AI-generated transcript of 2025 Candidates Forum - Medford Public Library

[Unidentified]: Hi, fellas. th th th th

[Paul Donato Jr]: Where's your husband?

[Bruce Kulik]: We'll be starting in just about five minutes.

[Richard Caraviello]: I wasn't sure of the crowd. I wasn't sure if we were going to get a big crowd.

[Bruce Kulik]: I wasn't sure either. I'm also worried about the business community.

[Richard Caraviello]: You have to know about business. I thought it was your friend.

[Bruce Kulik]: Including me for that matter And it also means no scrolling. All right, everybody, if you have a chair, please take a seat. There's still a couple here and a couple over here. Otherwise, I believe we're ready to get started. Welcome to tonight's candidate forum put on by the Medford Democratic City Committee. Our intention was to invite all the candidates to share with the citizens of Medford who they are and why they are running for office. I'm happy to announce that all the candidates expressed interest in attending. Also, before we move on, I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Bruce Kulik. I'm co-chair of the Medford Democratic City Committee, along with Phyllis Morrison, who will also be our timekeeper tonight. Unfortunately, George Scarpelli and Justin Tseng are unable to attend in person due to previous commitments. Mr. Scarpelli sends his regrets, and Mr. Tseng has asked Jessica Attadio to represent him in his absence. Additionally, Matt Leming has indicated that he, unfortunately, needs to leave early, so if you see him bolt out, that's the reason for it. This event is also being broadcast and recorded for later replay on the Medford Government Channel, which is 22 for Comcast and 43 for Verizon, and via YouTube live stream at YouTube at Medford Community Media 391. We have also published a list of websites, Facebook and Instagram IDs supplied by the candidates. There are cards distributed around the room with this information and a QR code to access the recording and Medford Democrat webpage directly. Additionally, the Medford Democratic City Committee plans to hold additional forums in October before the general election. We'll let everybody know when that's going to occur. Before I continue, I'd like to acknowledge any non-municipal elected officials who are in attendance. I didn't see anybody come in. Oh, stand please. So I'm looking for non-municipal candidates and elected officials. Yes. Elections Commission. Okay, thank you. Anybody else? I think we're all set with that. We will first introduce all the candidates, followed by each candidate speaking for up to three minutes. Any remaining time will be used to allow the audience to interact directly with the candidates on a one-to-one basis. Due to the time limitations, there will be no questions asked to the candidates and no questions from the audience. Please hold your applause until each candidate has finished their talk. And with that, Phyllis will introduce the candidates and continue with the program.

[Phyllis Morrison]: Hi, everyone, and thanks for coming out. I think it's a really important night for our city, and I'm particularly pleased that all of the candidates could be here in person or have sent a representative for themselves. You know, this is how we get to find out about the people who want to be our representatives in our city. So thank you to all of the candidates. We really appreciate your participation in this. I am going to apologize up front if I say a name incorrectly. I am doing my best. As I call your name, first I would like to say to you, prior to tonight's event, The Democratic City Committee held a lottery to determine the order in which the candidates would speak. It was a random draw. And the candidates, once we did that, the email was sent out to the candidates. They knew their standing. They knew the amount of time they would have. They knew that there would be a warning. when they had 20 seconds left to speak. So I will go over those points for the candidates once I've introduced them all. I'm going to call the candidates' name and I'll ask them to stand, be recognized, and then be seated. So Patrick Clerkin. Nate Merritt. Matt Leming. For Justin Tsang, Jennifer Tadeo. Liz Mullane. George Scarpelli. Anna Callahan. Nicholas Juleo. Miranda Berezno. Did I say it correctly? Bresenio, I'm sorry. Page Buldini. Rick Caraviello. Paul J. Donato Jr. Emily K. Lazzaro. Well your name isn't next on the list.

[Bruce Kulik]: I apologize.

[Phyllis Morrison]: Ms. Tringali I am so sorry. Emily Calazzaro. Zach Beers. Trish Ciapelli. Melva McDonald. So with that, what's going to happen now is I'm going to return to my seat. I will call the person who is going to speak first, who is Patrick Clerking. Patrick, when I give you the go ahead, I'm going to ask you to start speaking. When I start the timer, I'll give you that. And at 20 seconds, as I've already shown all of you. This will be your warning. I'll raise it right from that seat so you can see it. You will have 20 seconds left. Because of the time constraint we have at the library, I am going to have to cut the candidates off at three minutes. I'm not trying to be rude, and the candidates were told about this prior to. Please note that there are no questions to be asked during this time frame. Any time we have left at the end, you can mingle with the candidates, and we hope there's time to do so. So thank you once again for coming, and I'm going to take my seat. I'm going to call Patrick Clerken to the podium.

[Patrick Clerkin]: Hi everyone, I'm Patrick Clerkin, and I'm going to start off with a little bit of my backstory, and then I'm going to get into why it's relevant and what I'd like to do for Medford. So I'm a mechanical engineer. I've worked in both a corporate context as an employee and as a contractor, and I've also been an entrepreneur, and most recently I've worked as a handyman. And with the handyman work, it's been a lot of meeting neighbors, getting out there, and a lot of practical hands-on stuff, so it's kind of combining the street smarts and the book smarts and the abstract and the physical hands-on stuff. So I have also been involved with a lot of different civic organizations, both as a member and as a leader within those organizations. Some of them have been Habitat for Humanity, Big Brother Big Sister, American Red Cross, and the board of my fraternity. So I want to bring all of those perspectives and experiences to my efforts here in Medford for the city's benefit. And what I wanted to focus on in particular was robust community. And how I see it, community is both communications and unity. And in 2023, when I ran for the first time, what I saw was that this city has so many resources and there's no hub of communications anymore. There used to be a paper. There isn't anymore. There's some new things. But basically, there's not a dashboard or there's not a consistent reference that people are consulting. And when you don't have that, it causes anger and fear and distrust and confusion to proliferate. And so I have a bunch of different ideas as to how to practically address that. They're on my website. I can't get into all of them right now. So I recommend that you consult my website for those. But I will say if you want a practical example as to how lack of communications negatively affects the city, look at the current zoning issue, how a lot of the people feel that this information has been dropped on them at the last minute. They feel like things have already been decided. they feel like basically the neighborhoods aren't getting a say in this citywide process. The other aspect of what I wanted to focus on was unity, and I'm already embodying that democracy within my campaign where I've gone to all 16, canvassed all 16 precincts. I've crossed demographic, geographic, partisan, ideological lines, talked to anyone, I don't care what what flag you have in your yard, what letter you have next to your name. I want everyone to be involved in this process and I am actively doing that. So the last thing that I'll say is that I'm focused on independent thinking, on practical solutions, on Medford in its entirety and on local issues. So I'm a Councilor, I would be a Councilor at large for Medford, not for Massachusetts, not for the United States, not for the world. So if these are values that you appreciate, please vote for me on September 16th and on November 4th. Thank you.

[Phyllis Morrison]: Nate, would you like to come to the podium? Nate Merritt.

[Nate Merritt]: Hi, I'm Nate Merritt, and I'm asking for your vote to represent all of Medford as your next city councilor. And I swear I do own a tie. Sorry about not wearing that tonight. I'm running because I think we can get the city on a much better path than it is today. I'm an engineer. I fix things. I also help people. I was an EMT and a firefighter for many years. In fact, last month when I walked into Tanook, and I found a child bleeding from the back of his head, I decided to step up and help, because that's what people do. And I did, and I'm willing to do it in a larger role. Why me? Why not these fine folks? Because I'm going to stay laser focused on Medford. Not national, not state issues, Medford. That's the job at hand. And maybe if we took all these meetings and this negative energy that's been going on to ODARC 30 in the morning, trying to relitigate international foreign conflicts and trade embargoes, and instead focused it maybe on Riverside Ave and the Anheuser-Busch property, which now the MBTA picked up, then maybe we wouldn't be 600,000 in the hole. We just passed an override for 500,000 to fix our streets. So who's gonna make it up? And the answer is all of us. That's not good. That's not a recipe for success. I want to try to capitalize on the things that the city of Medford has. We're not Cambridge. We have Interstate 93. We've got the Mystic River. We've got a lot of resources. Let's use it and not try to turn this into the next 15-minute city like the socialist playbook. Let's stop the nonsense of saying single-family homes are a thing of the past. They're not. The city of Lowell, which is twice the population of Medford, has plenty of single-family zoning, and I think we can, too. So, in fact, that's what draws people to Medford, including me and my family. Let's take a smart look at zoning. This isn't an emergency. I'm pretty qualified to tell that being a former firefighter in EMT, we can take our time like we did with the charter review. It's not emergency. Let's do it right the first time and not try to be like the Titanic going into an iceberg. I want places in Medford for kids to play. I've got two Bambinos, and especially in the wintertime, where do you bring them? We go somewhere else. You go to Jordan's, you go to Malden, you go everywhere else. I want people from Assembly Row to come here and bring their kids. Maybe a sky zone, bigger than that. Maybe a place to fly indoor drones. There's a lot of things we could do. But if our zoning, we take up every commercial spot and turn it into mixed-use residential, you're never gonna have a spot for that. I think the city needs some balance and we need to restore some balance. Industrial and commercial is good. It helps pay for our roads, our public safety. And I think with your vote, we can move the city forward together. Let's make it happen. Thank you.

[Matt Leming]: First, I'd like to thank the Democratic City Committee for hosting this event. My name is Matt Leming. I'm a scientist, a naval officer, and for the past two years, a city councilor in Medford. I grew up in a military family, moved around a lot, did my PhD in the UK and moved to Medford as a postdoc at Mass General. When I moved here, I could barely pay for a room in a small apartment. Now, that's not because brain disease research is not valuable. It's because something about the system is deeply flawed. In the past 30 years, U.S. rents have risen 323 percent, average home prices 441 percent, and median household income a mere 37 percent, and to even begin addressing this, We need to start locally. So in 2023, after lobbying council to pass an affordable housing trust, I ran for council myself, talked to a whole lot of people, and began serving in 2024. Our state has laws that prevent city budgets from keeping up with inflation, and Medford has stagnated in its growth for a long time, so Medford has a budget problem, and Medford's housing is too expensive. This past term, I and many of my colleagues on council have stopped kicking the can down the road, and backed by many parents and young families in the community, we put on the ballot and campaigned for our city's first ever 2.5 override, which staved 40 union jobs in the Medford Teachers Association and funded a full-time road repair crew. This past term council approved new public housing for seniors and I'm working at the state and local level to fund our new affordable housing trust. The city and the community spent years developing plans to rezone the city both to address our affordability crisis and dwindling budget and council is working on that. Our current zoning is patchwork. It leads to patchwork development. It needs to change, and it's needed to change for a very long time. New zoning will mitigate traffic via transportation demand management program, mandate greener building practices, and with an historic conversion ordinance, maintain the many historic buildings that compose Medford, all while incentivizing housing affordability. I've made Council a more transparent body by instituting a City Council newsletter, live-streaming our meetings, holding office hours at the Medford Senior Centre, and writing about all of it non-stop on my website. I instituted a first-of-its-kind program to house low-income veterans, and I passed a law that will allow Medford residents to voluntarily donate to an in-need veterans fund on their tax bills. In January, Council passed a Welcoming City Ordinance, and in my work with the Democratic City Committee, I spearheaded a campaign to inform non-English-speaking residents of their constitutional rights in these very dire times. In short, Council has at long last stopped kicking the can down the road. We need to take action if we're to have an affordable and vibrant city. I've been putting in the work to do just that, and I will continue to put in the work. Thank you very much for your time and attention, and don't forget to vote on September 16th.

[Jessica Taddeo]: Yes. Hello, everyone. My name is Jessica Taddeo, and as a longtime friend and colleague of Councilor Tseng, I'm very honored to be sharing these remarks on his behalf tonight. I'm Justin Tsang, and I am honored to be your city councilor. I am the son of immigrants who came to Medford chasing the American dream, looking to make strides in finding the cure for cancer. My parents stretched their dollars and raised me paycheck to paycheck. And without our schools, our neighbors in this community, that dream would not be possible. And that's why I've worked these past four years to give back and pay it forward. Now, as national politicians gamble with our economy and threaten the safety of our neighbors, Medford needs steady hands and bold leadership. I'll always stand up for you because Medford stood up for me. And over these past four years, we haven't just made progress, we've made history. While some leaders are focused on turning our neighbors against one another, Medford is leading by example as a city that makes historic investments in our public schools and supports all of its residents. We protected the freedoms of our neighbors with the Gender Affirming and Reproductive Health Care Ordinance, which I worked on with Councilor Lazzaro. And I codified the city's policy of non-cooperation with ICE in non-criminal cases to protect our immigrant neighbors. We've taken bold steps to fight climate change and protect our green spaces, securing millions in funding to modernize and revitalize parks across the city, increasing accessibility for disabled residents, and offering amenities for all ages. We're fixing sidewalks and streets that haven't been touched in decades and bringing back bus routes that our families rely on. Additionally, I've been working with my colleagues to make City Hall more transparent and accessible with new newsletters, more listening sessions, constituent services in different languages, and the list continues to grow. While politicians in Washington and up on Beacon Hill continue to cater to their rich donors, we've passed once-in-a-generation reforms to make housing more affordable, increase local business growth, and lead the fight against climate change right here in our backyard. And as I've talked to neighbors from all corners of life, I truly believe that there is more that unites us than divides us. I know too many people are feeling the crunch, tired of seeing rents rise and dream of home ownership slip away. They're tired of seeing their kids, my classmates, move because they can't afford to live here anymore. They're tired of having to choose between paying rent, or for childcare, or for pest mitigation. The truth is the status quo isn't working, and doing more of the same isn't an option. And don't get me wrong, this will be hard, and we should be wary of those simply playing politics over simplifying complex problems in the form of flashy soundbites, further perpetuating us versus them attitudes. But when you really take a moment to sift through all of that noise, we can focus on our shared goals. Making Medford more affordable, ensuring we hold big developers accountable in our institutions to fight against displacement. And that's why I'm running for re-election. Thank you.

[Liz Mullane]: Thank you to Phyllis, Bruce, and the Medford Democratic City Committee for organizing tonight's event. My name is Liz Mullane. I'm an assistant vice president of advancement at Northeastern University. And in that role, I oversee six different teams within our department, which includes parents, planned giving, athletics, and the library. Since 2020, I've been an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern's graduate nonprofit management program, instructing adult learners on how to build a nonprofit business. I have been in the industry for over 20-plus years with one of my first jobs at EMILY's List, an organization that raises money for pro-choice Democratic women running for office. Since then, I've continued to work within organizations reviewing budgets and creating revenue streams for a variety of issue areas, like need-based scholarships for students, medical advancements for Alzheimer's and other autoimmune diseases, and capital funding for community-based needs around mental health and the library. In each of these situations, I have successfully raised funds through individual, foundation, corporate, federal, and government grant outreach. As a consultant to nonprofits, I also witnessed the need for further education around budgeting, financial management, and strategic planning, so I went back to school to receive my MBA. I moved to Medford in 2018, where I was a renter until we purchased our home here. Along with my husband and our two dogs, Medford is where we plan on staying. I've been involved with the Medford Democratic City Committee and serving as the Ward 2 Chair for the past few years, trying to get more individuals involved in the local political process. I was compelled to join the City Council race after witnessing areas in Medford that needed addressing. Numerous accidents due to lack of pedestrian signage, poorly kept streets, and sidewalks that have become hard to navigate. With budgetary issues being a top concern and a lack of proper funding to some of our more important community services, I felt both my professional background coupled with my education would bring a different skill set to the city. If elected, I plan to champion for a continued transparent budgeting process with clear updates on how funds are being used, allocated, and distributed. to review how the city approaches funding, and to help find new and creative ways to generate revenue, especially for our community services, Likert Library, senior care, and mental health staffing, all of which I have successfully done in my professional career. Incentivize and streamline the process for small businesses to enter Medford, which would only help to grow our commercial tack base. As a dog owner with no backyard, focus on improved sidewalks and streets and more green space by proactively working on the 2026 Medford Open Space and Recreation Plan. continue to support the affordable housing trust to make housing more affordable in Medford through linkage fees and fundraising initiatives, to complete a pedestrian safety audit across the city to ensure a more walkable Medford, and to continue providing funding and support of the Medford public school system, which is imperative for our entire community's ongoing success. I've enjoyed meeting so many Medford residents through this process, and I remain a listening ear to anyone who wants to discuss these issues or any other concerns. Thank you.

[Anna Callahan]: Thank you so much for hosting this and thank you all for being here. My name is Anna Callahan and I am a first term incumbent. I am really proud of the things that we did this term. We took many steps to stabilize our city's budget. We really worked on our rodent problems, enabling our staff to be able to take more actions. to rein those in. We protected, did a number of things to protect our residents from the Trump administration, and we've taken steps toward more affordable housing and affordability in our city. And you can count on me to be a vote in favor of what I believe are the values that we share here in Medford, and that includes affordability and affordable housing. It includes environment and climate change. It includes being a more inclusive city. But today, I want to highlight for you the things that make me unique as a city councilor. And that really is in the question of democracy and engaging people in the political process. I take it very seriously that 90 or 95% of the people who live in Medford will never come to a city council meeting and they will never reach out to their city councilors. So I take it upon myself to spend my time and effort in going into the community and listening to those people so that they have a voice. I currently have five different teams of volunteers who help me with different parts of my city councilorship. The first one, and by the way, if anybody here wants to be on one of these teams, please do let me know. The first one is what I call my legislative team. It's a group of people who meets with me before every city council meeting and we go through every item on the agenda. They do a lot of research, they'll reach out to other members of the community. It's a great way to really level up people who already are active. The second team I call my democracy team. This is a group of people that helps me to set up listening sessions throughout the community. Sometimes they're based on a policy, sometimes they're based on a demographic group, sometimes they're just in a neighborhood. And then I have three different policy teams. One of those is around trees because we plant less than half as many trees each year as we lose. So we are organizing, we're gonna be organizing with the city to have events where big groups of neighbors come together to plant trees in our most barren neighborhoods. The second one, the other two are around housing and housing affordability. One is a group of people that came to me and were interested in getting co-housing here in Medford. And the last one is around home sharing, which is really enabling people to age in place. So if anyone's interested in working with me, please let me know. And I really appreciate you all being here.

[Nick Giurleo]: Hi, everyone. I'm Nick Giurleo. Thank you all for being here. Just a little bit about my background. I grew up in Medford, lived here my whole life, went to Medford High School, graduated number one in my class, and decided to stick around for college, and ended up going to Tufts University. Great education there. And after that, I decided to work for a little bit. I ended up working here in the square, actually, for a law office. Really got interested in law through that experience, and decided I would go to law school. So I went to law school, ended up at BC Law. Graduated from BC Law, became an attorney, and that's what I do today, work for a great firm in downtown Boston. Just one little brief thing about here, about why am I running, right? Why am I running? I'm running because being civically involved is really important for me. I want to be involved. It's important to not complain when you have problems with what's going on in the city, but to take a step forward and do something about that. So I decided I needed to step forward and do something about the things that concern me. So two issues that I just want to talk to you about in my very brief time here. Number one, that's been central to my campaign, affordability. Medford is, as everyone probably knows, an increasingly unaffordable place to live. Long-time residents feel pressured out of their homes, and residents who want to move here feel like they can't because of barriers. So what can we do about that? In my opinion, the main reason for unaffordability is just the burden that residents have. in meeting our spending needs, primarily through property taxes, which is where we get the majority of our revenue. I think we can be smarter, though, and take that burden off them and shift it into areas like commercial, bringing businesses to Medford and also preserving our commercial tax base. The commercial tax rate is nearly double the residential, so we get significant revenue through that. That's one issue. The other issue here is transparency. And for me, that primarily means council accessibility. So allowing the city council to be a resource that everybody can use. So there's a lot of problems in terms of accessibility that we have to do something about. Very late running meetings, last minute agenda changes, getting very off topic often with the agenda items, as well as reductions in the public speaking time at the expense of hearing people's opinions. So I think we can do simple things like change the rules of our city council to make it more accessible. And also I'm interested in information too, public information. Voters should be informed, they have a right to be informed. What can we do to make public records more accessible to our citizens, honoring requests and making sure people don't feel left out, people don't feel that communications are lacking. So these are two issues central to my campaign. Again, I thank you all for being here, and I would very much appreciate your vote. Thank you.

[Miranda Briseno]: Testing. Okay. Good evening, everyone. My name is Miranda Briseño. I love calling Medford home, and I'm running for city council to make sure that City Hall delivers better for residents of all ages, wages, and backgrounds. We deserve a Medford that invests robustly in the public places that keep us connected to each other, like our schools, parks, and library. We deserve a library that is open seven days a week. We deserve a Medford with plenty of shade trees and green space. As a renter I felt firsthand how hard it is to afford to remain here amid the skyrocketing cost of living. We all deserve a more affordable Medford where elders can age in place and where new and longtime residents alike can put down roots without fear of displacement due to rising rents and home prices. Medford students and families deserve thriving public schools and expanded after school and pre-K. Our school staff deserves competitive pay. I will fight for a budget that allows us to meet these goals every single year. In addition, I proudly support building a new flagship Medford High School. We deserve a Medford that invests in keeping all of our neighbors safe through an unarmed mental health crisis response team, continued noncompliance with ICE, and better social services for our neighbors in need. Safety also means our roads and sidewalks and as a transportation planner road safety is my bread and butter. In the last five years Medford has seen at least 84 crashes which resulted in serious injuries or fatalities. We need to treat traffic violence like the emergency it is. At MassDOT I work with municipalities to help them utilize transportation funding to its full potential. I work closely on funding for large capital projects and I help manage essential programs such as the Safe Routes to School program. This has given me a bird's eye view of the regional problems that affect us here in Medford and where the solutions lie. As your city councilor, I will make sure we strategically leverage our transportation funding to make our streets safer. I will also make sure the city completes an ADA transition plan so that everyone can participate in civic life and enjoy all that Medford has to offer. But before my time at MassDOT, I worked right here for Medford City Hall. I spearheaded Medford's COVID-19 Business Relief Grant Program, which provided crucial funding to Medford's restaurants, corner stores, salons, and spas to help them survive during an unpredictable time. I developed the city's first outdoor dining program, and I helped the city improve its bus stop and blues bikes infrastructure. As a MassDOT employee, I'm heavily involved in my union, and I currently serve on its board of directors. Medford runs on union power, and I'm proud to be endorsed by SEIU Local 509 and UAW Region 9A. I love being a part of our diverse, multi-generational, vibrant community. My neighbors have always been there for me, and now I'm running for city council to make sure the city is there for you. I look forward to meeting you and talking with you, and I hope to earn your vote this fall. Thank you.

[Page Buldini]: My name is Page Buldini. I'm the owner of Paige Aesthetic Skincare in the Hillside, a Medford public school parent, and I serve on the board of the Medford Chamber of Commerce. My husband, Jeff, grew up here. Our daughter, Kate, is a second grader at Missittuck, growing up in the same schools and community her dad once did. Nearly seven years ago, I started my business as a new mom and kept it open through the pandemic, when many in my industry closed. I had to adapt, problem solve, and keep revenue coming in. That's not easy as a solo business owner, but I did it. I also helped others in the skincare industry push through because I believe in lifting people up. That's who I am. I don't quit. I adapt. I listen and I follow through. And that's what I'll bring to City Hall. Those lessons also reflect the spirit of Medford, a city with deep roots and tradition, a city that's growing and changing, and above all, a city whose strength is in its people, our schools, our small businesses, and the city services that keep us running. I've seen what happens when we bring those pieces together. As a chamber board member, I work to support small businesses. I've coached and sponsored local youth sports, and I know the value of showing up for kids and families. Partnering with the PTOs and schools, I've helped expand resources for students, families, and educators. And by connecting groups like The Chamber, run Medford and Tufts University, I've helped raise funds to bring Tufts student athletes in as volunteers for school and community events, proof of what's possible, and a reminder that Tufts can be a stronger financial partner and better neighbor. That's why I believe leadership has to rise above groups or sides. I chose to run unaffiliated. It would be easier to do this with a group or a slate, but that's not why I'm here. I'm willing to take the harder path to represent everyone, to bridge divides, and to make decisions rooted in what's best for Medford. This is a critical moment. Decisions on zoning and growth will shape our future for decades. When zoning reform came forward, I asked to slow it down, not to stop it, so we could get it right. I championed separating business districts with mixed use from residential, and I used that time to ask questions and push for input from fire, police, and educators. That's how I will approach every issue. Do the work, listen first, and make decisions with real-life data and community voices. That same approach must guide our budget and growth. We need to generate more revenue to make Medford stronger. That means creating a developer program with clear expectations that ensures developers support our infrastructure. It means attracting the right businesses shaped by community feedback to fill vacant storefronts and bring in revenue that Medford needs to invest in our future. What sets me apart is I've lived this. I've run a business here. I've navigated challenges and I stayed the course when it would have been easier to quit. That experience makes me the candidate best prepared to strengthen Medford's future. At the end of the day, what I bring is different. I've proven I can get through hard challenges. I'm connected across Medford. I adapt, I listen, and I solve problems, and I'm not afraid to show up for the work. After more than 15 years of living here, I believe Medford's best days are ahead, and I will keep showing up, asking questions, and moving forward together. Thank you to the Medford Democratic Committee, to my fellow candidates, and to everyone here showing up for our city.

[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. Tonight I would like to thank the Medford Democratic City Committee for allowing me to speak here for you. My name is Rick Caraviello. I have served for 12 years as city councilor and three terms as council president. And I'm also proud to be standing in a building that I played a major role in bringing to our city. I am very thankful for the overwhelming support I have received, encouraging me to run again for city council. Tonight I stand before you not just as a candidate, but someone who believes deeply in the power of community. I have walked these streets, shopped our local businesses, and listened to your concerns at coffee shops and kitchen tables. As a result, I am running again because I believe Medford deserves leadership that listens, acts, and delivers. We are a community rich in history, diversity, and untapped potential. But potential alone is not enough. We need a city council that reflects our values, in fights for our future. The most contentious issue facing Medford is the proposed citywide rezoning and development. The top priority of the council is to protect our neighborhoods. However, this commitment has been put aside by this council. This council wants to rezone our residential areas to allow two to six units per house lot. This is a direct attack on Medford's character. We should instead be concentrating on our commercial base and its potential. Mephitt has business districts with untapped potential for growth, but smart growth, not overgrowth. Let us build on that rather than changing its character. I will seek out common sense proposals for our business districts that will increase tax revenue, promote job opportunities. I will also advocate for responsible development that will protect our neighbors and expand affordable housing options. Police, fire, and DPW need to be supported by our public officials. Long overdue contracts need to be settled. Our streets have long been neglected and it's time to address the matter at hand. Charter change is also on November's ballot. Please make sure that you support this initiative. This campaign is about us. It's about building a Medford where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered. I will listen to your concerns, ensure your voice is heard. My priority is to restore trust in City Hall by making sure that the City Council serves the public, not politicians. So tonight, I ask for your support. Let us make Medford stronger, fairer, and more united than ever before. Thank you.

[Paul Donato Jr]: Hello, I'm Paul Donato, Jr., and I'm running to be your next city councilor. I'm a lifelong resident born here and married with four children, with two currently in the school system. I want to thank you for giving me three minutes to speak, because if I was in front of the Medford City Council, I would only have two. I love Medford. It's a city with rich past and great resources, and most importantly, amazing people. Our residents come from all walks of life and all age groups. And whether they've lived here for decades or just moved in, they'll all help make Medford what it is. What we all share is a desire to see Medford grow and thrive. To make that happen, we need strong leadership and a city government that truly works for the people. We need leaders with vision who involve the community in shaping the future. One example is the city's recent rezoning efforts. The problem? The community didn't ask for a complete overhaul of every neighborhood. I believe we should take a smarter, more focused approach, starting with key areas like Mystic F. Right now, it's just a busy road, but it could be so much more. With thoughtful planning, we could add housing, support local businesses, bring in new shops, and improve safety and the look of the area. But these changes come from real conversations with the community, not top-down decisions. Another area full of potential is Medford Square. We've had plenty of studies and good ideas like more housing, riverfront walking paths, restaurants, parking, and shops that people want. I've worked with the city council and residents to turn those ideas into actions through workshops and open discussions. As we plan these improvements, we also need to think about our infrastructure, things like roads, buildings, utilities, and city services. We must ask, do we have enough police, firefighters, and DPW workers and staff and equipment to support these changes? I'll make sure infrastructure planning is a required part of the development or rezoning project. Smart rezoning and solid infrastructure planning are two key areas that I'll focus on as your new city councilor. But I'll also work with the new effective council to tackle other challenges and build a bright future Medford. I'd be honored to earn your vote and you can contact me at Donato4Medford.com. Thank you.

[Melanie Tringali]: Hi, I'm Melanie Tringali. I don't know how I'm going to top that, Paul. But anyways, first of all, I want to thank the Medford Democrat City Committee for organizing this event. I'm a longtime resident of Medford and a homeowner. My husband, James Murdoch, and I live on Forest Street with our four children. Both my parents were born and raised here and graduated from Medford High. My father, Salvatore J. Tringali, lived in South Medford. And my mother, Lorraine Mifflin, grew up on the hillside. I'm a graduate of UMass Amherst, and have over 20 years of business experience. As long as I have lived here, I have served this community. I served on the Medford Family Network Advisory Board, was co-chair of the PTO for what was then the Columbus School, and served on the Historic District Commission. Today, I'm a board member of the Rotary Club, an organization that provides services to the city and schools. I'm running because this is my home and a city I deeply love. I want to serve this community, make a positive impact, and ensure Medford is the best it can be. I believe in common sense change, the kind that strengthens neighborhoods, improves city services, and respects the history and character of our community. As a councilwoman, there are many things I will work on, but given the time tonight, let me highlight my top four priorities. One, I will always protect our neighborhoods and historic squares. Blanket rezoning would forever change our neighborhoods and community. Instead, we should focus on thoughtful commercial development that grows our tax base and revitalizes our squares. Two, our streets and sidewalks continue to be in disrepair. Recent staffing changes and overrides have not made significant improvements. Potholes remain and sidewalks are unsafe. Safe, walkable sidewalks and well-maintained streets are basic services that meet the needs of every citizen in the city. Our first responders risk their lives every day to keep us safe. They deserve to be fully staffed, have safe and clean facilities, and the equipment to do their jobs well. Public safety must come first in our city budget. And fourth, for the fourth year in a row, Medford has had a large amount of free cash. The percentage of that free cash exceeds most cities our size of what is considered to be a normal percent of budget. I will push for line item budget breakdown and responsible planning so taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and timely. In closing, Medford deserves a City Council that puts Medford first. Protecting our neighborhoods, fixing our streets and sidewalks, supporting our first responders, and spending responsibly. As an independent candidate, I will bring balance, common sense, and accountability to City Hall. On Tuesday, September 16th, I respectfully ask for one of your seven votes for Medford City Council. Thank you.

[Emily Lazzaro]: Good evening everyone. Thank you for spending your Wednesday night with us. My name is Emily Lazzaro and I am running again to be your city councilor. Before being a politician I'm a writer a mom of two kids in our public schools and a cyclist and an advocate who ran for office because I was living out the effects of failed policy. and I decided I wanted to be part of the solution. Working in pursuit of a community of care, a city that stands beside each other, not against one another, has underscored my personal and professional life. As the former assistant director and the current president of the Malden Warming Center, I can attest that our community members with the greatest challenges are worthy of care and have inherent value and dignity. Forty percent of Medford households experience hunger, and 7,500 Medford residents qualify for affordable housing, and we don't have anywhere for them to live. I've done a lot of listening, consensus building, and learning in my first term, and it reminds me of why I ran for office. Government can't be afraid to do what's right. I'm ready to continue in that mission together. I've worked diligently on legislation that shores up the rights of our residents, like the Welcoming City Ordinance and the Gender Affirming Care and Reproductive Healthcare Ordinance. protecting our neighbors from federal overreach. I've worked with state legislators and city public safety officials to make major improvements to rotaries where Dan Dill and Arthur Weber, Medford residents, were killed crossing the street in crosswalks this past winter. I secured $750,000 of funding in the supplemental budget as part of the millionaire's tax to improve the rotaries near Dan Dill's crash. Those improvements are happening right now. You can actually see them. I am fortunate enough, if I am fortunate enough to earn your vote once more, I will keep up this good work. I'm advocating for our fire department by asking our mayor to use free cash, Melanie and I agree on free cash, to fund a full dive team to keep our residents safe in our beautiful lakes and rivers. Our firefighters are ready to protect Medford, let's help them do it. I'm working closely with our business community to ensure that Medford is a beautiful and friendly place to operate with vibrant and bustling squares and business districts. I am working closely with parents and elementary schools across Medford to reimagine the citywide elementary alliance ensuring the money raised is shared equitably based on the diverse needs and populations from Glenwood to Hillside. And as a member of the Medford comprehensive high school building committee I'm working collaboratively to deliver a brand new high school for our students to learn and grow and so that our community can feel a newfound sense of Mustang pride. I talked to residents at the senior center Wegmans the disability fair soccer practice car park, elegant nails, and everywhere in between. I see you, I hear you, and I take action for you, whoever you are. You deserve an elected official who believes wholeheartedly in the inherent worth of every human being and who will stand up boldly for that policy, for the policy that reflects that. And above all else, this campaign is about taking care of each other. Everybody deserves to love where they live and a city council that will work tirelessly for their community. You can count on me to continue to put in that work. Thank you.

[Zac Bears]: Thank you for the committee for hosting this event and my fellow candidates for being here today. I'm Zach bears. Six years ago I ran for Medford City Council because I saw what decades of shrinking government and reactive decision making had done to our city. Medford had become a city of no. No you can't get help at City Hall unless you know the right person. No the city won't address the housing crisis that's made it too hard to build a future here. No the city won't stop the slow bleed. decades of budget cuts that left our streets crumbling and our schools without the resources students and teachers need to thrive. But together we've accomplished so much to do big things make hard decisions and start to become a city of yes a city that says yes to more transparent open government with clear goals processes and principles for how we make decisions together. Yes to finally creating a comprehensive plan already rezoning Mystic Ave and rezoning and doing the rezoning project that will encourage real and transformative growth build more housing and revitalize our business districts. Yes to passing questions 7 and 8 last year to stop the bleeding and invest in our schools and DPWU. And yes, to a real plan for growth and new revenue so we don't rely on regular overrides to provide basic services. This has only been possible because of the commitment of so many residents and city leaders to work together for a simple and just cause. To make Medford, an even better place, a city that works for all of us. A city that leads with shared values, clear principles, and delivers real results for our residents. A city government committed to leading with compassion, hard work, and supporting those most in need, to listening to the unheard, not just the loudest voices, to making tough choices and telling people the hard truths, not the easy falsehoods we might want to believe. Voters have a clear choice this November. Do we vote to keep moving forward? My answer is yes. And I believe the people of the city of Medford will keep saying yes to moving forward too. It's been the honor of my life to serve my hometown. And if I earn your vote for my fourth term, I guarantee that I will keep fighting for a Medford where our city government lifts everyone up and solves big problems together. If you want compassionate, principled, and effective leadership to keep Medford moving forward, I ask for your vote on September 16th and November 4th. Thank you.

[Trish Schiapelli]: Good evening. I am Trisha Pelly, an independent candidate and homeowner running for the City Council. I moved here to attend Simmons and completed my MBA in 2001. I have 20 years of experience as a commercial lender in the banking industry, working with CEOs and CFOs with companies with revenues of $10 million to $60 million. I became politically active in Medford when I led the battle to stop a methadone dispensary from coming to my Salem Street neighborhood, just 0.23 miles from an elementary school. And then again with the radical rezoning of Salem Street. After many protests from us, the residents, the OCD, delistened and rolled back the zoning to what the neighborhood wanted. Unfortunately, this City Council, under the leadership of Zach Baers and a motion from Matt Leming, denied the citizens what they wanted and reverted back to the original zoning. We must stop radical rezoning, which is now being proposed across the city. Our job on the City Council is to protect our neighborhoods, not exploit them. Yes, we must upgrade our squares and business districts, but not to the detriment of our neighborhoods. Our city has been left to deteriorate for far too long. Density is not going to solve that. The recent fire that took place in Somerville and demolished three homes less than a week ago was caused by all of their zoning changes to accommodate density. Be warned, this will happen here if we allow the density city council wants forced on our neighborhoods. I will fight for our neighborhoods. We must request a forensic audit. We all work hard for our money and it is incumbent for the city to accurately report to the public exactly how, where, why our money is being spent, dollar for dollar. Yes, we have an audit annually by state-approved firm. However, we taxpayers deserve better financial reporting. Once our finances are in order, we can then make a sound decision and plan to fix our roads, fix our sidewalks, and get the lead out of our drinking water. Medford deserves better. We need to increase our commercial tax rate. The homeowners can't be the sole source of tax revenue. We just lost $600,000 in tax revenue on the old Budweiser campus because our mayor allowed it to be sold to the MBTA, the same MBTA that she sits on the board of directors. I ask you, Madam Mayor, isn't that a conflict of interest, selling out the taxpayers of this city to do a favor for a state agency of which you are a board member? I most certainly would find that is to be the case, in my opinion. And we must support our police and fire departments. They are very important to our city. After meeting with the president of Firefighters Local 1032, I learned that our fire department is understaffed to meet the needs of our current population and will not meet the needs of the proposed expansions. Remember, a vote for me is a vote for you. I respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you.

[Milva McDonald]: Thank you to the Medford Democratic City Committee, the Library, my fellow candidates, and everyone for coming and tuning in. I'm Milva McDonald, and the story of why I'm running for City Council starts a long time ago, as a kid growing up with an immigrant working-class mom who came to America from Italy in the 1950s. She was the hardest worker I've ever known, and she passed her work ethic on to me. Whether working at the Boston Globe while raising my four kids, sitting on the board of non-profits, or helping launch the Mystic LGBTQ Plus Youth Support Network, I have always put in the hard work required to get things done. A few years ago, I decided charter review needed to get done in Medford. In 2021, I convened a group of residents to pursue options, and in late 2022, at our request, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn formed the Medford Charter Study Committee and appointed me as chair. For two years, I led our 11-member committee in a comprehensive review of our city's foundational document. As a result, for the first time in 40 years, a new charter is projected to be on your municipal ballot this November. My experience chairing the committee inspired me to run for office. I want to bring the same level of research, outreach, and deep listening to the work of being your city councilor. My priorities include growing the city's tax base through zoning, reviewing fee structures, and fighting for a better pilot agreement with Tufts. Addressing the affordable housing crisis is a necessity. We must support the Affordable Housing Trust and the Community Land Trust. To ease the burden on taxpayers and renters, we should explore a residential exemption for owner-occupied homes and look further at the good landlord tax credit. We need to ensure that we are meeting the goals in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which continues to safeguard Medford for the future while improving life now. Medford has great cultural organizations, but I believe the arts need an anchor at City Hall, so I support the installation of a City Arts Coordinator. As Councilor, I would also work to create a commission to promote visibility, equality, and empowerment of our LGBTQ plus community. I think it's also the job of municipal officials to support our dedicated city staff and those in need, like seniors on fixed incomes and immigrant communities. I love people, hearing their concerns and stories, and doing my best to help. As a second generation Italian American with working class roots, I will always put in the time, effort, and research needed to get the job done. And I will make responsiveness and respect priorities in all my interactions. I'm excited to get to work to make our beloved city an even better place to live, and I ask for your vote in September and November. Thank you.

[Phyllis Morrison]: I really want to thank the candidates. They did a fabulous job, but I must say, yes. In full disclosure, I put up the yellow card about 15 seconds sooner for one of the candidates, and I was going to add it on to the end, and the person finished. So, Mr. Merritt, I want to know if you have one thing more you want to say, because you'll be able to sing. I mean, I would have added it on the end, but he finished his speech. And I so apologize, but he didn't want to say, come back. And I didn't want to say to all of you, but full disclosure, it was one timing error that I profusely apologize for. I am sorry. Okay, good. Thank you. But I did want to say that. So thanks, everybody, for coming. I think this is such a great turnout, and I think we have a wonderful pool of candidates. And I say, Bruce, would you like to say anything? We're all set. Thank you all for coming. Mingle. Have a great night. It's just in the interest of saving our earth, could I please have these back when we're done? Okay, it's just a minor thing. The name tags back because we can reuse them. Thank you. I'm good. leave it on while you mingle, and then give it to Anita. You know, Melanie, I'm sorry. Why don't you leave your name tag? Everybody knows you're right. That's right. That's right.

[Paul Donato Jr]: next

[Nick Giurleo]: Yeah, I wanted to ask, so I'm meeting next to Mystic. What was the, what were the zoning things that you don't think are good for it? I want them to have firewalls.

[Unidentified]: Yeah, okay, got it.

[Nick Giurleo]: Shield on the right line. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unidentified]: That's great.

Paul Donato Jr total time: 2.82 minutes total words: 62	Richard Caraviello total time: 2.79 minutes total words: 85	Patrick Clerkin total time: 3.04 minutes total words: 58	Nate Merritt total time: 2.54 minutes total words: 94
Matt Leming total time: 2.83 minutes total words: 57	Liz Mullane total time: 3.04 minutes total words: 63	Anna Callahan total time: 2.92 minutes total words: 46	Nick Giurleo total time: 2.67 minutes total words: 82
Miranda Briseno total time: 2.97 minutes total words: 85	Page Buldini total time: 3.02 minutes total words: 71	Melanie Tringali total time: 2.93 minutes total words: 81	Emily Lazzaro total time: 3.06 minutes total words: 74
Zac Bears total time: 2.36 minutes total words: 67	Trish Schiapelli total time: 3.06 minutes total words: 72	Milva McDonald total time: 3.05 minutes total words: 55