[Liz Mullane]: Sure. Thank you so much for having me. Liz Mullane, she, her. I am a nonprofit development professional who's been in the nonprofit world for I currently work at Northeastern University, where I am an assistant vice president for advancement. And in that role, I manage and oversee 6 different units that cover kind of a variety of different areas. With our families, I work with individuals who want to leave Northeastern in their estate plans and I do fundraising for our athletic athletics and our libraries. So, a lot of different programmatic support across the university. I've been in this role for about two years, but I've been involved with Northeastern since about 2020. I was hired as an adjunct faculty member in their graduate nonprofit management program. So a lot of my time is spent working with adult learners and basically sharing with them how to build out a nonprofit from the financial, legal, and strategic planning side of it. I have been in Medford since 2018. I live here with my husband, and we have two rescue dogs. We were fostering throughout the pandemic. We ended up finding out about a bonded pair of older dogs that the adopter had dropped out. And my husband's a big Bruins fan and they had lost that day. He was very vulnerable. So we decided to bring the foster, the bonded pair up with us. And we were not able to find another family that wanted to adopt an older two dogs. So we have them. So they're lovely additions to our home. And I have been involved with the Medford Democratic City Committee and that's kind of how I first started getting a little bit more engaged within Medford. And I've been involved as a member, since about when I moved here. and have served as the chair for Ward 2 for the Medford Democratic City Committee for the past couple of years. And in that role, trying to get people more aware of and more locally politically engaged here in the democratic process. And now I'm trying to turn some of that information and some of that experience into running for city council.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure. Um, so this actually is a tough one. There are a lot of great places. But I would say there's a restaurant right across the right around the corner from us called nappies. Um, I don't know if people have been, but, um, I took my husband there in one of our first dates and there is nothing more amusing than the fear of someone realizing there is no menu and you have to listen to the servers go through every single type of pasta and sauce and meat combination. Um, I will say it was so humorous, uh, to witness this firsthand. And his answer was spaghetti and meatballs. Which he still gets, even though he's been there several times. I would say mine is Penny Vodka with chicken from there.
[Liz Mullane]: Yeah, it's really good. And it is funny. You are like, you gotta listen.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure. So, as I mentioned, I've been here since 2018. I've been a renter. until that point, but bought here in Medford. And so I'm really seeing a lot of things happen over the past couple of years really started to kind of push me to want to get more involved, especially within the city council. I'm seeing, certainly seeing a lot of the things happening on our pedestrian walkways that we had nearby. I live right here on the Fells Way. So I'm constantly seeing people getting near accidents or accidents here. Our streets, I'm someone that I think I may have now officially popped all tires on Grant Street coming up because of the roads and conditions. And really, as I was starting to think about how to get more engaged as the world has been going nationally, I really wanted to make sure I can make an impact here locally. So all of these things kind of helped to push me to really start wanting to get more involved and to really take a positive action forward for Medford. And hopefully after I go through some of my experience and some of the things I think I can bring to the city council will kind of help kind of demonstrate where I think I might have the skill sets to really move Medford and continue to move Medford in a positive direction.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure. I got my start in fundraising working at Emily's List, which raises money for pro-choice Democratic women running for Congress. And in that role, I really started understanding how important fundraising was in order to move the needle on a lot of these different revenue generating initiatives. And it kind of stuck with me ever since I've seen what that impact could look like. So Since then, I've worked at organizations where I've really used a lot of my budgeting, strategic management, and understanding of how to find revenue streams for each of these different nonprofits that I've worked with. So I started working at the Advertising Council, which some people might recognize as Smokey Bear. but essentially working within the advertising and media to help push the needle around campaigns for public service and really trying to drive people on how to get more involved and engaged. In that capacity, I learned how to write foundation and corporate grants. I've done capital funds and endowment funds around education, around mental health. I helped to create a facility within the BILH system for one of their hospitals around behavioral health, especially for our youth and being able to provide the right services that they would need. And I've also worked and managed a research campaign for the Alzheimer's Association. So again, working within medical research and treatments and advancement And during all of this I served as a consultant for nonprofits, and I was going in and out of different nonprofits and seen. where there could be improvements around how they're budgeting, how they're running their finances, what that looked like. And I realized at that point in time, I didn't really have a lot of that training to provide more of that support. So I ended up going back to school to get my MBA at Texas A&M. And when I was there, that's actually where I started working on federal and government grants. And I was working within Texas to help provide mobile medical support for low income and rural communities and learning what it meant to write federal government grants. So throughout my career, I've kind of worked in a variety of different ways in which you can drive revenue and felt like, you know, seeing some of the things that were happening within the budget and with what Medford's trying to do, thought that I could utilize some of those skill sets in order to really help improve some of these areas within Medford. So that was kind of how my background kind of pieces came to it. And, you know, when I was looking at some of the budgeting pieces of it, you know, knowing that at Northeastern and within another university, I've worked within the library systems in terms of building out revenue and generating support for technology for programs. I know we've got an amazing library here, but I know they're, they also need more staff support and more support around the incredible programming they do. I'd love to be involved and engaged in doing those types of services, certainly around mental health and providing more mental health services and Councilors in Medford to be able to stabilize and deescalate in situations. I think that's critically important. So those were some of the areas where I felt like I have direct past professional experience within how to kind of work and serve in some of those industries that would be helpful within Medford and kind of moving the needle on some of these different programs.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure, absolutely. I mean, you know, as I mentioned, some of the reasons why I got involved, I also wanted to think of what are some of the things that I could bring to the table? What are some of the things that I could help to do? when we're talking about pedestrian safety, looking to do an audit across the city with hopefully organizations like Walk Massachusetts that has done this in other areas. So not just what I'm seeing because of where I live, but even different neighbors that I've spoken to, there's a variety of different places where we could address that. I think that we should look at that holistically instead of kind of piecemeal in different areas. Um, you know, I've, I've also, as I mentioned, have the two dogs and no backyard. So I am a huge proponent of green space, more open walkable areas. I know Medford is going to be starting their new strategic plan for 2026 around open space and recreational needs. And that's something that I want to advocate and be a part of to help make sure some of those initiatives still move forward. One of the areas that I think I've been very impressed with is the Affordable Housing Trust. And certainly, trying to provide affordable housing is going to come in a variety of different ways. I don't think there's one specific thing that'll get it all done. but what I really appreciate about the Affordable Housing Trust is that it's a first step in a way to move the needle and to be able to identify how we can find new funds in order to make it more affordable to live within Medford. Certainly, I know that they receive grant funding, but there are other different ways to drive revenue into the Affordable Housing Trust that I think could dig a little bit deeper into as well. I also think about bringing in more small businesses into Medford. You know, I've had conversations with some small business owners about how difficult the process is to navigate and there's a lot of roadblocks and how can we streamline that process and incentivize it to make it a more an easier place for small businesses to engage with us. I think there's a lot of opportunity and we just have to figure out ways in which we can make it more feasible for more businesses to be able to do that. And certainly, you know, someone as I work in higher ed, I work with families, I teach, making sure that we're making our education a priority and supportive of Medford Public Schools and being the partner with the school committee as well to ensure that a lot of their initiatives and the things that they're seeing to help drive improvements for our students is important for the entire community. So, I think it's something that we all need to be behind and be supportive of. So, these are all just a couple of different areas that. I'm passionate about, that I think with my experience, you know, having more of an understanding behind working within kind of complex, larger institutions, understanding some of the nuances around the budgetary process for some of these different larger departments and what that looks like, and really being able to help identify ways to encourage growth, I believe are things that could be helpful in this role on the City Council.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure. So I think for me, what I have really come to see with OR and the work that they've done is my connection to the progressive issues that they represent and they stand for. And I think if you really do look at those different areas, I think many of us want, I would hope, better school systems for our students, that they would want to have Recycling, composting, greener spaces, open spaces. If there's one thing I have learned, I've learned how to negotiate and to work with people that have a variety of different ideas and opinions. And I think I think that's an area where I've been able to excel within my career to be able to navigate some of those difficult conversations and to be able to, you know, be able to express. These are the issues that I'm really pushing for and really wanting to see change. within Medford, and I think our revolution has done a really great job moving the needle on a lot of these things. And I also think that, you know, they're all individual people as well that come at it in a different perspective, and I think are all working in the same direction, which is trying to make the city better. But having, you know, working with a large group of people and having to navigate those kinds of conversations, I feel confident that I'll be able to continue pushing through on these areas that I see need improvement within Medford and to try to bring people to the table. I think, you know, what I've been seeing and hearing as I've talking with people on the streets is just being able to listen and being an open ear and having a conversation. And maybe we won't always agree on everything, but I want to be here to get a better understanding of where people are coming from, and to be able to see how best to navigate some of those difficult conversations with them if we may not be on the same page. But I do think it's important to listen to everyone and to provide a space and an opportunity for them to share some of their ideas and thoughts as well.
[Liz Mullane]: No, I just, you know, I'm excited about the opportunity. I'm really looking forward to continuing to meet with people and having these conversations and door knocking. I have to say the people have been lovely. And have been sharing, you know, some of the things that are their concerns and sometimes they're in line and sometimes they're things that. haven't heard about before, which is great to take note of and to try to follow back up and see, you know, where myself or where the city council can be helpful in trying to help answer some of those questions. So I guess I would just say, you know, I hope as I meet more people that they feel willing and able to approach me and have these conversations and to talk through some of these different areas, because I think at the end of the day, we're all here trying to make a better place. And I think that if we can do that together, we can really see some great movement and change in Medford as well.
[Liz Mullane]: Sure. So my website is Liz, number four, Medford. And my email address is the same Liz for Medford at gmail.com, the same Instagram and Facebook handles. Um, I try to update it as much as I can, but I'm not great at it. Uh, so please email me if I haven't gotten back or if you haven't seen anything posted in a while. Um, but yeah, I'd love to hear from people and, um, help in any way that I can.
[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 non-profit management program, instructing adult learners on how to build a non-profit 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 have 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, 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.