total time: 21.14 minutes
total words: 1700
[John Petrella]: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Medford Happenings. This is a show far and about the city of Medford. I am John Petrella, and the purpose of this program is to give Medford citizens facts and information to help you make informed choices. Today, we have a special guest. I want to welcome Page Buldini to the show. Paige is a candidate for our Method City Council. So welcome to the show, Paige. It's good to have you. Thank you for having me, John. It's our pleasure. All right, so we're going to start off. We'll get right into some questions, Paige. Let's start out by giving the audience, what's your background, some background, who's Page Buldini?
[Page Buldini]: Yes, so I'm Page Buldini. I'm originally from Holliston, a suburb outside of Framingham, and I've been in Medford for over 15 years. My husband's from Medford. Oh, nice. Yep, where we live on Winter Street is where he grew up. Own a skincare salon on the hillside. So I've been there for almost seven years And I am a mom to a rising second grader. She is going to be She's so excited for school. She is at mistook formerly the Columbus School. Okay, and I'm also a board member of the Chamber of Commerce Wow Impressive. Thank you.
[John Petrella]: Good stuff. So all that Plus you're running for city council. I sure am. Awesome, awesome. So can you give us like reasons or what it is that's, you know, why did you decide to run for council? What are the major reasons you want the job, Paige?
[Page Buldini]: It's so funny. Had you asked me this a few years ago, I probably wouldn't have said yes. But I think when I opened my skincare salon there, I've realized there's never really a good time to take a big jump into something. And I've been very lucky to have been involved with a lot of really great initiatives and collaborations through the chamber and as a small business owner. So I've already been in the room for some of these great decisions. And I just decided, well, I really want to help get that together. And I think my experience as a small business owner and now as a public school parent, it allows me to already have been doing some of those great things. So it was just the perfect time to give it a try.
[John Petrella]: Yeah. So you really know what's going on being a small business owner. I think that's important. And we appreciate small business owners in Method. You know that. So that's a good thing. All right. So you gave us some good reasons why you're going to be running for a seat on the council. Do you have, I mean, whatever problems are going on, I mean, do you have any solutions for what's going on? What's, you know, what's causing you to run? Do you have, can you think of solutions?
[Page Buldini]: Yes. Well, one, a few of them, of course. I'm very passionate and excited to hear that the charter has made it and will be on our ballot in November. So that's very exciting. And I think specifically as a member of the board for the chamber and a business owner, ward representation, specifically in our business districts, is essential. And I feel like the more opportunity that we can get people together and that we can get the opportunity for there to be a representative if people have a problem, they can go and talk to them. And then that's a liaison, another step into City Hall. It's great. And I feel like to kind of parlay that too, it would be really wonderful if we could create roundtables. So essentially within our wards, we have the opportunity. And I found this with everything with zoning, which I'm sure we'll chat about more too. We'll get into it. There was a lot of information out there, but there was no way to fully gather it. And when I have my clients in the room, I get to actively listen. Right. And they come from all different neighborhoods, even outside of Medford, and everybody was confused. So I think if we could have a good ward representative in your community, then every month or so, they can meet with our city service providers, City Hall, and the neighbors to chat. I also think zoning, that's a big one. We'll keep talking about it. Oh, yeah. I think as a city, we do need zoning reform. I definitely that is not a question for many people. And as you know, I've been speaking about it and how to include a lot of studies and a lot of individuals that have real life experience like Medford fire police, DW and our teachers. and get their input. So I feel like doing a slow phased approach focusing on Medford Square and Mystic Ave and then if we can support as a city, then we can look into our residents. So I've been actively speaking out since May. And I also think a really great program we have that we need to utilize more is our vacant storefronts. As a small business owner, I think it's really wonderful to find ways to make these squares vibrant, right? If we want to continue to build Medford, we need to support the small businesses that are there, but we need to incentivize the business owners and landlords to actually want to come. But yeah, and then pretty much my biggest thing is I want to create a space where Medford Fire, Police, DPW, and our teachers have a liaison to City Hall. I feel like that is something that we're lacking, and I feel like I could be a a great communicator as I have been within the chamber and my business.
[John Petrella]: That's, I like that. That's, yeah, that's a good one, having the liaison. That is, that's important too. Right now it's like non-existent, so, but we'll get into that another time. Yes, we will. All right, so I know you're saying you're running as an independent. Why? What's the reason that you decided to just run? You're on your own. You're running as an independent.
[Page Buldini]: I am on my own, but I feel very lucky that I have a lot of support from my family, my friends, my clients, small business owners. And because I've been actively listening to the questions and the concerns from different sides of Medford, I feel like I couldn't do a good job representing the whole city if I decided to just join a group. And I want to keep that open-minded space that I might not agree, or an individual might not agree with me, but I will always be available to listen. And I have learned from getting feedback, which in the moment might not feel great. I can learn something, no matter what. I'm always learning lessons. So I feel like having a difference in perspectives is huge for problem solving. Because if we're all thinking alike, there's no way that we can get creative, and there's always something that you can learn. So running independently is super important. Yes, it's a little trickier. Um, but there, as I've learned, there's a lot of people in Medford that feel the same. They're like, kind of like some things on one side or some things in the other, but they really care about Medford. And I'm looking for that person. I feel like I can do a good job representing them. And again, I'm here to listen to.
[John Petrella]: That's all good reasons. Really that great stuff. Um, very good. Very good. Um, and we need. You know, I usually don't give my opinion, but we need independent people getting involved in this city. So I'm glad you, and you know, we've had many other people on the show recently, all running as independents, whatever, but it's important. We need some other voices. And that's great. You're getting perspective from clients, from, yeah, I like that. So you're gonna work for all the people.
[Page Buldini]: I'm gonna try.
[John Petrella]: Yes, you will. You're gonna do a good job. Thank you. You're gonna do a good job. All right, so you had mentioned it earlier. I want to get right back on the zoning. Yes, that is like, you know, numero issue right now in the city. You brought up a little bit. Can you like elaborate a little bit more on what your position would be or what you really feel about it? I know you talked a little about it, but yeah, I think it's important.
[Page Buldini]: Well, I have to say, as a member of the chamber, I was privy to learning about it, but I feel like I had no idea what was going on. And once I saw, mostly on social media, from other residents, specifically in the Glenwood neighborhood, And on Salem Street, I was like, oh, wow, this is a really big deal. And then just as a, again, business owner in a business district, I just kept thinking about, OK, well, if this is an impact, no matter what, I want to really learn about how we decided to come about that. So I just started asking questions. And I feel really lucky that there are so many residents in the community who have done so much research and they're open to answering my questions. Because I was writing emails and I was speaking at the community development meetings and some of the city council meetings and those are kind of the forums to really get those in those answers. Residents did that and that's really incredible. What I did learn is a lot of the questions that I did ask and they were quite specific about how we thought about zoning, the studies or the impacts studies that were done to inform our decisions, and the real life examples weren't really happening. So I was happy to see that there's been conversations around that. Since May 30th was the first email I sent out to the city councilors, planning and development, community development board, and the mayor, I've been actively asking, what does Medford Fire, police, DPW, and our teachers think? and their union members, because they are, like myself, I have that real-life experience when I'm in a room with my clients. It's so important to have data and it's so important to have similar neighborhoods or to see cities that have done zoning like this, but sometimes you need that real-life, like, could a fire truck fit down this street? You know, there's questions about parking, like what does our traffic enforcement think, you know, and I feel like the more times you can bring those individuals that have real life experience into the conversation, it's game changing, and it's collaborative. So those are my main points. The reason why I did say publicly, slow down first, and then I said separate, was because I couldn't get those answers. And then I was super honored. And it wasn't in a means to create problems or trouble, but the fire chief did respond. And I was so honored. That he responds. Yeah. And I thought that was brave. And I thought that was incredible to hear, again, that real life. experienced.
[John Petrella]: That's what you need.
[Page Buldini]: Yes. So that has created a lot. I'm really still kind of unsure about where the process stands. I was able to put in the last moment for public comment was the 23rd. Right. And I did post I will share this in this will be on my website and social media. I did share a question specifically in my area which my so we live in the hillside. Right. My business is in the hillside. But the way that it's zoned is where we are, there's going to be the proposed tough zone. Where my business is, it's the Boston Ave corridor. And the zoning around that, and this is very similar to a lot of our other business districts, is called UR1, which goes up high. And that would be wonderful and great in some areas, but where we are, it's a lot of single family or multifamilies, but there's those residents. And it was my question was, well, if we're doing the tough zone, which is the goal is to bring back more students for Tufts. Right. Why are we then outside of the tough zone making the availability?
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
[Page Buldini]: So those are the questions that I feel like are really important to ask and if if there is true studies if there is community Response, which we've heard right foreign to and for for and against that would be great But we need to hear it. We need to see it and we need the consultants. It's also here, right?
[John Petrella]: Yeah, and I want to thank you for all that. That was good I you know Everyone keeps saying that, you know, the city doesn't want zoning. That's not it at all. I think everyone in this city is okay with it. And you hit it on the head. It's how we go about it. Yes. I mean, that was a perfect example. Boston and Aft Tufts. I mean, and that's great. That was great.
[Page Buldini]: Funny thing, just a quick add, and then we can talk, because I know we have some other great questions. So we live down the hill. So our neighborhood would be zoned, I think it's NR3. So it wouldn't really change much. And my neighborhood is already being developed. So we're already living through that impact. So I have that real life experience. And a bunch of my neighbors and myself have spoken about developers that are doing that. So I do understand that side. Where I am on Boston Ave, it's nine units right in a row. It would be ideal for mixed use. And I've put my business, which is the way that I pay my bills and support my family, out there because I'm not opposed to it. And I do believe that there should be affordable housing above me. It makes sense. It's right near the Green Line. It's right on Boston Ave. I just want to know how will we then support the businesses if there's business disruption, if there is changes to parking. And I think those are the questions that we need to really just know. And it could just be this is how it's going to be. But at least if we can put it out there, we can advocate for those.
[John Petrella]: Get some answers. Here's my next question. Another good one, I think, because personally, I feel this way. I mean, in Medford lately, there's no secret economic growth. You know, it's best described as stagnant. That's it. Do you have an approach or what would be your way of getting economic growth started again? And just like, you know, I think we need to grow the tax base. So any ideas on that? Any things you'd like to see put in place?
[Page Buldini]: Yes. So I have, I think, three pretty solid ideas. One would be zoning specifically, making sure that we can bring commercial development in if it's Mystic Ave corridor, Medford Square. Great. Let's do that. Let's work with individuals that will help bring in some money. I think also a really great thing is Medford, as you know, because you're from Medford, there is so much history. And I feel like we need to tap into tourism. And I feel like if we can build a city that people want to come and visit, they will spend money, they will stay, they will then visit those businesses. That's revenue right there. And we really need to tap in. And especially what I got to see with the 250th celebration of the revolution and what Lexington did, that was incredible. And to see celebrities coming in, I feel like that's an untapped market. We have the Chevalier, the amount of really wonderful and inspiring people who come in, It's great and it's an extension of the city. So I think that is super important. So really diving into tourism. Another thing that I learned when I was learning about zoning and affordable housing, what other cities do is they will bus in the city of whatever, say city of Medford, would bus in developers. And they would plan a day with maps and show them the available lots and say, this is what we want here. This is what we see that could be built here. Right. This is what our streets, sewers, schools would need to accommodate that. Right. So we then incentivize these people and we let them know what's because if you don't know, you don't know. Right. And I'm not a developer, but I would assume as a business owner, the easiest way to funnel something in is to show people that way. So I feel like creating a really strong, it would almost be like a developer engagement program. And then using our contacts, the Chamber of Commerce, who I love and super support. Chamber does a good job. We sure do. And I feel like that needs to be, that relationship needs to be much stronger. I myself, I'm a small business owner. I love to volunteer on the chamber. I love to help people. I have friends that start businesses and they call me. That is such a great asset. And a lot of us have learned, like, I've had pipes burst. I've had fires. And those are the things, if you don't know, you don't know. But continuing to support that and other organizations that are in the city, I think, will help make City Hall run smoother as well. And then we can bring in some dough. Sounds good.
[John Petrella]: Bring in the dough. That's what I like to hear. Give the homeowners a break. Okay, so you're a small business owner. You're a member of the Chamber of Commerce. That's great. I mean, being a small business owner and a member of the Chamber of Commerce says you really care about the community. I mean, that's great. So, you know, to me, I think small business, everywhere I go, is so important to community. Really, I mean, and I know Method, you know, if given the opportunity and we get them in here, they'll get supported. So, I mean, where do you see small business in the future of Method? Do you see small business in the future?
[Page Buldini]: So I feel like, yes, if we can be very mindful how we zone. Yes, we don't want to push anybody out. That is never the goal. We want to bring in, but we never want to push out. And I, myself, and many other small businesses, we don't just have our small business. We cater to our clients. I have 70% of my clients come from outside Medford, and then they go to Goldilocks, they go to Tasty, they go to the Chevalier. or they moved to Medford because they've now come from JP or Rhode Island or New Hampshire. So that is, small businesses are key. Also, I think another really wonderful thing about many small business owners is a lot of us have children in the school systems. So we are fully invested to building that up so that we can create those community connections. There's this really great group right now. It's the four elementary schools. It's called the Citywide PTO. So all of the elementary schools have parent volunteers, and we've been doing collaborative events. to connect the four schools, but then to also raise money. And I love that I can use my small business friends and chamber friends, business owners, the banks, you know, all of these institutions, and then we can help fund them. They all help. Yes. And it's just it's everybody wants to help. So small business has to be at the heart of this. And it has to be something in the forefront when we plan.
[John Petrella]: And I like that you're getting everyone involved. The way you're doing it sounds great. Really? No, it is. It's a I like that. They go to your place. They go to Goldilocks. They might get a sandwich. They might visit. Yeah, they go to a show the show.
[Page Buldini]: Yeah. Yeah, they go to the Ford like right. It's great. And I feel like the more that we can do that, the better that it will be.
[John Petrella]: Should we throw a plug in for my friend Barry? We sure should. Yeah, yeah. He's I heard he's on the chain, but he's on the board. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. Mrs. Murphy's.
[John Petrella]: Yeah.
[Page Buldini]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Great guy.
[Page Buldini]: Good supporter of all. He is.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is.
[Page Buldini]: All Medford restaurants, schools, people.
[John Petrella]: No. Good old Barry Rafferty, yeah, he's a good guy. All right, so now let's ask, I gotta ask a few, I call this a personal question, it isn't really, but You know, what are your least most favorite things to do in Method? Which order should I go first? Least or favorite? Let's do the least first. Get it out of the way. Least favorite thing to do.
[Page Buldini]: So that was a hard one for me because I never try to go negative. But what I could say is what I would like to strengthen. Yes. Especially because I'm on the hillside and this is always a, you know, a neighborhood thing is our relationship as a city with Tufts University.
[John Petrella]: Yes.
[Page Buldini]: I feel like that is an untapped market. The one thing I can say is because of where I am on the hillside with the chamber, but also just I went to a manual college and I have a great connection with now Tufts Athletics. Any time for some of these PTO events that I've needed help and I've called Tufts, whether it's community relations or the Tufts student athletes, some were my clients, they always volunteer. So one of those PTO events that I was just a very small part of, organizing. It was at the Great American Beer Hall. The Citywide PTO did an excellent job. It was insane. And I just asked my friends at Tufts, the student liaisons for the athletes, and we got like 30 student athletes that came and participated and volunteered. So when you ask, they will help. But things that I learned when I've been researching and sitting in some of the community meetings is they're a big part of the footprint up on the hillside. And as we know, it's a university, so we understand about taxes. But what I didn't know about was the pilot programs. Do you know about that? I, I, a little bit. Yes.
[John Petrella]: Not enough. I don't think anyone really knows about
[Page Buldini]: No, so it's been interesting. So essentially, it's if you are like a nonprofit or university, you're not paying taxes. But Medford has in the past received payments from Tufts, and it's to support infrastructure, it's support the schools. But I think if we were negotiating there, I would have to fact check this. But I don't think there is a permanent pilot program. So I think that would be a great idea. Let's say Tufts, you're here, you're part of, you know, you help our small businesses, but you also help, you know, with housing. So why don't we see what we can do there? So that would be a pilot program. I also think we're in the Vogue. This is such a great space, internship opportunities, like Tufts, that is a great opportunity for all of the Vogue, but any student really. And like I said, if we can ask, I think it's just we need to make sure we create that strong, that Tufts is in Medford, but we are not Tufts, we are Medford, and they're a neighbor, but they also need to be a willing participant. And I have seen them come to the table, but I feel like that would be a really great opportunity to strengthen, and that would help also infuse some of our money.
[John Petrella]: I'm going to tell you something. I've been here all my life. I don't want to get too much into it, but when I was young, We used Tufts College. They allowed us to use the college. We had Spicer Field in South Method. They did a ton of things for this city. We used to have a lot of parades. Everything we did, Tufts used to get involved with Method. And you're right, it's not there anymore. That would be nice to have. So we used to use, back in my day, it was Cousins Gym. we used to use it for baseball tryouts and They used to let us go in there and you know, they give it to us for an hour or two Whatever it was we could practice baseball It was so nice, but it's like I don't know. It seems like things are shut off now like so I feel like if we could infuse that would be great and that's I think that's the part is it can't hurt to ask
[Page Buldini]: The worst thing happens is a no, but at least it's a try. So those are the things. And then hopefully we can bring in some more connections. All right. So you gave me an almost least favorite thing, but I love that.
[John Petrella]: That's great.
[Page Buldini]: So most favorite. Yes. What's your most favorite? So there's so many things. I mean, I could do all of the great small businesses and how we could really become a Mecca of the food world with everything going. But I think the easiest and most important thing about Medford is the convenience factor of you can get in and out. We have now the Green Line. We have the commuter rail. I'm right near Route 16. I'm 93. But as somebody who's from Holliston, which is pretty rural, there's farms, there's field, there are places in Medford that you go and you forget that you're so close to the city. Um, and we live right near Memorial. So we have the mystic river, the boat club up at the mystic lakes, right? The pond, the sheep's fold. So you can go and all of a sudden there's deer because you're in Oak Grove, right? I heard a deer or there's a great blue heron that flew by. So even though we are so conveniently close to the city, north, south, east, west, you have those like glimmers. And then when I join the chamber, I help out with communications. Not being from Medford, I just went to the library and did it, which I'll plug the library all day. Me too. I love the library. It's a good library.
[Unidentified]: It's such a good library.
[Page Buldini]: Yeah, it is and we um, I did a deep dive because if I wanted to help share information about medford There's so much history and I feel like when it comes back to who I am and what i'm doing for You know medford city my city council run, right? It's really learning from history talking to the people who've lived here Thinking about how we can continue to grow and finding ways because medford has been around as one of I mean It's like the sixth or seventh city like it's been established for a very long time. There's a lot of great history, but there's these gems that I feel like we're very lucky to have. There is.
[John Petrella]: No, there's a lot of gems. There's a lot of good things. There is. Yeah, there is. We've got to take more advantage of them, I think. Yeah, I think that's a good answer.
[Page Buldini]: And if we continue to share it, then I can help with tourism.
[John Petrella]: Yes. No, you're right. Absolutely right. All right, so now we're going to do the last and the most important question. Yes. OK? If someone wants to get in touch or get to know you or any, how would they get in touch with you? How do they communicate with you if they want to find Page Buldini? How do they do it?
[Page Buldini]: So the best way is my email, which is pageboldini at gmail.com. I have my website, which is electpageboldini.com. I also have Instagram, which is pageboldini. I have Facebook, which is pageboldini medford city council. I have been getting coffee with everyone possible. When I decided to pursue the idea of running for city council, I asked every elected official from city council, mayor, state rep, and school committee, and I almost was successful in getting and having coffee or meeting with everyone. Some of it was just schedules. And it was so helpful because I figured if I can get myself to city hall, I always want to start off with the right foot forward in a positive way. And I learned a lot and everybody was very helpful. I will get coffee. I will have coffee with anybody. I had two coffees today. One was decaf. I'm open to listen. I'm here. I'm here to learn. I only know what I know, but I am very open to hearing others because they know better than me for some things.
[John Petrella]: Now I know it's that's how you get. You gain knowledge, experience, you're hearing from, and it's all different people you're talking to, and that's the thing, you get in the whole mix. And Method, like I say, I think today, I don't know, I just think it's more divided than it's ever been. We were always like one big community. Yeah, I don't like it the way it gets like that.
[Page Buldini]: There's some great events right now, too. I know I'll be at National Night Out with the Chamber, so I'll be good, and I'm sponsoring the dunk tank.
[John Petrella]: Oh, there you go.
[Page Buldini]: So I'll be there. That's next week. For the Chamber, we have great events, too. We have Run Medford.
[Unidentified]: Right.
[Page Buldini]: That's big. I'm so excited because as a Missittuck parent, and the Missittuck PTO is so great, I'm just like a supporter on the outside. They're incredible. It was brought to my attention that they were looking to do for the Citywide PTO, the four elementary schools, a road race to raise funds, kind of like the Jingle Bell once was. And around the same time, Dave McGillivray, who is awesome, and we love, and Denise, and the whole crew, DSME, he is a Chamber member, and he was talking about Run Medford, which the Chamber is a proud sponsor as well, and I just had the idea, like, what if we connect? And so I pitched it to the Chamber and Dave, and they were like, please. So then I pitched it to the citywide PTO. And I'm so proud and honored. It's going to be a great race. It's September 26 and seven. The kids run is Friday. Yeah, we're gonna have like a rager Saturday is going to be epic. And then Dave offered to cut an equal check to all eight. So not just our nice eight of the schools like Curtis Tufts, the high school, so he really truly is supporting so run Medford and then Oktoberfest with the chamber. It's going to be a really big one. This is our hundredth year
[John Petrella]: Yes, very, very nice. So those are all events that I will be nice to see the chambers really doing a lot. It is. I mean, we have these organizations and I don't think people. really know what, you know, you guys do a lot, all the organizations.
[Page Buldini]: Kiwanis, Rotary.
[John Petrella]: It's really great. The Rotary Club, they got in touch with us. We're having them on at the end of the month. We're going to do a show with them. We got, yeah, we have a lot of shows coming up.
[Page Buldini]: And a lot of good shows. A lot of them have hit huge milestones too.
[John Petrella]: Yeah, they really do. So we're happy to have them, let me tell you. So Unfortunately, according to this, it's that time again. I want to thank you, Paige. Really, no, it's been a great show. I learned a lot today, too. I think the show is gonna be a very successful show. Can't thank you enough for coming on. So thank you for joining us. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for allowing, thank you for coming on.
[Page Buldini]: Well, thank you for having me, and thank you for doing this. This is important. There's only a few ways that people are learning about information, so thank you for being one of them. Very welcome, very welcome, thank you.
[John Petrella]: All right, so that's it for the show. I also want to mention that I want to thank Paige for running for city council, because that's a lot of work in itself. So I also want to take a minute, and I want to thank everyone who has been watching the show. We're getting more and more of an audience. And I want to thank you for your feedback. And usually I say whether it's positive or negative. But I'm going to be honest. It's all been very positive. So that makes us feel good. Haven't received anything negative. for a little bit. So that's great. And the other thing is, if you want to share a comment, if you're a candidate for City Council, if you're opening a new business, you have an existing business, you represent an organization with an upcoming event, would like to appear on a future show, you can contact us at johnpatrella55 at gmail.com. And you will be able to see replays of this show on Medford Community Media. That's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, usually at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. You can also see us on YouTube at Medford Happenings. You can also see us on Facebook. and I'm gonna ask you to check out, I mean, a really great website. We are getting so many compliments on the website. It's really all about Method, a lot of information on the candidates, what's going on in Method. So that's methodhappenings.com. Method happenings calm. It really is a great website. They've done a great job on it. So for the method happenings team Margaret Bruce Marco Paul and James I am John Petrella and remember Please stay informed Thank you, everyone
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