I want to keep Ward 5 up to date on local issues, from street maintenance to the city budget to volunteer opportunities.

The first attempt here will be a monthly email list — please sign up if you haven’t yet!

Depending on how many people are interested in this method, I may explore other types of communication as well to reach a broader group — flyers on bulletin boards or telephone poles, notices in the paper, or mailers. As always, please let me know if you have ideas here! The goal is to get folks clear communication on the content that is relevant to them.

Melrose uses City News and Everbridge to communicate updates about the city and emergency notifications. However, many residents are unaware and have not signed up.

My goal is that everyone in the Ward is either signed up for these services, or knows someone who is. It’s important that city updates reach the majority of people in a timely fashion.

You can sign up for City News and Everbridge here!

I will ensure that residents have support in resolving issues that arise, such as those with building permitting, sidewalk repairs, or street safety. I will follow up to ensure that issues are not only raised, but resolved by relevant departments. It is my goal that everyone has an effective avenue to solving problems they encounter within the ward.

I want to connect people within the Ward to community events such as Home for the Holidays, Farmers Markets, and Porchfest. The southern sections of Ward 5 have further to go to attend, and I want to make sure that people feel invited and included.

I also want to host events within Ward 5 to build our sense of community and to facilitate making connections within the Ward. I’m interested in exploring use of community spaces within the apartment buildings, block parties, Pine Banks Park, and hosting food trucks on occasion.

On first glance, there aren’t many local businesses in Ward 5. But on second glance we have quite a few. We have storefronts on the south side of West Wyoming, scattered along south Main, clustered near Oak Grove, and embedded in Radio Factory and The Washingtons. I want to highlight and support our local businesses and make them well-known destinations within Ward 5 and Melrose.

I also want to add points of interest in Ward 5 to encourage walking, whether to Oak Grove or elsewhere. One common walk that I and others have taken is south to Oak Grove station along Pleasant Street. The walk is long, and the main point of interest is the Little Free Library at Gould St. I want to add more stops, to entice people to walk further within the Ward, and add a bit of joy to those taking a walking or biking commute.

I will work to make the city budget understandable to the many engaged citizens who want to better understand our financial picture and the decisions that we’re making.

The school budget is approximately half of Melrose’s annual budget. With a structural deficit, recent budget issues, and recent contract negotiation issues, people want to know that the budget is well-managed. We also have major projects coming up for the 3 fire stations and the police station as well as ongoing work at the library.

My goal is to make the budget clear, to myself and to Ward 5. I will work to put the data into context, communicate highlights clearly, and be available to dig in to answer more in-depth questions. I will provide as much forward-looking information as possible. I will seek out feedback from residents about what we can do to continue to improve transparency.

In November 2023, Melrose voters passed a debt exclusion, authorizing a spend of an estimated $130 million dollars on rebuilding Melrose’s 3 fire stations and 1 police station! This is good news; now the next phase of work begins. The city council will be part of the process as this project moves through design, borrowing, and ultimately execution. This is an important project to manage and communicate about with Melrosians.

When streets are going well, we don’t notice them! No potholes, no roadwork needed, and smooth sidewalks. This is one important goal.

When streets are going really well, we notice how pleasant they are. We notice the beautiful trees and flowers, and we notice the fact that they’re slow enough that we feel safe walking or biking on or across them with kids. This is what we aspire to.

I want to address speeding, road quality (potholes), traffic congestion, walkability, bike-ability, stroller-ability, and general accessability. And also add a little extra in beautification and points of interest on local walks.

Melrose has so much to offer, and all residents should be aware of and feel welcome to join in our wonderful events and activities. Whether it’s Porchfest, hiking in The Fells, or library programs, I want to be sure people feel welcome.

Ward 5 is also divided by the Commuter Rail, and I want to increase access across the tracks. Pine Banks Park and the many businesses are currently hard to access from the west side of Ward 5, and I would like to change that.

One thing we that would address this is building a pedestrian bridge across the commuter rail tracks from Stone Place to Banks Place. This may be the most ambitious target in my list, because of the funding and coordination with MBTA required, but I believe it’s a possibility, and would be a boon to local business and residents.

Much of our housing in Melrose and Ward 5 is historic, and with that comes the risk of lead paint. I want to connect residents to clear information about the hazard and to programs that can assist with detecting and addressing Lead Paint in residences.

Indoor air quality is a topic that many became aware of due to Covid-19. Sadly, we’re now affected by wildfire smoke here in Massachusetts. There are things we can do to better monitor air quality inside and outside, and to filter out various hazards in the air. I want to address this in Melrose, in our community spaces and schools, and also also with interested homeowners.

I want to help our community access programs that help them with homeownership and home improvement.

Our Ward has many hopeful first-time homebuyers, new homeowners making improvements to address energy efficiency, lead paint, and accessibility, and longtime residents facing rising property taxes and accessibility issues as their mobility needs change. There are programs that can help with all of these and I want to ensure access to and benefit from the programs.

I also recognize the importance of supporting our many renters in maintaining stable housing, safe from unexpected or unaffordable increases in rent. We need to support our neighbors in all forms of housing, and provide a variety of options for a variety of life stages.

I will listen so that I can be a better advocate for marginalized voices and work towards our shared goal of a community where all feel safe and welcomed.

I want to support groups who have been historically discriminated against in gaining equal opportunities for homeownership. This is a priority that many city residents share; in Melrose’s Housing Production Plan, a majority of participants chose increased racial and ethnic integration as a top priority.

I want to increase diversity among our educators and among public employees at city hall.

It is hard to be a parent of young children. Daycare waitlists are long, information is scattered, and childcare is expensive. When kids get sick in childcare, there’s a scramble to make a backup plan. Even school-aged children often need care after school and when parents would like to have a well-deserved night out. I want to support local families and childcare professionals in connecting with each other and connecting with support to fund and improve their programs.

Our community’s children and teachers deserve Melrose’s support, and our community deserves to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely. Our schools need to be welcoming to all, engaging, and a safe place to learn. We should proactively plan for a growing student population and secure funding to update our buildings and staff them with highly qualified, diverse teachers.