[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.