What are my key priorities?

Newburyport has a long history of coming together to solve tough issues. During the 1970’s residents came together to save our downtown from demolition during Urban Renewal, defining the quintessential downtown that we know today and creating an attractive urban core, here in Ward 2, that has sustained commercial success for generations. Our city will continue to confront significant challenges including new development pressures, climate change, and fiscal constraints. I have the professional background to help address these challenges. Our community is at its best when we work together with thoughtfulness and collaboration, and this is precisely how I intend to represent Ward 2.

Newburyport is a special place

Since moving here, I have witnessed our community struggle with some of the same issues as my hometown, specifically how to manage growth and an influx of residents, rising property values, and taxes while still maintaining the character that makes Newburyport wonderful and unique. Whether seniors, middle class families, teachers, nurses, municipal employees, or those working in the service industry - how can a city like ours grow and still remain accessible and affordable for the people who contribute so much to our community?

Newburyport has made great strides in recent years toward increasing affordable housing stock. The Brown School, which resides in Ward 2, is on its way to being developed into 29 units of deeply affordable senior housing. I believe this development will fit well within the fabric of its dense South End neighborhood while providing critical housing. As your Councilor, I will continue to look for opportunities to support diverse housing types for a broader reach of residents, including public servants such as teachers and public safety officials. As a renter myself, I understand the challenges presented by having limited rental housing available in Newburyport.

Rendering of Brown School Adaptive Reuse. Courtesy Zeta InSite.

Newburyport will continue to thrive so long as we continue to advance sustainable practices on both environmental and fiscal issues. The newly expanded Market Landing Park is a wonderful example of a project that advanced resiliency by creating floodable open space that also helps contribute to the vitality of our commercial downtown. I look forward to being part of the conversation as we continue to advance smart and sustainable growth for Newburyport.

Ward 2 is a dense area of Newburyport that includes much of our commercial downtown, tight neighborhoods, and some of our most well-known parks: Market Landing Park and the Bartlet Mall. As your councilor, I will advocate to keep making progress on the maintenance of our streets, sidewalks, and critical infrastructure, as well as our parks and recreational spaces, all of which contribute to the livability of our city.