serving on the council I was a member of the Committer on Ordinances, Licenses, and Legal Affairs, chaired the Committee on Government Services, and served as liaison to the Commission on Disabilities. After leaving the council losing a close at-Large race in 2015 Mayor Driscoll appointed me as the Salem representative to the Massport Community Advisory Committee http://Massport community advisory committee. This committee, comprised of 35 communities surrounding Boston’s Logan Airport oversees all Massport http://Massport activities including Logan Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, Hanscom Field in Bedford, and Boston’s Seaport District. This oversight includes the Massport budget which exceeds $1 Billion dollars for operations and capital improvements. Recently a new Salem representative was appointed at my request.
In order to get Salem where’s it’s going, it’s important to know where it’s been. This doesn’t mean that everything old is good, or that we should bring back things long forgotten. It simply means that we should look at ways to continue our successes with consideration to what was as a way to continue that success. Salem was once, long ago a 15-minute community, where everything you needed was within a short walk or drive in town. Is that possible today? Maybe, maybe not. It’s surely worth consideration and conversation.
Your one vote counts a lot more than you think. Please consider my name when the time comes. But even if my name is not the one you choose, be sure to vote.