Marianela Rivera: Candidate Profile Andover, Lawrence And Methuen

ANDOVER, MA — Marianela Rivera is one of two candidates in the 17th Essex District Democratic primary. She is challenging incumbent state Rep. Frank Moran.

Rivera, 35, lives in Lawrence with her 14-year-old son Davian. She is a physical therapist with a doctorate in physical therapy from Northeastern University.

Rivera previously served two terms on the Lawrence school committee.

The 17th Essex District includes parts of Andover, Lawrence and Methuen. The primary contest is Sept. 1, and voters can also cast ballots early in person or by mail.

Age (as of Election Day)

35

District:

17th Essex District

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

1 son — Davian, 14 years old

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University

Occupation

Physical Therapist with 10 years experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Lawrence School Committee (2 terms), Elected as Vice Chair during second term

Campaign website

Riveraforstaterep.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Part of the 17th Essex district is disenfranchised as a result of the state takeover of the Lawrence Public Schools. Lawrence residents contribute 70% of their taxes to the school system, but have zero say or representation in the education of their youth. It is taxation without representation and the law must be amended. The Voting Rights Act prohibits states from imposing any procedures that deny or discourage access to the polls for people of color. But there is a different attack on minority enfranchisement not addressed in the Voting Rights Act. Instead of barriers to the ballot box, local elected governance is being dissolved altogether and that’s what’s happened to the Lawrence School Committee. The 17th Essex district needs a champion who will strengthen its democracy and lift up the voices of the most marginalized and disenfranchised.

How would you rate the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic on a letter-grade scale (A, B, C, D or F), and how would you explain that rating?

D-Epidemiologists warned us of a major pandemic years ago. We should have planned accordingly and ensured our hospitals were fully equipped with the necessary PPEs, medical equipment, and supplies needed to combat the early stages of any outbreak. There should have been a severe lock down until the virus was eradicated similar to the approach New Zealand took.

Is Chapter 40B, the state's affordable housing law, working, and if not what would you change?

We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Chapter 40B is not working as there is a high percentage of our population who are in desperate need of affordable housing, but they spend years on waiting lists. Currently, Chapter 40B applies to new developments and allows developers to bypass some local planning and zoning regulations if at least 20% of the units in the development are deemed affordable. The problem is the definition of "affordable" varies depending on the location and the supply is not meeting the needs of many people. If a development is going to be categorized as "affordable housing" than the majority of the units should be affordable for those earning minimum wage. The law should be amended to increase the minimum affordable housing units and this should be enforced retroactively for all affordable housing.

What steps, if any, should the state take toward police reform?

An initial step should be removing School Resource Officers from schools as research shows they are a major contributing factor to the school-to-prison pipeline. An additional step we should also consider in police reform is taking a proactive approach to fighting crime rather than a reactionary approach. We need to fully fund our educational system and reallocate funding from the police to address mental health issues, drug addiction, gang prevention, domestic violence, and homelessness so that we are resolving these issues at the root source of the problem. The reality is police don't prevent crime. They handle the aftermath after the law has been broken.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Fighting for transparency and accountability is a central issue of my campaign platform. The Massachusetts State House has the worst concentration of power and the worst transparency of any State House in the country. Decisions about which bills will move forward are made in backroom deals, where a very small number of people decide what legislation is allowed to pass. Important bills continue to get killed in committee, without any record of how our representatives voted. I believe this is wrong and that we need to change the political status quo at the State House by creating transparency around all votes and testimony. I also believe there should be term limits for the Speaker of the House and that co-chairs should be democratically elected by secret ballot of the full house instead of appointed by the speaker.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a public education champion and will fiercely advocate for equity across our public school systems. As a physical therapist who has worked in special education, I have the perspective that's needed to address the inequities in our public schools.

Fighting for transparency and accountability is also a critical difference as the incumbent I am challenging has supported the current backdoor deal dynamics at the State House by voting against making all submitted testimony and committee votes available to the public, as well as to provide representatives at least 24 hours to read a bill before voting on it in committee.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

As someone who has worked in home care and early intervention, I have seen firsthand the need to address the current housing crisis in our district. Our current representative has failed to take the initiative and draft legislation that would ensure increased access to affordable housing across this district. A recent bill for rent stabilization measures was proposed and voted down by our representative, which is concerning considering many community members have been asking for some form of rent control given the ever rising cost of rent.

In addition to this issue, our current representative has been silent regarding the impact that the state takeover of our schools has had on our community. It's been almost a decade since our school system has been taken over without any checks and balance or systems of accountability. We have made very minimal gains on test scores, which is irrelevant considering the amount of test prep and testing our children are subjected to throughout the school year. Our children deserve better. Requests by School Committee members for detailed quarterly written reports on the status of the Turnaround Plan have been denied and School Committee meetings have been cancelled to silence the requests for transparency. Our representative is aware of this issue, but has stayed silent. Silence is complicity.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I was voted Vice Chair during my second term on the Lawrence School Committee despite the political pressure placed on my colleagues to vote for someone else. My actions as a community organizer and activist was the evidence they needed to support their vote. I have shown my community that I have what it takes to fearlessly advocate on behalf of what is in the best interest of the people. I am not afraid to stand alone if I know I am fighting for what is right, which is why I know I can handle this job and do what is right for the people of the 17th Essex District.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You only fail when you stop trying.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I earned my doctorate at the age of 24 with my 4 year old son by my side. I have the determination and perseverance it takes to overcome any challenges thrown my way. I hope to use my experience in evidenced based practices to critically analyze and research the multifaceted issues affecting our community. I want to dedicate much of my time to collaborating with community members to draft legislation that will address their concerns around housing, working with colleagues to address climate change, and amending the law that disenfranchises our community.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.