Waltham League of Women Voters Candidate Survey
I filled out a survey sent by the Waltham League of Women Voters, which has been posted along with the responses from other candidates on VOTE411.org.
Please note that despite filling out the survey form to confirm that I live in Waltham, the VOTE411 website does not appear to be displaying this information for some reason.
The Waltham League of Women Voters has graciously organized a candidates forum on Thursday, October 10th.
My full candidate survey responses are below. To see how these responses compare to the other candidates on the November ballot, visit VOTE411.org.
Do you support election day voter registration? Why or why not?
Yes, eligible voters should always be able to cast a ballot on Election Day. I support Election Day voter registration as long as the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office puts in place the appropriate digital infrastructure (with backup manual procedures) that prevents anyone from voting in multiple locations and supports front line poll workers and the staff of the municipal clerk’s office in every municipality. If enacted, election workers would need to be able to process same-day registrations while also keeping the lines at polling places reasonably short and ensuring a free, fair, and accurate count of the votes cast.
What actions should the legislature take to address the climate emergency?
This past session, the MA house and senate failed to come together to pass any climate legislation at all during the normal session. If elected, I would encourage both chambers of the legislature to pass climate legislation early in the session that addresses the permitting and procedural delays slowing down the deployment of carbon-free generation, storage, and transportation (even if that means allowing fossil infrastructure to continue), because we now have many climate-friendly technologies that are cost competitive with the fossil-based technologies they will be replacing. Also, I would focus on improving public transit options, frequency, and reliability as well as evaluating the cost-effectiveness of previous climate legislation.
What should the legislature do to increase the supply of affordable and middle-market housing in Massachusetts?
The housing bill passed this summer is a great first step (allowing accessory dwelling units by right). However, the legislature needs to look for additional ways to unlock housing opportunities in MA such as eliminating or reducing minimum parking space requirements for housing and mixed use properties. The legislature also needs to be careful to avoid economic policies that lead to stagnation in the housing market (such as rent control or exorbitant transfer fees) resulting in tenants and homeowners feeling trapped in place even if they are ready to move into new housing that better suits their needs in life. Beyond that, I’m open to hearing new and novel ideas about solving the affordable housing crisis in Massachusetts.
What measures would you support to deal with the needs of the large number of immigrants coming to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is an excellent place to live, so it will always be a desirable place for immigrants — whether as a temporary shelter in a crisis or as a deliberate choice for a better life. As a prosperous state, we need to do our part to help others around the world, but we need to balance our desire to help others with a commitment to taking care of ourselves and those who are already here, including veterans, those living with addiction or developmental disabilities. Where possible we should allow immigrants to become self-sufficient once they have entered the state, which may mean staying to contribute to our communities, moving onto another more suitable location, or returning home to help solve the crisis that caused them to leave.
What are your priorities for dealing with transportation statewide and in your district?
For communities along Trapelo Rd we do not have any useful, reliable, or frequent public transit options, so I am proposing a 73T bus route that serves the entire length of the Trapelo Rd in Waltham and provides quick and efficient access to the commuter rail station, the grocery store, and a large number of parks. Waltham also lacks enough planning professionals or a strategic master plan for the city as whole resulting in poor intersection and streetscape designs with inaccessible sidewalks. If elected, I would work with city officials to address both of these issues. State-wide, we need to do much more to increase the public EV charging infrastructure, so they are as readily available as gas stations along major state highways.