total time: 4.56 minutes
total words: 100
[Nate Merritt]: Hi, I'm Nate Merritt and I'm asking for your vote to be one of Medford's next city councilors. So what's in it for you? This November, your choice is one of priorities. What are yours? My wife and I bought our small house in Medford in 2014 to raise a family in. We chose Medford instead of Cambridge because it gave us the opportunity to own a single-family house and own a patch of grass because it wasn't ultra-dense. We both commute to work by car and drop off the kiddos on the way. Public transit just doesn't work for us, and that's OK. Medford gives you that option. Do you want a city councilor who thinks owning a home is the American dream, and not racist or elitist, who understands the value of a community's character isn't just monetary, who understands that cars are often a necessity for our younger and elderly residents, that tradesmen can't take the train to work? Or is your priority today's council that plows forth with reckless one-size-fits-all citywide zoning, eliminates parking minimums, and thinks everyone should bike or walk everywhere, that thinks your segregation is for owning your own home? Don't think the zoning issue's over, folks. It's just on hiatus till after the election. Do you want to help bring businesses back into Medford to help pay for our roads, public safety, and schools? Places for our kids to play indoors? Young people to cut loose after work? Or is your priority wasting time with illegal divestment ordinances that drive businesses away and are so divisive they brought the rabbi out not once but twice to speak against it? Do you want a city council that actually listens to you and gives you time to get your point across every week? Or is your priority continuing to be ignored and shut down after two minutes? After midnight, of course, since they prioritize their national agendas first. Before I lost both my parents to cancer, I saw many of their needs as retirees on fixed incomes with mobility challenges firsthand. Sudden tax hikes were difficult for them to absorb, and they certainly weren't easily walking upstairs or across two parking lots to get to their senior center, let alone biking places. Do you want a council who's mindful of our seniors and takes their needs into account? Or is your priority a council who continues to dismiss the concerns of our retirees, offering foolish solutions like, you can defer your taxes and pay the bill later? That's running up a tab that ends with our seniors losing their homes. And for the record, I want good schools and better outcomes for all our kids. I have two little guys of my own. But having our seniors lose their shirts or their livelihood in the process isn't a good solution. We need to take all that into account. As a firefighter and EMT, I learned how to handle real emergencies. You don't go rushing in headfirst. That helps nobody and just gets more people hurt. Do you want a city councilor who understands that a city councilor does nothing that's a real emergency? That we can take the time to establish clear goals, weigh the pros and cons, get community input, and then act? Or is your priority having a council that continues to barrel forward with nationally-driven agendas, ready-fire-aim-style consequences to you be ignored, all in the name of being more progressive? I'll do my best to deliver the best public safety we can by fully staffing our firefighters, perhaps work towards a city-run ambulance that funds a fire department enterprise fund so that their equipment, personnel, and fire stations don't require tax overrides or debt exclusions. I'll bring solutions to the table that help make our streets safer. Low-cost, effective controls such as rubber speed bumps and an illuminated stop signal at Willis and Hicks Ave could easily increase pedestrian safety, not cause traffic backups, and not break the bank. Let's fix the school zone warning lights near the Brooks that have been burnt out for almost two years. I'll focus on these issues, not the trade embargo in Cuba. Let's get a list published every year of specifically what roads will be repaired, where your taxes or rent is going, instead of leaving residents to wonder when or if theirs will ever be done. This election, November 4th, you the citizens of Medford have a choice to make in priorities. You can vote for the slate of robots who focus on whining about national and state issues we can't affect and only give you two minutes to speak your piece. They'll gladly keep ignoring and talking down to you, turning Medford into their next 15-minute city, an ultra-dense utopia where you shouldn't have a car or own your own home. Is that your priority? Or you can vote for someone who'll stay laser-focused on Medford and only Medford. That's my priority. I don't have a magic wand, but I'll listen to you, weigh the pros and cons of each issue, and attempt to explain them in simple terms we all understand, not complex jargon just to sound smart. I'll work on solutions that impact you, giving young parents the opportunity to own a home with their own lawn, maybe even a dog, and not be limited to just a unit in yet another apartment building. The choice is yours. I'm asking for your vote, your help to bring back independent voices and balance that represents you and all of Medford, not just a small group with loud voices. Let's get our priorities back in order. Otherwise, like my kid's daycare teacher says, you get what you get. Don't be upset. Please reach out. Thanks for listening.
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total time: 4.56 minutes total words: 100 |
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