total time: 3.18 minutes
total words: 87
[Miranda Briseno]: Hello Medford, my name is Miranda Briceño. 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, green space, benches to rest on, and public restrooms. As a renter, I've 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 afterschool and pre-K. Our school staff deserve 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, increased harm reduction services for those in recovery, better wraparound services for our unhoused neighbors, and improved social services for our neighbors who need support, meaning their essential needs. 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. Medford needs to make a commitment to Vision Zero, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. At MassDOT, I work with municipalities to help them utilize transportation funding to its full potential. I work closely with several divisions across MassDOT 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. 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 blue bikes infrastructure. As a MassDOT employee, I am actively involved in my union, and I currently serve on its board of directors. Medford runs on union power, and I am proud to be endorsed by SEIU Local 509 and UAW Region 9A. I love being part of a diverse, multigenerational, 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.
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total time: 3.18 minutes total words: 87 |
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