Currently holds the office of Medford City Council until December 31, 2025.
Candidate for Medford City Council in 2025 Massachusetts General Election.
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Get StartedMedford has active immigrant communities, but few show up to city council meetings. We need to not only welcome everyone, but engage in active outreach. This can be done by using our community liaisons (individuals that the city normally employs for multilingual services) to recruit to citizens city boards, diversifying communications lists, advertising and simplifying the process of joining city council meetings, and identifying and reaching out to community leaders not typically engaged in Medford politics. Learn more
We should work to make Medford a safe, welcoming community to any and all races, ethnicities, sexualities, and gender identities; visible or invisible disabilities; life experiences; and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is the duty of the City Council to both pass hard laws and create an atmosphere to reflect this. Learn more
Aside from the important role of providing a budget, the City Council has very few hard powers over Medford Public Schools. As a Councilor, I will work with my colleagues on the Medford School Committee and Medford Public Schools Administration to ensure an educational system that keeps Medford students successful and safe. Learn more
Tree canopy fund. This fund, recently implemented in Cambridge, would require property owners to either plant a new tree or contribute to a tree fund prior to cutting down trees in the city that contribute to the overall tree canopy. Learn more
We need to implement carbon-neutral requirements for new, heavily resource-demanding structures. I will work to ensure that the City makes reporting on carbon emissions from such new buildings obligatory, as we work towards carbon-neutral development. Learn more
Limiting carbon offsets in old buildings, which typically rely on gas, is more challenging than new developments. To gather the extent of the problem, we need to require old buildings to report total emissions to a local planning board. Learn more
Electric vehicles will not solve every environmental challenge, but they are an important stepping stone to fighting climate change. I will support the development of new electric vehicle charging stations around Medford and the adoption of electric vehicles by the City of Medford’s fleet. Learn more
Medford has a single community social worker who is stretched thin in her job. Medford has very few systems used to support the homeless, instead choosing to refer people in need of social services to neighboring municipalities. We need greater nonprofit support. Learn more
Following the examples of Somerville and Cambridge, our own Senator Jehlen’s work at the state level, and the FDA giving these medicines breakthrough therapy status in light of the scientific evidence, I will work to reschedule plant-based medicines for therapeutic use in Medford. Learn more
For years, Medford City Hall had only one staff member overseeing the City's affordable housing efforts; by comparison, Somerville has about 30. I commit to supporting a growing City Hall staff of affordable housing professionals, with the goal of creating an Office of Housing Stability in Medford. Learn more
In keeping with the MBTA Communities Act, we need to encourage and attract affordable housing developers to build affordable housing near the new Green Line Extension. I am committed to this process, and I will work in my capacity as a Councilor to determine what residents’ concerns are, what the City Council’s responsibilities are, and consult with those most knowledgeable to ensure that Medford takes advantage of this opportunity to produce housing that is convenient and accessible to our GLX terminal. Learn more
Medford has for far too long left various actors involved in housing justice unengaged with our community. I will forge new partnerships with such entities, such as community development corporations and various nonprofits, and invite them to play a role, alongside the City, in the housing solutions that the community needs. Learn more
Many of the most-used roads in Medford, notably Main Street, are in poor condition and need repaving. This will be aided by an upheaval of our old pipe infrastructure, which frequently leads to roads being dug up and repaved in a patchwork manner, negatively impacting them in the long-term. Learn more
We need to drive forward the ongoing Transforming the Square projects. And we need to especially work to make the permitting process for opening a business and keeping restaurants open late at night easier. Learn more
We need to develop a mix of dining and entertainment around Medford Square and Riverside Ave. We should encourage further development projects around Mystic Ave, Route 16, and the Mystic Valley Parkway. Learn more
The City’s commercial tax base currently sits at 12% of its annual revenue when it should be closer to 30%. Learn more
Medford needs to broaden its tax base. While Cambridge has benefitted from its wealthy tax base and Somerville from commercial development on Assembly Row, Medford has been struggling. Learn more
We need to support local unions, which guarantee extra representation to workers, and we need to work towards increasing the minimum wage from 15 to 20 per hour. Learn more
Workers need basic protections that, in the modern economy, cannot be guaranteed without both unions and increased minimum wages. As long as any employer has the option to underpay their employees, every employer will be incentivized to pay as little as possible. Learn more
As a member of the Medford City Council, I will work to ensure that those who provide our public educators are provided with the salaries they deserve. The most important way Medford City Council can support its schools and teachers is to work to increase revenue for the budget so that we never have to cut services or lay off teachers. Learn more
City Hall is operating at skeleton capacity, and we are losing our most talented city staff members to higher-paying jobs elsewhere. Medford needs to build up and support its most skilled staff members in City Hall, rather than relying on outside contractors for so many essential services. Learn more
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