Unenrolled/independent

I hold a B.A. in American Government and Economics from Emmanuel College. The large majority of my career has been in public service - I served for more than five years as a Communications Director in the Massachusetts State Senate, three years as a School Committee Member and now three years as your Ward Two Councillor. I recently left the State House to take a position with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

My experience in State and Local Government has been invaluable when it comes to carrying out the responsibilities of a City Councillor. I’ve placed transparency, accountability, and community engagement at the forefront of my approach and believe it has served me well. I understand that this is the people’s seat and I have always placed my constituents’ best interests first.

1. Infrastructure Investment: Our city's infrastructure is the backbone of our community, facilitating our daily lives and economic growth. I have consistently heard from constituents about the state of our roads and sidewalks. In 2021, I had the privilege of advocating for and voting in favor of a plan to invest $150 million citywide into our infrastructure over the next five years. This plan allocated $100 million for road repairs and $50 million for water and sewer upgrades. In Ward 2, this meant a significant improvement of 33,000 feet of road repair, contributing to safer and smoother travel for all. If re-elected, I will continue to prioritize infrastructure investment by seeking out further funding opportunities, to ensure that all of our community's infrastructure needs are met.

2. Community Upkeep: A vibrant and well-maintained community is essential for fostering a sense of pride and belonging among our residents. Neglected public spaces, litter, and blighted properties can contribute to a decline in community spirit. During my tenure, I have been proud to champion projects and initiatives to continue to build on the progress we’ve made. This has included safety enhancements at the Fore River Clubhouse, amenity upgrades at Faxon Park with more on the way, and a soon-to-begin municipal broadband internet pilot program for Quincy Point. Additionally, I’ve been proud to work with all city departments and my constituents to address issues related to blighted properties, rodent infestations, park cleanup, public safety, education, permanent housing, zoning/development, and more.

3. Constituent Services: Effective and accessible constituent services are the foundation of responsive governance. I am deeply concerned about the challenges residents face when navigating city bureaucracy, seeking information, or voicing their concerns. When I was first sworn in as the Councillor, I established an online office where neighbors could submit assistance requests and learn more about our local government services. Since then, I’ve launched a mailed quarterly newsletter, regularly hold community meetings on specific neighborhood issues, and continue to post information on social media to keep folks informed. By actively listening and responding to the voices of our community, we can ensure that policies and decisions truly reflect the interests of those we serve.

While most of my free time has been dedicated to the City Council, I’ve been able to participate in a good number of local activities/events. I’m a member of the American Legion Post 95, the Penn’s Hill Neighborhood Association, the Ward 2 Civic Association, and the Friends of Faxon Park. My favorite annual event has always been Cleaner Greener.

If re-elected I will continue to send out my quarterly newsletter and notices about neighborhood specific concerns, maintain my constituent website, and post to social media.

During the height of COVID-19, the City was awarded roughly $50 million in federal relief funds (ARPA) to overcome the impacts of the pandemic. The Administration spent $15 million of those funds to purchase the Munroe Building in Quincy Center - months after the Council had signaled that they weren’t keen to make that investment with local taxpayer dollars. After this happened, I authored a resolution seeking a full accounting of the Adminstration’s ARPA spending and also asked the Administration to seek public input on how any remaining ARPA funds should be spent, using either an online survey or public hearings.

As a Councillor, I've been able to work with so many incredible low-income service providers. One of those providers, Caritas Communities, had approached me about the possibility of buying the building next to them on Winter St in Quincy Point and expanding their footprint providing "deeply affordable" units to people in need. This past spring, I was proud to speak in favor of their proposal before the Zoning Board so they could obtain approval and move forward. Supporting Affordable Housing means going out and finding partners like Caritas, or NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (who recently opened another affordable housing property on Winter St) and working with them to provide affordable housing to residents of all ages. I plan to continue this approach if re-elected.

During my time on the School Committee, many issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion were brought to our attention by our staff, and our students and their families. Using my authority as Vice Chair of the Committee, I established the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee so these issues had a permanent place for thoughtful discussion. On the City Council, I was equally supportive of my colleagues’ call to do more to hear the voices of all of our residents - this initiative ultimately led to the establishment of a new community liaison position which is now filled by Damian Outar. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Damian to discuss his new role and the Council’s expectations moving forward. In general, I believe thoughtful discussions with your neighbors – regardless of the issue – can help the City address issues that may have been overlooked in the past.

Before I can vote yes on a proposed lease extension there are a few more concepts that I’d like to see discussed. I’d like to see: progress made on the traffic plan with DOT for the Ricciuti Drive intersection leading up to Quarry Hills, an independent audit of past/current finances, a commitment to an oversight committee, and at least a discussion of extending the lease to be 50 years (the original length of the lease given in 1994).

During my time in public office, there are a few initiatives of which I have been proud to be at the forefront. While on the school committee, I led the effort to transition the QPS lunch program away from Styrofoam and plastic products. On the Council, I’ve supported making most of our public buildings available for RFPs for solar panels and have been supportive of Quincy enacting a municipal aggregation plan to lower energy prices for residents while providing residents with a choice of where that energy comes from. In addition, I have been proud to advocate for preserving what limited open space we have.

While we can’t force people to participate, I always do my best to bring new members of our community into the fold. That means communicating in-person, online, and via mail about the work we do on the City Council and providing residents with the info they need to access city services. As part of that effort, I was proud to support an initiative led by Councillor Liang to increase funding for language access services so more residents had the opportunity to participate in the community.

Up until very recently, my time as a local elected official also coincided with my time as a state employee - which meant that I was bound by state ethics laws that did not allow me to solicit any political contributions. My campaigns have always been powered by my family, friends, and constituents - since I first launched a political campaign in 2017 I’d say developers/local companies account for less than 5% of the donations I receive.

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