Incumbent Emily Lazzaro presents her platform for re-election to the City Council, emphasizing her record on civil rights, pedestrian safety, and school infrastructure. She outlines priorities for a second term including fire department funding, zoning reform for business districts, and equitable school fundraising.
[CC Councilor Emily Lazzaro]: Hello, my name is Emily Lazzaro and I am running for a second term as your City Councilor. Before being a politician, I am a writer, mom of two kids in our public schools, 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 both 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. I've done a lot of listening, consensus building, collaboration, 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 Health Care Ordinance, protecting our neighbors from federal overreach. I worked with state legislators and city public safety officials to make major improvements to rotaries where Dan Dill and Arthur Weber were killed crossing the street in crosswalks this past winter. With Senator Jalen, I secured $750,000 of funding in the supplemental budget as part of the millionaires tax to improve the rotaries near Dan Dill's crash. If I'm 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 to fund a full dive team to keep 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. Making changes to our zoning laws with the diverse needs of our neighbors in mind will make it possible for Medford Square and West Medford Square to be even more of a hub of activity and bring in more revenue for the city to turn around and use to support our residents. I'm 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 talk 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 and value of every human being, no matter who you voted for, and who will stand up boldly for policy that reflects that. 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 the work it requires to pave our streets, fix our sidewalks, generate revenue, and bring a positive vision of Medford to life.
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total time: 3.45 minutes total words: 606 |
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