It is an honor to serve as your District 2 City Councilor, and I have worked hard each and every day for our residents and community. With multiple challengers now also on the ballot with me this year, I am respectfully asking for your vote again on Tuesday, September 9th so that I may continue to focus on constituent services and advocate for quality of life issues in District 2.
Over the last few years, with the help of strong neighborhood advocacy, we were able to share some key victories. These include new Boston EMS & Boston Fire Department stations in the South Boston Waterfront, a new Josiah Quincy Upper School and affordable housing developments in Chinatown, a new Thomas C. Foley Little League Field at Major Christopher Lee Playground in South Boston. We helped to secure funding for the South End Library, reconstruction to Crite Park, and improvements to several others like Titus Sparrow Park and the Peters Park Little League Field. We established the One Downtown Task Force to address public safety concerns around the Boston Common area. Moreover, we were able to preserve Sister Mary Veronica Park in South Boston, and advocate effectively against the impracticality of the bus lanes at both Summer Street and Boylston Street, with each ending over the last year. I advocated for additional Copley Library funding and continue to work with Back Bay neighbors on public safety quality of life issues, such as the drag racing that took place last year.
Throughout my time in office, I have used my position of public trust to speak out on many important issues impacting the city. As an elected official, my focus has always remained on public safety, housing stability & affordability, social & economic justice, and quality of life issues for our residents and families.
In terms of public safety, I have been a strong advocate of pedestrian safety. I advocated for a 12 point safety plan and held hearings to advocate for traffic-calming infrastructure improvements on high traffic roads, slower speeds and increased enforcement. I’ve held hearings on many other public safety issues in the City of Boston. In addition, I have consistently called for hiring hundreds of Boston Police Department officers every year for the next ten years to address longstanding issues of forced overtime, overstretched resources, and looming retirements.
When it comes to housing, I held hearings during my time in office on affordable housing and the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) to help keep working families in Boston. I have held hearings and advocated for property tax relief for longtime neighbors. I also passed an ordinance previously to help our seniors who have fallen behind on their property taxes to pay with reduced interest and on more affordable terms. I continue to advocate for neighbors and civic groups when it comes to zoning and licensing matters at City Hall.
Moreover, I have always stood with our working families seeking fair and living wages, affordable healthcare, safe working conditions and a secure retirement. Whether it was United Steelworkers during the National Grid lockout, Unite Here Local 26 at Marriott Hotels, UFCW 1445 at Stop & Shop or Macy’s, my family and I have always been proud to stand with organized labor.
With accessibility and inclusion in mind, I continue to advocate for improved language access at all levels of our city government. My social media posts are translated into Spanish and Chinese, and I have several women of color on my staff who are bilingual. In addition, I have been working on the issue of digital equity and ensuring that our residents have access to affordable internet and digital resources. I also work closely with the Disability Commission on accessibility for our persons with disabilities.
I continue to advocate at City Hall when it comes to many neighborhood and quality-of-life issues, including a dedicated Office of Pest Control to provide this public health issue the attention it deserves.
Government serves us best when it takes the legitimate concerns of its citizens seriously. I have not only listened to your concerns, but have taken the lead on issues affecting our most basic government services. I promise to continue to advocate on behalf of the people of District 2, listen to your feedback, be accessible in our community, and work hard to deliver results for all of our neighbors.
