My Pledge to You
Keep You Informed
Information is one of the most valuable things that I can put in the hands of residents. The issues we face are often many-sided and complex. It can be hard to find the time to research a question from scratch and difficult to know where to start. That’s why I work so hard on the District 1 News. It is the best tool I have to help keep residents aware not just of key news in local government, but to provide the full measure of information on both sides of an issue. I don’t know the answers to every question, but I will do my best to find the answers for you—that way, we both learn something!
Find me on Facebook, where I keep you up-to-date on upcoming meetings and events.
Some issues merit special community meetings to give residents a chance to come together and share ideas and concerns with me and with each other.
Listen to You
The first responsibility of local government is to listen to its residents. Finding answers to your questions, documenting your concerns and discussing possibilities is the best way to drive in solutions that make our community a better place to live and work. Good outreach means creating opportunities for constituents to reach out to government. This is why the District 1 News always includes a “Contact Me” button. I want all residents to know that I value your input and I want to hear from you! Email is a great way to reach out, but it is certainly not the only way.
Join me for coffee & conversation at my weekly office hours:
Mondays at Montillio’s (703 Granite Street, Braintree) from 10:00-11:00am
Wednesdays at Panera (400 Franklin Street) from 7:00-8:00pm
Have a neighborhood issue that you want me to come look at? No problem! Just call me at (617) 755-6418. You will reach my cell, and we will arrange a time that works for me to come to you.
Support our Schools
As a former teacher and the parent of two kids in the Braintree Public Schools, I am committed to supporting a strong education for all of our students. As your Town Councilor, I promise:
To make supporting our schools a high priority at all times
To place a sharp focus on working to ensure that education remains a high priority in our Town budget.
To support efforts to improve our school infrastructure so that our teachers and students have a safe, clean, modern, and welcoming environment in which to provide the world-class education I know our teachers are deeply invested in providing.
To promote an attitude of inclusiveness in all educational initiatives.
Planning and Zoning
Braintree is a great place to live because even though we are a major transportation hub with a strong retail presence and some heavy industry, we’ve maintained a firm commitment to protecting our green space and a strong sense of neighborhood community. Sustaining this balance is one of the greatest challenges we face. As our population grows, I will work to:
Create opportunities for the development of a diverse range of well-designed and compatibly scaled housing options to diversify our housing stock to meet the needs of families, young adults, and seniors who wish to age in place.
Promote vibrant commercial squares and business areas with an emphasis on supporting local business and redeveloping areas that are underutilized or blighted.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
As a community, Braintree must strive to make sure that we offer a sense of belonging and connection to all of our residents and that each person feels safe and valued for who they are. Rising to this challenge requires more than just good intentions. Our leaders must keep the doors open to dialogue with diverse residents. This is not always easy, but when we do the work, the strength of our community is greatly increased because a diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions and outcomes for all of us.
Ensuring that our physical environment is accessible to all is an important component of inclusion. When we make an effort to remove physical and structural obstacles to accessibility, not only do we increase the equity for our disabled residents, but we increase safety for everyone. As a community, we must:
Make the completion of a town ADA transition plan a priority.
Increase the extent to which the disabled community is consulted on accessibility improvements.
Work to increase enforcement of accessibility laws already on the books.
Budget Accountability
Reviewing the mayor’s proposed budget is one of the most important things that the Town Council does. On the Committee of ways and Means, I have worked to ensure that our community’s priorities are at the heart of every budget we pass.
Our review of the budget is critical, but I think making myself available to residents as a resource for understanding the budget is just as vital. When residents have questions about the budget, it is important for them to have someone to turn to who can help them understand.