Tonight we had an At-Large forum over Zoom held by Somerville Stands Together. They did an excellent job getting the whole thing set up on and running the show. Huge kudos to them for their hard work helping to bring voters more information about the candidates.

There were ten questions, but for time each candidate only answered five and we did it in 60 seconds or less. I wanted to share answers to some of the questions I didn’t get a chance to speak to.

I support the city adopting Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for major municipal projects, for example anything over about $5 million. PLAs keep projects on time and on budget, ensure a skilled and stable workforce, and support good local jobs.

Where legally possible, the city should give strong preference to bidders to using PLAs if not require it outright. I’d also push for them during neighborhood council community benefit negotiations with developers.

Rent is too high because we don’t have enough homes and speculation makes it worse. Somerville can’t fix the entire regional housing shortage, but we can do our part.

We’ve invested millions into our new green line extension giving people access to our area’s universities and jobs. We need to build more densely near transit and offer density bonuses so buildings can be a bit taller and more affordable.

Working families deserve access to permanently affordable housing. We can continue deepening our work with partners like the Somerville Community Land Trust and Just-A-Start.

We also need first-time buyer support for working families. That could mean down-payment assistance through partnerships with local credit unions, subsidized with CPA funds or a Real Estate Transfer Fee. And we need a stronger Office of Housing Stability to help residents avoid displacement.

No, I would never vote to waive prevailing wages. The housing crisis is also an affordability crisis. Paying workers less is not a fix. It’s a total nonstarter and a moral failure.

The better path is to improve permitting, reduce red tape, and other delays that add labor costs and uncertainty both of which drive up project costs. We can also allow slightly taller buildings near transit to lower per-unit land costs and give ourselves more space for parks and open areas.

We should also create an express lane for trusted, mission-driven nonprofits so they can build more quickly and affordably providing long-term community benefit faster.

Even in progressive communities like ours, the legacy of redlining and disinvestment still shapes who lives where and who bears the burden of pollution and poverty.

Along I-93 in Wards 1 and 4, immigrants, people of color, and working families live with constant air and noise pollution. I’ve stood on those porches. I met a father and daughter who told me their entire home shakes every time a truck drives by. And then I felt it while we talked. Like a tiny earthquake. Imagine living with dozens of tiny earthquakes every day. These stories need to be shared so we do not grow complacent and accept injustice with a heavy sigh.

I want us to lift up BIPOC leaders and create city-funded partnerships with BIPOC-led groups, the Human Rights Commission, and our schools to host forums and exhibits that tell the full story of our city, including where we’ve fallen short.

Before we make another ask of these communities, we need to make sure city council allies are doing the work to support them. That means removing barriers to participation by offering childcare, stipends, and better language access.

We also need to reject harmful policing tools like the inaccurate ShotSpotter system and build out unarmed community responders—mental health and substance abuse experts—not associated with the police who can address crises without criminalization.

No city department should ever cooperate with ICE, and we must reject grants that require data sharing or collaboration. Every public-facing employee should be trained to recognize ICE activity and know residents’ rights.

We need to better fund the Office of Immigrant Affairs and immigrant legal defense and outreach through partnerships with community nonprofits.

Our kids deserve better than what they’re getting right now. The Winter Hill School rebuild is essential, but so is taking care of the students who will be in a substandard building for their entire K-8 experience.

We can’t change the space, but we can change the experience by expanding extracurriculars, field trips, arts, and enrichment programs.

We need transparency and clear timelines for the Winter Hill rebuild and the new school must be set up to best serve every learner.

Food and housing security remains a growing concern for some of our kids. Every child should have access to three healthy meals every day and warm roof over their head. The evidence shows clearly how these things deeply impact outcomes.

We must also take a clear-eyed look at the SEPAC report and make sure our high-needs learners are getting real support, not just lip service.

Our afterschool program needs continued funding, and our universal pre-K must be truly universal so every family can access it.

We need to hire and retain more teachers and paraprofessionals. That means affordable housing, rent stabilization, an expanded teachers union, and a living wage even for new educators and paraprofessional staff.

To fund these priorities, I’ll continue to advocate for things like the Corporate Fair Share bill, which will close offshore tax loopholes and bring an estimated $400 million into the state. Locally, we can also stop wasteful outsourcing while investing in our union workforce.

Decarbonization, resilience, and equity must be bundled together. Somerville can lead by example, cutting emissions while improving safety and affordability.

Every public building should have a checklist for moving toward net-zero emissions. This list should guide all renovations so we don’t miss opportunities to make progress. We should also replace aged-out city vehicles with EVs wherever possible.

We need to keep expanding green spaces and tree canopies. Trees and native plants cool neighborhoods, clean our air, and reduce flooding. Streets and sidewalks should allow water to soak in to prevent stormwater overflows.

We can help residents and small landlords access energy upgrades by tracking which buildings still rely on gas, predicting when systems will reach end-of-life, and connecting owners to rebates and technical assistance for heat pumps and insulation.

We must center equity when planning climate actions. Our working-class neighborhoods often bear the heaviest pollution and heat-island burdens. I-93, McGrath, Mystic, and the Alewife Brook Parkway all create air and noise pollution and are hotspots for heat and crashes—some of them fatal. These areas must come first for investment and safety improvements.

Climate action is a responsibility. When we choose to act, we give the next generation a ray of hope. When we choose inaction, we push their hopes further down the well.

We need to keep making Somerville greener, safer, fairer, and healthier.

The Council can’t write the budget, but it can hold the administration accountable for how public money reflects our values. I’ll use hearings and votes to push for transparency, clear metrics, and equity.

In the short term, we should create a public comment period before the budget is proposed. In the long term, we should continue pushing to amend the city charter to give the Council more budget authority.

I’ll work with unions, tenant rights groups, and community organizations to make sure our budget funds the city we want to live in, one that’s fair, sustainable, and caring.

If these answers resonate with you, here are some ways you can be part of our campaign: