total time: 3.61 minutes
total words: 63
[Liz Mullane]: Hi, my name is Liz Mullane, and I'm a new candidate running for Medford City Council. As a brief background, I currently work as an assistant vice president of advancement at Northeastern University. And in that role, I oversee several different teams within our department, which includes parents, planned giving, athletics, and the library. Since 2020, I have 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 nonprofit field for over 20 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, which include 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 and have found myself utilizing the skills learned in my graduate degree often in my everyday role. 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 have been involved with the Medford Democratic City Committee, serving as the chair of Ward 2 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 had become hard to navigate, and also the need for more small businesses to enhance our downtown areas. 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 identifying funding sources 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. Review how the City approaches funding, and to help find new and creative ways to generate revenue, especially for our community services like our 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 grow our commercial tax base. As a dog owner with no backyard, a 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 and accessible Medford, to provide 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 residents, and I remain a listening ear to anyone who wants to discuss these issues or other areas of concern. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, and I hope you will consider me as one of your seven votes on Tuesday, November 4th. Thank you.
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total time: 3.61 minutes total words: 63 |
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