total time: 41.98 minutes
total words: 8277
[SPEAKER_01]: At this time, I see that the clock says 6.59. And I would like to welcome to the stage our candidates for mayor in Medford, Stephanie Muccini-Burke and David McKillop, Sr. What I would like everyone in the audience to do is to refrain from applause during the debate until we get to the very end. However, at this point, why don't we give both of them a round of applause? The first opening statement will be delivered by Stephanie.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Good evening. My name is Stephanie Muccini-Burke and I'm running for re-election to be your mayor, the chief executive officer of the city. Thank you for being here tonight. Like you, I chose to reside and raise my family here. Having graduated from Medford High, I earned a bachelor's degree in business from Suffolk University and a master's in taxation from Bentley University. My husband Brian and I have three beautiful children who have all attended public schools. I am and always have been invested in this community and will continue to be its champion. I believe that 15 years as your city councilor, five years as the city's director of budget and personnel, 25 years as a licensed certified public accountant opening my own small business here in Medford, and just under two years as your mayor makes me the most qualified person to be the chief executive officer of the city. My administration has and will continue to be a responsible steward of all taxpayers' hard-earned dollars. We will continue to aggressively pursue grant funding to leverage our dollars. Medford's high quality bond rating is no accident. It is the result of careful planning and the prudent expenditure of municipal funds for projects that better our city. In under two years, we've accomplished much. We've contracted for professional management of the Chevalier Theater to Bill Blumenreich Presents of the Wilbur. This will be a catalyst in the Medford Square Master Plan that we worked on collaboratively with residents and business owners, many of you here tonight. We have implemented the complete streets methodology with projects being done in every section of the city. I am very proud of tackling the issue of the need for a new police station head on. Our fine law enforcement personnel deserve nothing less as they go about serving the safety needs of our residents every hour of every day of every night. In the world in which we live, safety can never be taken for granted. The needs of our public safety employees are many, and they must continually be addressed. We have done just that in year one alone of the five-year capital plan. The city has purchased 12 new cruisers, breathing apparatus and turnout gear for our firefighters, new trucks and equipment for our DPW. I want to continue to move Medford into a brighter future. To do it, one will need to be inclusive, respectful, and equipped to do the job. One must listen, be organized, and ready to lead. I am that candidate that has the critical attributes necessary to move all of Medford forward. You deserve a mayor that can effectuate change. I believe that my experience, leadership, style, and ability to collaborate will help deliver on core local services and help ensure economic opportunity for everyone in Medford. So I ask you, do you want to continue to bring meaningful change to the city, our city with a person that has a proven track record of accomplishment? I hope so. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I'd like to remind everyone it would be great if you could hold your applause till the very end because it ends up cutting into the candidate's time. Dave, you will also have three minutes to give an opening statement.
[McKillop]: Thank you very much. Thank you everyone for being here. I'd like to thank my family, I'd like to thank Tufts, and I'd like to thank the Medford Chamber of Commerce. This is an exciting time for Medford, as it has been for many, many years, but we are at a precipice. We're at a crossroad in Medford, and we have to decide which direction we want to go. And I'd like to be part of that direction. When I first started this campaign back in July, I'm sorry, in June, I really came out wanting to share my ideas and express some of the experiences that I've had with my business as well as the city that my business is in. I'm excited about the opportunity of those ideas because I've worked in businesses all the way up and down the East Coast for the past 30 plus years. Some of those ideas coming from different cities could really give us the opportunity to change direction in Medford and open up our eyes to different and exciting ways of doing business as well as ways of opening up our lives and community spirit and involvement. Although my work experiences have taken me outside of the city limits for most of my adult life, it doesn't lend credence to the fact that I have no vested interest in my own town. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It gives me the unique opportunity to take great ideas and ways to doing business I've learned in several different states and apply it here. I've experienced in many different cultures and ways of thinking from city to city, giving me coping mechanisms to maximize the best results, working individuals as well as varying groups in individual cities or towns. I've learned over the years the art of collaboration and how important it is to put people together in a room, to get ideas going, to express their ideas. Every voice needs to be heard in a city, not select groups. And in this city, I believe that we can do that. I believe we've got some great opportunities here pulling people together and moving this city forward. Those who know me best will tell you that I'm a man of my word. I'm a man who will stick to a code of ethics even though it may not benefit me in the end. I'm open. I'm inviting. I'm approachable. I appreciate when I hear what people have to say. There is no such thing as a bad idea. I believe that every voice should be heard. It is okay to disagree. It is not okay to dismiss someone for disagreeing. And that's my motto when it comes to bringing people together. In over 30 years of running businesses, in the last 15 years of my own, I've managed and created budgets. I've hired, developed, trained, and created training programs for over 5,000 people. I know what it takes to get business moving, and I know what it will take to get a city moving. It's just coming up with great ideas, action, logistics and execution and that's what will move the city forward. The ideas that we have for this city could be endless and all we need to do is open it up and untap the potential that we have and that's what I'd like to do in the city of Medford starting on day one. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you. Our questions will begin with a very broad question, and then we'll move on to more specifics as we get into the debate. The first question will go to Dave first, and then to Stephanie. And it is simply this. What is the most important issue facing our city?
[McKillop]: I think the biggest issue that we have facing this city right now is this agenda of density. We have an issue. We have to address it. Everyone knows that this city is going to grow. It's how we handle it, what we need to do to approach this situation. We haven't even had a zoning conversation. So when the Board of Appeals comes together, they're really not quite sure what to do with rules that are 30 plus years old. So we need to have that conversation first before we can even map out the city and what we want to do. So I believe density is not the way to go. I believe mixed use and taking care of our downtown areas and keeping the integrity, the culture and the status of some of these downtowns and the quality of those downtowns and rebuild that and get the excitement going from one downtown to the next because each downtown has its own personality and we shouldn't lose that. And I don't believe density is the way to go.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I think it's our infrastructure that is probably the most demanding and complex thing that we have for the city of Medford. We have aging infrastructure for our water and sewer pipes. We have streets that we're working on that are in pretty poor shape and we need to address those. Systematically, so we've been spending a lot of time over the course of the last two years looking at the Complete Streets Program so that we can address our main drags and get them up to tip-top shape and also make them safe in the way that we do it. So it's a whole new approach. We feel strongly that you need to look at our streets not only for cars but for people and pedestrians and for people on bicycles and wheelchairs and handicapped accessibility issues. We think that that is the most important issue that we need to face right now. And definitely we are on our way to doing that. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Would you like to respond to that Dave. You have one minute.
[McKillop]: Yes I would. I believe that the complete streets program in my eyes needs to be complete. I think that the complete streets program is a good start. I think taking care of the corners of most of the sidewalks in the street areas is great. But an ADA handicap accessibility means just that. So if someone in a wheelchair wants to get up on the sidewalk, they can do that now. But if you go 20, 30, 40 feet down the street, down the sidewalk, you still may not be able to pass and have to go out onto the street. So to me, that's what complete streets means. Let's complete the projects or else it's really just an incomplete street program.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. With miles of roadway in the city of Medford, we are attacking streets. We're making it a priority, and we're looking at it from the ground up. So we have put funding in place. From the state, we were able to get a $400,000 grant after signing the community compact with the lieutenant governor just two months in my first term. That enabled us to put together a complete streets policy. And from there, we now are out in the roads. We are doing the work. And I hope that you'll spend some time, look at High Street, because that's where we're taking it. And that will be going all over the city. We have the Haines Square project. Everyone knows Spring Street and Salem Street and how that intersection is tremendously difficult to navigate, not only for people, but for vehicles. So that is being worked on right now. And we think that that will be a fine addition to the Salem Street area as well. But it's happening all throughout the community. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Our next question will go first to Stephanie, and that is, do you support charter review? And if so, what aspects of the city charter do you think should be the subject of that review?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I definitely support charter review. I actually offered a home rule petition to the city council in order to get it through the state legislature so the people that have been trying to get signatures for I think three years now, some of them are in this room, we could cut out that process so we could go right to the ballot. Unfortunately, with a four to three city council vote, the state legislature doesn't give much merit to a home rule for that. They really like to see community support in order to move a home rule through. So unfortunately, that did not pass. I do believe in charter review. I personally like WAD representation. I know some people don't. I tend to like WAD representation. I think it would make sense. Ideally, I wouldn't like to see a huge council. I wouldn't like to see it greater than seven. So if we could maybe look at two wards at a time, so we'd have four at large and three ward representatives, I'm sorry, four ward representatives and three at large. I think that would be a fabulous mix. I think we would get a lot of business done in the city. And that is one of the critical things. And what I hear on the streets, and I'm sure David hears it too, is four-year mirror, because you're in such a short period of time. and now you're spending time in an election and that goes for the city council as well, a new city councilor. So I think that that's something that should be looked at as well.
[McKillop]: I do agree that the charter review has to happen. I don't agree that the 43 is not a majority rule. I don't understand how we can't push that through. I would fight for that. I think that it is a struggle, although we have over 4,200 signatures at this point, maybe a little bit more. I think that combined with the home rule petition, we can make this conversation happen, but I think it's time after 30 plus years that this has not been a review whether it is the exact plan that we have right now or another plan, I think that we have to open this conversation up. And I do believe that there is a lot of room for interpretation in certain areas of it, but I certainly believe that for a city to move forward, and I've always said this, the city needs to be fluid. We need to have term limitations so we can have these new creative ideas come forward. A city needs to grow. And the only way to grow is to have new blood come in with new ideas and new interpretations of the way the city should go forward. So I think term limitations is something that should also be looked at as part of the conversation.
[SPEAKER_01]: Stephanie, would you like a minute rebuttal?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Certainly. We've offered many home rule petitions in the city of Medford, and most of them are, you know, six to one votes, seven unanimous. The legislature does not look at four to three while it is a simple majority. They do not put weight in that. They do not think that you're really crying out for change. So that's what happens up at the state legislature, and we did fight, we did try to get it passed, more so for the people that are collecting the signatures, because they deserve to have that ballot question put on. So I think that is a very important thing. I think everything should be reviewed when you review a ballot on the charter. You should look at all facets of it. And certainly, I support that wholeheartedly.
[McKillop]: David? So you support, I'm sorry. I forgot we can't address each other. So basically, as far as the charter goes, I think that the term limitations is the most important part of it. I think that, again, I will stand behind that 150%. I think that wards are a great idea to look at, but it really, let's take a look at the plan. Is this plan the best plan for us right now? Should it be a different plan? And we need to exhaust all avenues and look at that and look at it as a whole, as a city, and really come together and make that decision collectively.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK, terrific. Our next question will go first to David. We received a number of questions regarding the vibrancy of Medford's business district. And from those questions, I'm going to ask you two. The first is this. I won't ask both at once. The first is this. The parking system remains a source of discussion several years after its debut. Do you propose to leave it as is, or are there steps that you will take that you think could improve the system?
[McKillop]: Absolutely not. It is time to change this program. Why we haven't held Republic's feet to the fire in this respect is absolutely beyond me. This is the poorest customer service program I've ever seen. Anywhere and I've been in customer service for 30 years and I can tell you every contract is designed to be broken We need to sit down with this company We need to hold their feet to the fire and we need to make the program work for the citizens of this city not for the private entity the kiosk program is not working and You cannot tell me, for the thousands and thousands of people that I've spoken to, that this is an okay program when they are so frustrated with it that they literally get in their car and drive to an entirely different city, whether it's a CVS or a pizza place, to get their work and job done. I think that's embarrassing, I think it's frustrating, and I think it's time that we hold this company's feet to the fire. Because if we don't do it now, we'll never do it, Everything can be renegotiated and it's time to do that and make it more palatable for the people that want to visit our downtowns because I'm telling you right now, if you talk to a lot of the businesses, a good 60% of those businesses are complaining that this program is not working well for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, Stephanie, your answer to the same question.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you, Mr. Kennedy. The parking program, while not perfect, and I'll agree, it's not perfect, we have tweaked it tremendously in probably the first six months when I took office. There is an app on your phone that you can pay for your parking. We've dropped the app fee. It was 35 cents when we entered the contract. We have it down to a nickel for Medford residents in order to use the app fee. We did a business add-on program so that if you were at the doctor's office or you were getting your hair done or anything, any service you were having done in the squares, the business owner can add time to your vehicle so that you don't have to go out because it was a bone of contention at the beginning that some things take more than two hours and if you parked on the street, that's the limit. So we made that change as well. We made the lots, turned them into three-hour lots. We did a senior sticker for $25 per year. A senior not only gets the sticker and doesn't have to visit a kiosk or a meter anywhere in the city, but they also have an extra hour on street that they're able to park, a great benefit to our senior citizens as well. We are waiting right now for the Charlie car. That's the piece that I've been pushing for and it comes from the actually developer of the parking kiosk itself, not the, not Republic Parking. So we are waiting on a trolley car that would work similar to your T-pass and just stick it in and it just has your plate on it so you don't have to do anything else. But I do want to mention that there's an amortization schedule that's attached to the contract. And if you were to try to buy out of that contract right now today, it would be $522,000 that the city would have to pay to buy out of the contract. Plus we lose about a little under $500,000 in miscellaneous receipts that we're receiving right now from our parking program. So those two things would go away, then we'd have to buy all new equipment in order to get a program back up in the street. And I've talked to a lot of business owners, and they know that now there is turnover on the street. Prior cars were parking there and taking the bus into town. Now there's turnover. Your customers have a place to park now. So that is a very positive thing. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna call an audible. We agreed on first names when we were meeting backstage. In the formality of this moment, I'm feeling uncomfortable with it, so I'm gonna switch to something a little more formal. So Mr. McKillop, you may respond to that. Mr. McKillop Sr. Mr. McKillop Sr., okay.
[McKillop]: Mayor, I would agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. Basically, I don't understand the senior parking program because our seniors have worked hard their entire life. If we really desperately need that $25 from our seniors, then I think we're actually worse off than we probably thought we were. It is time to make it free for the seniors. That's number one. Number two, all we've done is basically take our commuters and push our commuters further into the neighborhoods. And what that has now done for us is try to figure out ways where we have to put more signage further into some of these neighborhoods because our residents are even more frustrated because they can't find parking. Thirdly, when you have open spaces and your businesses are complaining that business is not good, it's not because there's open spaces for good reasons. It's because there's open spaces for frustrated reasons. I personally have experienced it. I personally have watched people get frustrated with it. I'll give you one quick, well, I guess that's it, my time is up.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, thank you for respecting the clock. Ms. Muccini-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. I also just wanted to throw out there that we put forth a package to the council for $250,000 to be spent in the various business districts. And that money, $50,000 per district, certainly could purchase single head meters if that was what the calling was for, or it could be used for beautification. We're working with the chamber. They put together a committee so that we can work on this directly and come up with a plan for that $250,000, which is what the council wants to see. They want to see details of how it will be spent. So that's one thing. You know, this parking program kind of noosed me two years ago, and I know that it's an issue. And we've tried so hard to make changes that make sense and that make it easier. So I really urge people, when you go to Somerville and you go to Boston and you're using your phone to pay for your parking, you can do that in Medford too. And we've gotten the word out there. So just use your phone. It's so easy. It's how I travel. It's what I do when I stop during the day. So make sure that you load up that app and you use it, because it is a huge benefit.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK, I think that we can finish a sentence. Finishing a sentence is fine. So moving forward. Don't go off onto another subject area, but finishing a sentence is fine. Our second question related to Medford's business districts is this. How will you make the commercial tax base in the city broader, including more food and beverage options for the squares? And the question goes first to Ms. Macchini-Berg.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. I think it's really important as part of our Medford Square master plan that we've just finished the work on. The report is online at the City of Medford website. It's mixed use. Mixed use is what we have in Station Landing. It works in other communities. We really need to build up the mixed use features in Medford Square. You do see it to a small degree, but it's not very dense when you look at two stories maybe above the storefronts. So I think it's really important that we add that element to Medford Square. We have a zoning amendment that is going to be offered to the city council very shortly so that we can work collaboratively with them as well. Secondly, on Mystic Avenue, we just received another grant in order to look at the Mystic Avenue corridor for zoning, specifically for zoning purpose. So we want to walk away at the end of this process with an actual amendment that can then go to the city council and they know that everyone has worked on this process. So those are two key elements that I think will add businesses to the square and also the mixed use so you bring people that will now go into the businesses. But it's really important, I think, for us to be recruiting businesses, a diversified business base. So that's where the city and the chamber work together in order to look at businesses that we think are lacking in the square and try to reach out and recruit them. We've tried that in a couple of occasions. I have a business liaison in my office We have attempted to reach out and try to get certain types of business into the city. So I think that you were saying all these grand openings that we're having, there's a lot going on in Medford. And I think if you look at the types of restaurants in Medford Square in particular, you can eat pretty much anything from any country and we have it there. So there is a great diversity of restaurants right now.
[McKillop]: Thank you. Mr. McKillop. I believe that there is so much more to do in this. I think the master plan is a start. It's a good start, but it's a contrast for what I believe is what we need to do for businesses in the downtown. We do not have the infrastructure to move this forward. If we did have the infrastructure to move this forward, it would look a lot different than the way it looks right now, which is the same office and the same community development program for the past 20 plus, maybe even 30 years. To move a city forward, you have to, again, build the infrastructure to get there. and I don't believe we're in that position yet. We don't even have a design and review board to help businesses come into the city and really work with each and every individual downtown in their personalities to move each and every downtown forward. I mean, Hillside is completely different than what's going on in Medford Square, which is completely different than what goes on in Ainsquare. So we need a design and review board to help these businesses because if Johnny Pizza wants to come in and they want to open up a pizza place and they think Hillside is the best place to go, There's seven pizza places in a row in Hillside. So we want to help them to understand. And what happens then is it creates mix. And mix is what gets business going. You do not want a downtown that has several of the same type of product downtown. You want to have a mix so people can get excited about that. The last part that I want to talk about the master plan is I'm really confused by it. There isn't really much in there about development of business. The other thing is they're talking about eliminating 40% of the parking which is based off of a Nelson Nygaard study from 2005. If we have Chevalier Theatre going like we're all saying that's going to come up and running and then we have five new businesses downtown and throw a couple of hundred people on the street and then somewhere along the line the waterway gets going, How are we eliminating 40% of our business? The master plan is not 100%. It is not ready to be initiated, and we certainly don't have the amount of people that we need in the community development or design and review to move this forward. Ms. Puccini-Burke, your one-minute response.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I differ from his opinion. I think the master plan has been a very concerted effort on the part of businesses, residents who came out to all the meetings in order to get it to be what we want it to be. That plan will use shared parking. It's not going to create more parking. It's going to use shared parking. So the people that live in the units during the day and go to work, Their spaces will open up and the businesses will use them. So that's how we're going to network the parking issue. So I think that's really an important element as well. And we're not going to lose 40% of the parking spaces in Medford Square. I guarantee you that. That will not happen. The other thing about the master plan is to bring businesses and mixed use to the river. Right now we're not embracing the river. It's a huge asset for us. And we need to do better work at that. And that's what this master plan is leading us to. The development. closer to the river along the City Hall line where there's so much open space there that we can really capitalize on to create this mixed-use vibrant downtown so people can enjoy the multitude of restaurants that are already there. I just shut off.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: To me, the riverway is a sore spot for me because that is the jewel of the downtown. We could reinvent the entire downtown by using that riverway. We don't need to get close. We need to be on it. And it's about time we look at that. Ring Road has to go. The development has to be on the water. Just visualize the fact that there's a boardwalk. with all these great restaurants and shops that face the water with cafe style doors where you can sit down and enjoy that type of environment. And then there's mixed use where there's actually condos or townhomes or affordable housing mixed in there that really brings the whole downtown to a totally different level. It's time to open our eyes and create new and exciting ways to look at this city. It's not getting close to the water, it is being on the water and using the water and that will move this city forward and that will reinvent Medford permanently.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, our next question is as follows. The housing market in Medford is exploding. 02155 has been named one of the hottest real estate zip codes in the country. What can the city do to develop a strategic housing plan so that long-time residents don't get squeezed out and young families can afford to live here? I'll begin with Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: So I always say, if I sell my house today, I can't afford to buy it back. That's a problem in Medford. It is a problem. Some people look at it as a good problem, some people look at it as a bad problem. As I'm walking neighborhoods, there are people that have been in their houses for 60, 70 years, and they're retirees, and they can't find a way to make it affordable to live in their own house because year after year, the house gets reappraised for tax purposes. So there are some people out there that have their home, they bought it for $20,000 or $30,000, and today it's worth $900,000. And so what they're finding is that they're having to ask family members to come in and move in with them because their tax base payment is $10,000 or even more a year. How are we doing that to the citizens that have contributed so much to this city for so many years? We need to look at tax incentives for these folks. Then what we have to do is not only do we have to look at low-income housing, we have to look at middle-income housing and try to balance that. And we have to take a look at the way we're going to do that. Maybe some of that comes from the Community Preservation Act because there is that 70% of free money. But there are other ways that we can look at that and we need to balance that. Again, it goes back to what are we going to do? First, start with zoning. Second, stop this density program that we have going on because that will definitely gentrify everything and eliminate the process of trying to keep these downtowns a little bit more balanced for everyone. Thank you. Ms. Pacini-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Well, first off, I think in part of all of the development that we're going to see, which Medford is a very popular place to be, and if we do some of these mixed-use projects, we will have additional housing opportunities. So the key to that is including the affordability component into every new building that goes on. Currently, we're acquiring 10%. That number will probably be increased in the very near future. The other thing is an inclusionary zoning ordinance that will up that percentage. And what it does is it gives developers an opportunity that if you do more affordable housing, we'll let you maybe get away with a few less parking spaces. So you're actually working with developers so that you get a mix that works for the city of Medford. So I think inclusionary zoning is, it can be a voluntary basis where if they do more, they may not have to reach some of the setbacks and things of that nature that go along with zoning. As many people know, we did a mixed-use zone down in Station Landing, and I think that that is really, it was one of the first mixed-use, first transit-oriented development zoning opportunities that we had. And we see how it has worked and how it has benefited the city. So we need some of that, and we need some more commercial entities so that we can continue to spread the tax burden across all the different elements. So I think that those two things combined will be very productive for the city.
[McKillop]: So I believe, I go back to exactly what I said before. Building the business base is going to increase the tax base which will level some of the residential burden. The more that we get these businesses up and running and do the mixed use, the more important it is. I believe that we can do that with each downtown and recreating the downtowns by keeping the same personality. And I think it's crucial to the movement of all these people that are gonna be coming into Medford They have every expectation that they want to be able to enjoy Medford, and we need to recreate the downtown so we can have that tax base increase so we can level the playing field on the way we actually set the taxes up. Because year after year, taking a look at the way we're gonna find money and attacking the homeowners is just not the way to go anymore. It's not feasible. You can't continue to run a business, you can't continue to run a city like that. Ms. McCheney-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. I don't know if many of you in the audience know, but pretty much every year, certainly in the last 25, the tax burden has been shifted to the greatest degree to commercial entities as opposed to the residential. So we have done that over and over again. City Council has voted for that tax relief for the residents. I know it's still hard on the pocket, but with rising costs, Things don't stay stable. There's rising costs out there. There's salaries that are increasing, and there's infrastructure needs that we need to pay for. So we need to do what's within prop two and a half, which is we have totally complied with, and we need to figure out how to best spend that money. So I think that's, those are some things that we have to do. But getting back to the river, that's the point. That was the point I was making is we need to move everything to the river, but we need to have the footpaths that go in front of the houses so that we continue on with all the connectivity that we're doing right now. So I also want to see housing and mixed use closer to the river so that we can benefit from it. It's a huge asset. It has been ignored for too long. And it is a priority. And that is part of the master plan.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have a question for the timekeeper. I'm pretty sure that we've gone through 2, 2, 1, 1 on that question. But the rebuttals were showing 2 on the clock. I just want to make sure I didn't get confused. That's fine. Yup, okay. I just wanted to make sure I haven't lost my place, not a problem. Ms. Muccini-Burke, do you support rebuilding the Medford Public Library, specifically by way of the city's matching the state grant so that the new building can go forward? If so, when can we expect the rebuilding to begin?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Well, we put together, with the great help of our council president, in seven months a grant application that normally takes communities two to three years to do. Of course, when we put in that application, we thought that we would be maybe in phase two of the allotment of the grant if we were even successful. When we got the word that we were in the first round, which is this year, we all kind of went into a little bit of a panic because we wanted to put a foundation in place a year and a half prior to being able to utilize the grant. With that being said, we have put together a form to foundation. They will be seeking out contributions in order to hopefully match what the state has put up, which is about $12.6 million. It's a huge grant. So we're very optimistic from those that have already been interviewed and people that we have reached out to that we will be able to parlay the state grant, double it with the foundation money, and then be left for the city to put up a piece, which is about $5 million, which is the goal. So we're very optimistic. We are embracing the new library. I wholeheartedly support it, or I would not have asked for the committee to be put together to get the grant even off the ground. And I think everybody knows, and I've said it at every meeting, every public meeting that I've been at, if I ask someone to do something, it's not just to put it on the shelf. It's really to enact it. So thank you for all the hard work, the people that worked on that building committee, Mr. Caraviello.
[McKillop]: Thank you for all the hard work that you've done to to secure this grant and we look forward to moving forward with it Mr. McKillop, so I'm about priorities and I know that when you were elected mayor that you your priority was to take care of the police and fire department and that has now been kind of put to little a little to the behind before the actual library and But having said that, now that it's done, we already have the grant. I want to know, is it that you've already raised $17 million? You've planned to raise $17 million? Because in the end, most people have already said, and it's been reported by Wicked Local that it would cost up to $34 million to build this library. So you're saying the burden is $5 million for the citizens of Medford, so $17 million has been found? That's a lot of money to find in this period of time, and I'm hoping that's the case because I'd like to be able to do the same thing for the Police and Fire Department, which I believe we need to have yesterday, because that's, to me, what the priority should have been. And I'm all in favor of a new library. I think we should have a new library, but it's priorities for me.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: As everyone knows, we have appropriated $2 million for new police headquarters. This talk about it not happening or that it's fictitious is so inaccurate. We've put the money up, $2 million. The architect meets every single week. We have an onus project manager, an OPM on board that meets with us as well. and the engineer from the city hall and we also have the chief who's put together a team of police officers of all ranks and all sexes to go around and visit various police stations around us so that we can get the best with our plan. So to say that the police department is not a priority of mine is very disingenuous because that was the priority and that is why we're working so hard to get it done. Thank you.
[McKillop]: Again, if it was a priority, then I think the grant writing for the library first prior to the grant writing for the police and fire station doesn't make sense to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you want to have, each of you would like to have one more back and forth on this? We can do that.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Yes, yes, please. So I've talked to Congresswoman Clark, all of our US senators. There is no grant money for police stations for infrastructure. They're not there. We had the director of public safety for the state of Massachusetts walk through our police station, agree with us that it is in deplorable condition, and then said, walk up to Lawrence and go look at theirs. And then you're going to say Medford is not as bad as Lawrence. That's what they told us. There is no funding, unlike the schools, that you can go to the MSBA and get 54, 55 percent match. There's no funding out there for public safety. I've raised that with our state delegation as well. I've raised it with the governor and the lieutenant governor. Everyone's saying it's a great idea, but they need to figure out how they can get the money in order to match the city of Medford and all these other communities that are dealing with crumbling stations. It's a priority.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mr. McKillop, you may have up to a minute to respond to that.
[McKillop]: Lawrence is not as bad as Medford, thank God. But Malden is three times better than Medford. And if you're proud of that. then we should end the conversation right now. Because the end result is we need to set the priority and we needed to set it from the beginning of the year last year, this year. And now all of a sudden we're starting to work on that and it's frustrating to me that we haven't taken it to a different level. We don't even have a grant writer ready to write a grant to make this happen.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: A little bit more. You people want to see this?
[SPEAKER_01]: Tell you what, it's a debate. Let's debate. Ms. Muccini-Burke and Mr. McKillop can each have one more minute, and then I think we can move on to another topic.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: For those of you that understand, government and how it works. It's not fast. Procurement takes time. We had to go out and procure for the architect. We had to go out and procure for the owner's project manager. You have to follow all these steps in government in order to get things done. We had to know how big we were building the station and we had to find a location for it. We talked to every owner of property in the city of Medford, from up in the hillside area to Wellington to the courthouse, the Cambridge courthouse that sits in the city of Medford and doesn't service us as a district court. We've talked to every person to see if there was a place that we could get into little quicker. When all was said and done, a lot of the officers that I spoke to said, we like being right here in the heart of Medford that we can get to any location in minutes. We like this location. And that's what drove us back to the training facility, which is where we're building it. So in the next probably six months, you're going to see that building come down, and then you're going to see a new structure go up. And I know many of the offices in this room tonight have been part of this process. They've looked at the plans. They've chosen an option because there were two that were just delivered to them in the last two weeks. They've selected the option that they like best, and that's where we're going with this. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, let's hold your applause if we can. Mr. McKillop, you may have a minute and 15 seconds if you choose.
[McKillop]: Again, I go back to priorities. It's pretty common sense for me, and I only deal with the facts. It was a priority, and it's been a priority. We all know the condition of that fire and police department. We've seen it. It's horrific. It's a bad situation. I know for a fact that the police went to you, Mayor Burke, with a plan for the female officers to get them out of a bathroom and actually give them a place to change. That plan was put together by the police officers. It was ready to go. They even had the dollar amount ready. And in the last hour, the answer was no. But yet we found $500,000 to put a new park on Riverside Ave. I just look at priorities, folks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I think we can move on at this point. And we've had a little applause for both of them, so we're even. Thank you. The opioid crisis affects Medford as well as the country as a whole. What more can be done in our schools to prevent our children from becoming involved with opioids? And the question goes first to Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: So I had said this before. I think that the opioid crisis should take precedence over everything because it's actually destroying entire families. It's horrific. It's scary to all of us. Not one person has the answer to this. We need civic leaders. We need religious leaders. We need medical leaders. to come together in an emergency type situation in the city of Medford, whether it's weekly, bi-weekly, whatever we need to do. Part of the school is also that important link, the teachers and the parents to come in there and talk not just about curriculum, but to talk and open it up. The dialogue needs to happen for these children as young as kindergarten all the way up. They need to understand what they're faced with, and they need to hear it from both parents and teachers, and administrators, and Councilors, and really show that we're behind these children so they can move forward in life and not have to deal with this situation. This is a scary, scary, scary time, and if we don't wrap our arms around it and take a volunteer look at this, because this is something we need to fix yesterday, folks, and we've got to get involved, and we've got to do it now. Ms. Pacini-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. It's a crisis and we need to just face the fact it is a crisis and it is a priority for cities, towns, states across this country and we have been fortunate in obtaining grant money so that we can attempt to fight this horrible disease that it has turned into. So we have received grants for the school department so that they're doing educational programs, because it all starts with education. At the end of the day, that's where it all starts. You need to teach the kids to stay on the track. But we've also expanded that in the city of Medford with our opioid team, our team Medford. that meets with not only people suffering from opioid addiction in the schools and in the city, but the trades. It is so commonplace in the trades. When we've done our analyses, they've shown 40% of all the opioid issues that come through the public safety arena are people from the trades because of the hard work that they do. Because when they get injured, they have to get some medicine to get through the day because they need to put food on the table for their family. So we have found that there is a huge issue there as well. So we've been devoting a lot of time and energy to meeting with the unions and the tradesmen as a whole. so that we can get to them and try to provide them help. Also, for the first time, we've offered a budget item that started July 1st for a full-time recovery coach. This young man is out in the neighborhoods. He's talking to people. He's educating people. And he's working hand-in-hand with the school nurses, the teachers, all the extracurricular programs that are there. to work with them, the coaches, who sometimes may be the first line of defense to see things that are going on. And if they know what to look for, they can catch things earlier. So we have been doing that in a concerted effort, and we're meeting with the district attorney, Ryan. She holds monthly meetings at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. We have a team of police chiefs and doctors and nurses from all across the region that touch Medford. We meet there monthly in order to do best practices so that we can figure out how can we move forward to curb this epidemic.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, Mr. McKillop, your response.
[McKillop]: So when I said a sense of urgency, to me a sense of urgency is not meeting monthly. A sense of urgency is meeting weekly if we have to, daily if we have to. We need to get our arms around this. Paul Spencer is a young man that lived in my neighborhood and we saw him grow up and we're very, very proud of that young man and he's doing great things, but that is just not enough. He needs an army behind him. We need to get together as a community, and we need to fight this with everything we've got, and a monthly meeting with the DA is not gonna cut it. We've got to get together, folks. We've got to get everyone in our community, all of our leaders, to rise up and make this happen for our kids, for our future, for families, because it's not just about construction workers, it's about everyone, and it's touching everyone. Ms. McCheney-Burke, your response.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. We meet regularly in the city of Medford on this topic. We have plans. We've had in plain sight exposés in City Hall. We've set up a room so the parents know what to look for. You would be amazed at things that are right in front of your face. that have bottoms that pop out of them, and things are in them. So we did in plain sight, and I don't think I saw anyone here at that event, but there were a lot of people from the general public that came out to it. Thank you for coming. It was an informative night. We hold these all the time. There's so much going on in the city because we want to get to the parents so that they can see what's transpiring, so they can see that little, that something about their child, something has gone wrong that they can correct and catch it early. So we're doing that through education in our school system and the city of Medford playing a very active role in outreach as well as providing an educational support system. And believe me, that office has a little army. There's about seven people in that office and we meet regularly on it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, thank you. We had a very thorough and interesting exchange on the police station. We have another public safety related question. Given that Medford is a growing community, do you believe that our police and fire departments need to be expanded in order to respond to an increase in issues related to public safety? And the question first goes to Ms. Machiney-Berg.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you very much. Well, we are actually in the process of expanding. If you looked at this year's budget, we put in monies for January to start a civilian staffing of our 9-1-1 program. So what that will do is the money that will be spent on the civilian staffing will free up officers that are in there now, generally three at the time, will be back in force. So that's three on a given shift. So we will have about seven extra offices that are basically being added to patrol and or traffic, whatever the case may be. So what we did with this year's budget was a reallocation by putting in the civilian. We're able to garner additional people that can be out in the streets. So I think that's very important. Also, I think if you look at the budget, you have a limited amount of money that you can spend. And so we have to allocate that source of funding across all different spectrums. And there's a lot of important things going on in the city of Medford. So from that regard, we did increase the police budget, which I thought was warranted, and we will be seeing increases probably going forward as well.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop. I think that the police budget is not enough. I think that what we have to do is we have to come up with a comprehensive plan to move forward. If we're going to have all of this growth in the city, we need a formula. We need to know exactly how many people or an estimated amount of people that will actually be moving into the city of Medford and how many police officers and firemen we need for that. And we need to plan ahead of that and not just try to work with what we've got. So we need to kind of open our eyes and broaden our horizons in the respect of where we want to go. So if you have 5,000 new people coming into the city of Medford because of development, out of the 5,000, how many police officers and firemen and emergency medical people that we need in this city? And that's what we need to do. We need to sit down and have that type of a conversation So we are proactive, not reactive, and we are ready for the influx of new people coming into the city. We're already behind the eight ball with the staffing of the police station, the police department, as well as the fire department. I know that one of the campaign promises was to create a foot patrol for all the downtowns. I think it's a great idea. It's one of the things I think I would love to agree with you on, but I think we have to investigate how we're going to do that. If you want to talk about budget, our budget is very, very top-heavy. It's not a very balanced budget, and there are things that we can do to balance the budget a little bit better. I've looked at the budget. I believe it's an incredibly top-heavy budget, and you become stagnant. You can't move when you have a very top-heavy budget, and you need to work with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ms. Macchini-Burk, your response?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: So I did want to just add one thing on foot patrols. We did implement a change in the way that our sector cars are dispersed. So right now, they're regularly out of the vehicles, walking the squares, meeting the business owners and the constituents that are there every single day. So we did put that in place, and Chief Sacco has been very on top of making sure that that happens. So a lot of the calls in when we've discovered people that were living under our footbridge in Medford Square that no one knew was living there because of the foot patrol. So they were able to discover a lot of those types of things. They've also been able to move people along if they're loitering. And they've also just gotten to know people a little bit better. So we're big supporters of that, obviously. So thank you.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop. I just don't think there's enough of an effort there. It has to be consistent. I think that we have bigger, broader issues. We just talked about the opioid crisis and how that's overpowering us. We just talked about the fact that we're gonna have all these people moving in to the city. There's so much going on, so many moving parts. A sporadic officer on the street is just not enough. It needs to be a more consistent presence. We need to really get people to understand that we're there to help and these officers are willing to do that. They just want to have enough of a force to be able to do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, thank you. Our next question is this. What is your cultural plan and what steps would you take to ensure that Medford has a vibrant arts community? The question goes first to Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: So in the city that my business is in, Salem Mass, I'm sure you all know where Salem is, it's a huge art community and jazz festival and a lot of moving parts in that city. And one of the unique opportunities that I have bringing to Medford is I've experienced all of that. I was part of that. In fact, we had art shows in my own restaurant, because that's how important it is for the community of Salem, and I'd like to be able to bring that to Medford as well. Because believe it or not, that is something that goes incredibly hand in hand with the downtowns, because the downtowns being an old retailer, this is something we talked about 25, 30 years ago, The malls will not be as important as downtown areas, but you cannot compete with recreated downtown areas like Assembly Row and Station Landing. This is what's happening. The big companies are coming in and they're recreating downtown. So some of these downtowns are struggling. You're not going to get the same retail that you would get see over there. So it has to be very unique and inviting, and the way to do that is to work in conjunction with art, jazz, music, and move this all forward. There are some great festivals that we could put in this city, like a jazz festival, like an art festival, that we've already done some of that, but in a different and broader scale. A chocolate festival, an ice festival, there's many, many ways that we can bring the life back into these downtowns, and I'm a huge advocate of that. Ms. McCheney-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Likewise, I'm a huge advocate for that. I think arts and culture really are an economic catalyst for downtowns. We see that. That's why we've spent so much time on the Chevalier Theatre. We think that that is an immense opportunity to bring thousands of people, the theatre holds 2,000 people, to shows on an ongoing basis. Once that is up and running and we have people in there, it's New Year's Eve, his first act. And then we have some other things coming up there too. Frankie Valli showing up in April. So once they're in there and having their shows regularly, it is a catalyst for economic growth. But to talk to arts and culture, when I talk to people, they talk about the single artist. They want to expose their work. They want to show their work. We created a forum in City Hall where every month we're flipping out different artists and their work so that it's on display. If you come up, come up our two hallways and you can see all the beautiful artwork that citizens are producing on a regular basis. We've paid attention to that. Part of the Riverside Plaza project that we're putting up will have another location to be the mecca for all opportunities for the city to invest in events. And we have some of the great people here this evening that put them on, and they put them on in a parking lot. They just want to put them on. They're that eager. So we look forward to working with you for a beautiful space, City Hall now being one of the key locations that will be able to house a lot of different events going on in the city in a very safe environment. But, you know, Bill Blumenrecht, I can't say enough about him, what he has done with the Wilbur. And he has already gotten into the city. He's meeting with the chamber in another month, but he's met with the friends of the Chevalier in order to really figure out what are they all about and how can we best use that asset in order to move the city forward. So we're really proud of that, and we think that art belongs in every neighborhood. We're also working on some sides of buildings and we're trying to get some of the landlords to approve that we can do murals on the sides of buildings. So we're in it in a host of ways and I have a cultural liaison that deals with this stuff every single day. Thank you.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop, your response. So I think that the City Hall is a great start, but I don't think it's enough. I think that the folks that are making the art want to be able to move that around the city. So utilizing the restaurants and utilizing the different areas and inviting some sort of a festival where all of the restaurants and some of the shops are actually showing this wonderful product, where there's an opportunity to purchase it, I think is a great way to do that. I think the City Hall is great, but unless you're doing business in City Hall, you're not going to be able to appreciate the wonderful art that's out there. As far as Chevalier Theatre goes, I'm really, really excited about Chevalier Theatre, and I think it's a great opportunity. I just, I wonder, again, this is not against Mr. Bloomingwright, but I think it's a good judgment, and it's priorities, and there is a vetting process, and I know the vetting process was done between two groups. It was the North Shore Music Theatre, and it was Bill Bloomingwright. And I question the way the vetting process goes, because when I vetted the two of them, I know that there was one concern for North Shore Music Theater, which was a real estate development issue. But if you go back, my concern when I went to that meeting was there wasn't enough information with regards to all of the certificates that we needed for that contract, like Choke Safe, Serve Safe, Tip Safe, Certification, ASCAP, CSAC, and there was nothing in the writing of any of that contract that stipulated the importance of those items for Mr. Bloomwright to take care of. And as far as the vetting goes, I mean, if you go back, my concern was because we have the Boys and Girls Club, is there gonna be a quarry issue because that building shares the space with children? And there was a commitment that, There is absolutely no way that children would be able to interact with the people that are going in and out of that building. I find it a little bit discerning, but again, there's a commitment there. And lastly, if you look... really quick, sorry, if you look in the past of Mr. Bloomingwright, there is some issues and concerns in his background, especially one being that he's been brought up in a few issues, one being that serving underage minors, and that's a big concern of mine. And I question, I would question, you know, that's a huge concern, so.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, Ms. Muccini-Burke, you can respond, and certainly you may take some additional time if you feel that you need to.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: That should be an issue for most of us. But one of the things that will happen, the Board of Health plays an active role in giving out the victualist license. It actually, through a home rule petition, it's actually the licensing commission of the city of Medford that will be handling both the liquor license as well as the common victualist. But of course, the Board of Health plays a major role in supporting that effort. And you can't open up until you've qualified through all the different serve safes and all those other programs that are mandated by the state to do business. So we will obviously be complying with that facet. I also just wanted to add one thing. When I was a Councilor, I made a promise to the art community that when we get Medford Square off the ground, there would be a space for them to have their home. Because as we all know, they had a little spot in the mall for a while that really worked out well, but they lost that when the mall turned into the plaza, the Wegmans that it will be on Sunday. But I promised them that when I was a Councilor, and I hold my promises seriously, and that will be taking place when we do the revitalization and we do the mixed use in Medford Square. They will have a home, and I guarantee them today on this. Also, I just wanted to add a little bit about the economic engine. We were just listed as one of the top 10 cities in the country. And that wasn't by accident. They actually wrote up the Mystic River Celebration, which Cachet is responsible for. That played a huge role in us getting that ranking because we have so many great events that are going on. I know if you visited the farmer's market over the summer, you got to see some of those events with musicians playing, artwork displaying. Our restaurants partner with the artists. They display artwork as well. We have a very rich community here, and I don't want anyone to walk out of here tonight and think that we don't, because it is a great community, we have fabulous businesses, they embrace the artists and we're collaboratively with them, so I just want everyone to realize that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, thank you. We're getting near the end of our time, but we do have a couple of more questions that we probably have time to get in. First of all, I'd like to ask, do you believe Medford should be a sanctuary city? And as part of that, perhaps you might tell us what the term sanctuary city means to you. And I will begin with Ms. Macheny-Berg.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. We put forth a resolution that the city council signed on to, the school committee signed on to, and our human rights commission signed on to, making us a welcoming city. We're very proud of that moment. It also goes into the discussions that are being held throughout the community. And the second piece of that was the Safe Community Act, which is a state the state legislature, I think over 50 state legislatures, Senate and House, have signed on to the Safe Communities Act that they're trying to push for the state. Because it's important for it to be an umbrella. People can't go from one community where they're safe to another community where they're in harm's way. So I think that that's a really important act and that's what would end up making sense. But if you read it, Sanctuary City really isn't defined anywhere. It's a philosophy. It's how you treat people that you come across. So when we've had issues, I met with the chief and his echelon of officers to speak to him about what happens now so that we could understand. If you pull someone over, what happens? If you arrest someone for shoplifting, what happens? So basically, if someone is arrested and brought to the station, they're fingerprinted. And when a fingerprint happens, it's sent up to the federal government. And if it's someone that has a warrant, is known, something comes back and they ask the city to either hold the person or then they would go to the courts. Because generally, a bill has already happened and these people have already moved through our system by the time the federal government gets back to you. So what I wanted to make sure with the chief was that if someone is volunteering information about a crime, then we're not asking them, are you a U.S. citizen? It really doesn't matter. We want them to be volunteering information to us. We can't put up that wall where suddenly they feel like they're going to be scooted away, an ice truck and a black limo is going to come and take them away. but that they're safe enough to report crimes. And to me, that's the balance is having safety of individuals and also information coming forward so that we can solve crimes and know when something's happening. So it's a tough issue. I know there's a lot of emotion surrounding it, but we need to understand how the city operates now in order to know that we're doing what we care to do and what's important to do.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop. I am actually in agreement with that portion of it. I am not, I've never been, I was brought up to not disobey the laws, whether they were civic or criminal. That's the way I've always been brought up. That's for the federal and the state to take care of. I believe that this city is a kind, caring, charitable city. It's always proven that. I think Chief Sacco laid it out the best possible way. It's already been defined that we will take care of the people that are in this city, but as far as the law, the law is the law. And my job as the mayor is I really want to focus on something else that's even twice as important, and that's the opioid crisis. That's really where I want to put my energy, that's where I want to put my time, that's where I want to put my focus.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ms. McCheney-Burke?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I'm fine, thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, we will move right along. How do you plan to provide safer transportation options such as traffic calming, bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings? To what extent will these issues be addressed by the Complete Streets Program, and what is the current status of Complete Streets? And the question goes first to Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: So the Complete Streets program, the portion that I agree with is the crossroads and getting people up and down on the sidewalks and the bike paths. I mean, it's a challenging time for us because there's a lot of things that we want to get accomplished in a very small amount of space. I mean, this area is an old area, just like Boston, just like everywhere else. So it's a big challenge to get these bike paths up and running, and I can appreciate the fact that they are getting done. But to be able to do that, I think some of the rules have to change, especially for bicyclists. I believe the bicyclist rules have to be kind of reevaluated and a little bit more structured so we can share the road properly and make sure that they're safe and the pedestrians are safe and the cars are safe in conjunction with each other. I believe that there may be some areas that even though we desperately want a bike path, it just may not be able to happen because the road is just too tight. And that's where the challenge becomes. It really makes me nervous to see the shared road more than it is to see the bike path because you just don't know what's going to happen while traffic is moving and you're sharing that space. So it's a real concern for me. I believe that we should really kind of take a look at it, take a look at the rules for the bikes, take a look at the rules for interacting with the bicycles in shared space, and really kind of put together a comprehensive package for that. Ms. Puccini-Burke.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. First off, I think I might have mentioned a little earlier, it was one of the first initiatives that we signed on to as a city was the community compact for complete streets. We think it's a best practice. Some communities had already started doing it, and we thought it was important for us to embrace this. When you hear people talk about complete streets, it has to be part of your DNA. It has to be how you live and breathe, creating your road structures. So I think it's really important. The question, piece of the question was how far along are we? We finished, Boston Ave has a complete bike lane. So hopefully, I've heard great things from the people that reside in this neighborhood at some of the improvements that we've done in the Hillside neighborhood. So from Boston Ave, from High Street all the way to the Somerville line, you either have a bike route dedicated to you or sharrows where it becomes too narrow. And I agree, when it becomes too narrow, it's a, It's a state level issue, bikes and cars sharing roads, but it's at the state level. And we're doing the sharrows there, so at least there is an eye alert that bikes have as much privilege to the roads as cars do. We've also are looking at Winthrop Circle. We're doing extensions of the curbing at Winthrop Circle so that we can make that crosswalk much safer. High Street in front of the Brooks School, we had a couple of incidents there, so we are implementing best practices there as well. And I think if anyone drives there right now, you'll see the work that's being, is underway as we speak. And following up, once that work is done, that whole road will be repaved because we held off on the paving contract, obviously, so that we could finish the complete streets first. But to me, one of the most vital areas is the Haines Square area. The Spring Street to Salem is just very dangerous. We have pictures at some of our presentations of people with their carriages trying to get to the plaza there. And they're basically walking through parking lots that cars are going back and forth in. So we think that's a critical piece and we're going to be using Chapter 90 funds in order to pay for that because it is that important. So just to capture some of it, we have Chapter 90 from the state. They give us a bucket of money, about a little under a million dollars each year. It comes out in April. From that, we determine the road projects that we're going to do. And I've been on, I'm on record as saying we're addressing the main thoroughfares in the community before we spend that money on side streets. We think it's really important to get our main roads up to snuff. They've been let go too long. So we are focusing our attention on the main roads, and then we will trickle into the neighborhoods. When water and sewer projects are happening, roads will be fixed. But roads will be fixed with a complete street perspective, which is very important. Thank you for giving me a little extra time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mr. McKillop, you may respond. You can certainly take a little extra time if you want to. Thank you. Thank you.
[McKillop]: So as far as the Complete Streets program goes, we've talked about that already. I believe that, let's go back to the rules and what we're doing is because we're implementing these bike paths and it's this shared bike path that really concerns me more than anything else because We're going forward with it, we're moving forward with it, but I don't believe that we've really reviewed the rules well enough to be able to make sure that no one's going to get hurt in that respect, even to the point where maybe we should be discussing space between car and bike. I mean, there's rules that we have to put into place so that we make sure everybody's safe, first and foremost. The Chapter 90 program, which gives you just under a million dollars, with the amount of roads that we have in Medford, we're never going to get caught up using this program. What it basically does is that you have to spend the $800,000 and then the state will give you back the $800,000, so all it is is a turning wheel. And with the amount of roads, I mean, if you do the math, we'll just never be able to take care of what's going on in the city. We need to take a preventative maintenance action plan and put it into the budget so not only are we using the Chapter 90, but we're using additional money to keep moving forward and take care of the infrastructure of this city. Ms.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pacini-Burke, your response.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: When you can have a bike path off the roads, that's the best thing you can do. So that's the clipper ship connector that we've been working on so that bikes don't have to travel along with cars. We obviously all agree, I think everyone agrees, that that's the best thing you can do. But of course, you can't do that everywhere. So when you do share a road, you share the road. And the bikes have as much privilege to the road as the car does. So we think it's very important that if they're going to be sharing, that we try to make it as safe as possible for them. All of the roads, like Boston Ave, for example, all meet federal guidelines for transportation. We don't just willy-nilly go out there and say, we're going to make this lane 10 feet and that lane 11. It's all structured by what the minimum lane width is by federal standards. So we meet them. Second, I just wanted to mention in regards to the high street area for the Brooks School, they started a walk to school program several years ago and they were parents mainly started this. And they were lucky enough, we have secured a million dollar grant from the State Department of Transportation. And what it's going to do, it's going to take you from Alston Street down to Woburn Street. So now, we're going to have complete streets from all the way from Woburn to the train tracks in West Medford. And what that did, now that has prompted all of our other elementary schools to get on board with this Safe Routes to School Program. So now the Roberts, they have Walking Wednesdays. So they're trying to build up their inventory of events that they do so then we can apply for the grants and we can do that for the Roberts School and continue it along to the Columbus. So that's what our goal is. And I'm just really proud to announce that it was really parent-driven, this million-dollar grant that we've received. And the Department of Transportation is leading it up. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Complex issues don't always fit neatly into our time categories. Would you like to take another 30 seconds to respond to that Mr. McKellar.
[McKillop]: No, I mean, well, I'll take the 30 seconds to just go back to the fact that I'm not saying I'm against bike paths. What I'm saying is that if we're going to have shared space and we're going to try to squeeze these bike paths in old, old roads, we need to have a comprehensive look at the rules for both bikes and for cars and for pedestrians so we can make sure that everyone is safe in these spaces. That's it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Perfect. We are 25% of the way through the debate. No. I have come to our final question, and that will be followed by closing statements. So my final question, which will go first to Ms. McCheney-Burke, is this. At a time when incivility is on the rise nationally, what steps will you take so that residents of Medford feel connected and part of an inclusive community?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Well, I think if anyone even watches this campaign cycle, we haven't, we've been above board the entire way. Everyone that has worked on this campaign has acted that way. So I'm really proud that we're both here today and that we have run a really clean, respectful campaign, so thank you for that, and thank you to everyone who has participated thus far, because that's really important. I hear all too often people that are so frustrated with the federal level, so frustrated with what's going on, but they know at home we can make change. We can participate. We can come to you. Do you know how many community events we have and people just show up because they want to feel part of something positive? So we're really, really thrilled with all of the outreach that we've done and the people that have committed to assisting us. We've had so many committees and so many efforts because people know that we're listening. And again, the vow is if you participate, I'm not dictating. At the end of it all, we will implement what you are suggesting, and we saw that clearly with the Medford Square program. So I think from a civility standpoint, people need to know that your elected officials here at home respect you, and hopefully you will respect us. Everyone knows there's the midnight warriors that are behind keyboards. They say nasty, nasty things, not only about candidates, but about their families. It's disgusting, and it's vile. So I hope that people out there, when they go home tonight, that they're respectful behind their computer and just know that we're respectful back to you. So I think that's really, really important. And if I could drill that in, I would say that every single day to people. Just think before you type because it's there, it's there forever, and you can't take it back. And it just really brings down democracy.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop. So for inclusivity, I've never been more excited than when I opened my own business with my brother-in-law and my father-in-law, who's since passed away. And we've had some exciting times there for the past 15 years. But being part of that city and including myself in every aspect of what goes on and the different entities and the different groups, the most exciting part of it was that we worked together tirelessly to grow that city. And to the point where we even, even my sales team and myself, we created another group for weddings and it was a bridal group for all of the different wedding venues in Salem, a perfect example of what collaboration is. We didn't really compete with each other. It was healthy competition, but we got together and we made something really exciting because it was about bringing more business into one city as opposed to one business trying to do everything they can to maximize their business. That's an example of bringing people together and building a coalition to move things forward. And I believe that we have different entities in this city to do that. And I believe that I would love to be able to have the opportunity to put these groups together and do even more exciting things. That's number one. I do agree with Mayor Burke that it is time to turn the corner in politics and move forward because it is about, it's not about us, it really isn't about us, it's about everyone. It's about you especially and what you want with this city and for this city. And these ideas that you have, you have to bring them forward. Volunteerism needs to come back. We need to all get engaged in our own city to move this city forward. And I think it's time that we need to act on that more than anything else. Because I think the time of sitting back and complaining about all the things that are going on is over. It's time for everybody to get engaged. to move Medford forward so we can actually not only be the best city for us, but the best city in Massachusetts bar none. And that's the way I feel. Ms.
[SPEAKER_01]: Muccini-Burke, your response.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Again, we have so many fabulous people in the city of Medford that stand tall, at a phone call, we need your help to get this off the ground or to get that off the ground or to come down to the happy birthday party and cut how many slices of cake. We need people that are always, that step up and we are so very blessed to have those people in the city of Medford. I go to work every single day and I love my job. because it's really not a job. I get to meet fabulous people every single day that give their hearts and souls to make this city great. And I respect you all so very much, and I appreciate the hard work that you do, oftentimes without a pat on the back, except, you know, hopefully I'm saying thank you, because I tend to. But a lot of people just do it to do it, because they want to feel involved. They want to feel connected. And we are very, very blessed to have those people in our community. So I'm proud to be a lifelong Medford resident. I'm proud that I opened my business up in Medford Square when I had my CPA firm for 10 years in Medford Square. I'm proud of choosing to stay in Medford like you may have chosen to reside in Medford. I am very proud of that, and I love this city dearly. And there's not a thing that I could do that would ever put harm to this community. I so love it. And it's part of us. It's part of me. It's part of my family. And we do everything for this city.
[McKillop]: Mr. McKillop. So Lisa and I raised four kids in this city. And we have been here married for 26 years. Lisa graduated in 1982 from this city. We haven't left this city. I fell in love with it, even though I'm originally from Everett. And they always say six degrees of separation from Everett. Everybody is connected to Everett from one point or another. But although as much as I loved Everett for all the time that I was there, I truly, truly love this city as well. So I'm just looking at this as my ideas when I first started were just that, ideas. And the more I walked around from neighborhood to neighborhood and the frustration that I was feeling and the frustration that I was hearing, I felt more invigorated to keep going and to keep pushing forward to the point now where I'm actually incredibly excited about the opportunity to help move some of the great ideas that we have forward in this city. And I believe we can do that, but we need to do it together. We need to do it collectively, and we need to hear every single idea that's out there to move it forward. And some of the things that we need to do is we need to make sure that we include everyone, like the Community Preservation Act. When we do something and we make a decision, it should be a decision based off of the entire city, not a select group, because that's big money that everyone should be involved in when we make those decisions.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for that. Are we looking for another round? Why don't we take one minute each to conclude that discussion and then we'll move into closing statements. Ms. Macini-Burr.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. I just wanted to commend the members of the CPA, CPC, Community Preservation Committee, for all of their hard work and outreach. That's a perfect example of how you do it right. They've had so many public forums, they've had so many public meetings, and they really are inclusive of everyone from sending information, not just, normally we use the database of property owners. Clearly, we don't want just property owners being at the table. So we actually reached out to get tenants so that we could figure out a way to have their voices heard. From an inclusion perspective, I think my office and City Hall in particular, we have made such advancement in including people and also in diversity. So we're really proud of the positions we've taken and the appointments that we've made. to really look outside of traditional and try to do things in the best interest of this community. Thank you.
[McKillop]: When you're looking at the Community Preservation Act, my biggest concern is that 70% of that is considered free money. Right now, we've collected just over $1,231,000. Out of that, we'll probably receive in November 15% of that from the state, and that's their match, which isn't a heck of a lot. It's $184,000 if you do the calculation. So that's not a lot of money, but that's a lot of money in general. 70% of that is what they are considering free money. It's for us to do with what we want within the parameters of the Community Preservation Act. And I believe, like I'm hoping you believe, we should all be part of that decision and everyone should be communicating that, not just a select few with a select few surveys. I think it needs to be more broad than that. And I think that's incredibly important for the community.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you. At this time, we are going to move into closing statements. Each of you will have three minutes. And we will begin with Mr. McKillop.
[McKillop]: So here we are.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're having a technical problem. We'll do a two and a one. So this debate involves math.
[McKillop]: Let me calculate that, that would be three. Okay, John, you're all set. Okay. So basically, like I had said earlier, when I joined this race, I joined this race because I really wanted to help and I thought my ideas would resonate with a lot of people. I had no idea that my ideas would resonate this much. And I'm, like I said before, much more invigorated, much more excited about the opportunity to come to this city in the respect of being your leader and taking new ideas, ideas that I've learned all the way as far down as Miami, Florida, to all the way as far up as Bangor, Maine, to as far west as Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio, and everywhere in between. There are some really great ideas out there, folks, and sometimes you can't just bottle everything up in one space. You've got to be able to broaden your horizons and expand that. There are so many things that we can do better like the school system and taking it to a totally different level and actually putting into place actual projects that we can actually move this city forward in the respect of being in the top 50. And I don't think we should limit ourselves to just patting ourselves on the back to where we are right now. We need to go forward with that. If we're going to be one of those new gateway cities where everybody's moving into this city, we need to have a school system that reflects that. And we need to go above and beyond to try and find ways to make that happen. I want to be part of that. I want to be part of the overall growth of this city. I'm excited about some opportunities that we have. I think we've got a good start. I think we could do much, much better than where we are right now. I think we can fix the tax situation and minimize the tax increases from year to year to year to year to year to year to year that we've all been experiencing. and I believe that that's just by taking the budget, breaking it completely down, and restructuring it and bringing it back to life so we can actually have a more palatable budget situation where we can move that money forward and around where we need it to go. We need to help the police department and the fire department. There's so many different areas. We need to start thinking about the school system. I mean, we need to think about the high school right now. I mean, perfect example in the high school. It's just another example. There's a top up in the roof. I think everybody's seen it when you go to the gym. There's a yellow tarp in the roof. Follow the yellow tarp. There's a tube that goes down the wall, goes into a bucket. That's been there for over 10 years, at least, that I can think of because I'm trying to remember when I saw it with my kids. These are the things that we need to have a proactive preventative maintenance plan in every single part of each and every department of this city. and we don't have enough of that. I will not pass a budget without it, so we need to fight it out and we need to come together and make that happen for the future of this city so we can focus on our future. So I need your vote November 7th, which is really right around the corner. It's only a couple of days. Think of Dave McKillop, think of November 7th, and think of the focus of the future that we have for the city of Medford. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ms. McCheney-Burke, you also.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce and Tufts University for hosting this evening and all those in attendance or watching from home. This is certainly an exciting time in our city. From the positive write-ups in Boston.com to number four zip code in the U.S., Medford is a great place to live. The level of civic engagement is amazing. I thank each and every one of you that has volunteered on committees, attended the hundreds of public forums we have held, come to Council on Aging for our monthly updates, I hope that the parents in the audience have heard of the many visits I have made to the classroom and events in our public schools. I have met so many residents who have shared their life stories with me, from the Vietnamese man who was so proud to provide a safe life for his family and to be a U.S. citizen, to the Haitian mom who came here for a better life. Simply astounding individuals, and I am humbled that you trust your stories to me, and I appreciate your support. You will elect a CEO who will lead the city forward. To do so, we need to continue to focus on being a welcoming community for all. affecting revitalization of our squares, implementing the five-year capital plan, continue the complete streets program, review zoning ordinance throughout our city, including Mystic Avenue, invest in our public schools, and get the positive word out that we are a great place to live, work, and play in. These will continue to be at the forefront of my administration. Our next mayor has the opportunity to lead Medford into a brighter future, not only for us, but for our children and grandchildren. To do it, one will need to be inclusive, respectful, and equipped for the job. One must listen, be organized, and ready to lead. I am the candidate that has the attributes to move all of Medford forward. I have and will hit the ground running. If you want someone who provides solutions and builds Medford up, you have a clear choice. If you want an honest CEO who is champion for this city, you have a clear choice. If you want someone that has the experience necessary to run a city, you have a clear choice. Together, we will write another chapter. make change happen, and be partners in progress. So I ask you, are you ready to continue to bring about change to our city? With a person that has a proven track record, I am prepared, I am ready, and I ask you for one of your votes on Tuesday, November 7th. Please reelect myself, Stephanie Mugini-Burke, for mayor. Thank you and God bless.
[SPEAKER_01]: That concludes our debate. Let me first say, let's have a big round of applause for both of our candidates. Thank you again to all of you for coming, and thank you again to Tufts University and the Chamber of Commerce. And as everyone else has already said, please remember to vote next Tuesday, November 7th. Good night.
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