Hannah Bowen: Beverly City Council Candidate Profile

BEVERLY, MA — Hannah Bowen is looking to bring experienced, thoughtful, open and transparent leadership to the Beverly City Council at a time of significant turnover.

The 40-year-old executive director of the North Shore Meditation Center grew up in Swampscott and earned her bachelor's degree in political science at Yale University before earning her Master's in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard University.

She has been a nonprofit executive for 20 years who also serves on the Beverly Charter Review Committee. This is her first time seeking elected office.

The citywide general election is Nov. 2.

Campaign website

https://www.bowenforbeverly.co...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love Beverly and I love government, so in some ways it is just very natural that I would run for local elective office. More specifically, I am running for city council at-large this year because I believe we need experienced, thoughtful, open, and transparent leaders to step up and serve in these citywide roles at a time when some of our current councilors are ready to pass the baton.

Serving on the Charter Review Committee gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into the structure of our city government and learn the role that city councilors can play. I realized how much each member of the city council matters to the local issues I care so deeply about. That experience is really what inspired me to run for the city council this year.

The single most pressing issue facing our city is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While there are a lot of challenges and opportunities facing Beverly right now, I believe the most urgent is our recovery from the pandemic. Immediately and for the next couple of years, we will be deciding how to use relief funds, where to reduce or expand city services in response to the changes brought about by the pandemic, and how to move forward together as a community after everything we have been through. We have learned some new things over the past 18+ months about how we can use public spaces to connect as a community, and about what we value most in our neighborhoods, jobs, schools, and local economy.

I intend to approach these discussions with both ears open — listening carefully to needs and solutions across the city, particularly from people who have not traditionally participated in government decision-making. I would like to see Beverly use participatory budgeting for some of our recovery funds, and I will work for all of our decisions around city services to prioritize the mental, physical, and financial health of those most impacted by the pandemic.

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

We all love Beverly, and it has been a pleasure to get to know and learn from the other candidates who are all as deeply invested in our community's future as I am. A few things that are unique about me among this group would shape how I serve as a city councilor. I've studied, lived, and worked in a variety of other places, so when I chose to move home for good, I brought back with me an ability to understand issues from multiple sides and see connections or opportunities that are not always obvious. I have experience as a nonprofit executive, which means I've spent as much time on budget spreadsheets, strategic planning documents, and organizational development as I've spent facilitating conversations, building community, and managing competing priorities. I've applied that unique mix of business and community service skills to a variety of issues including health policy, sustainability/sustainable investment, technology and communications for community development, advocacy for responsive/transparent government, and conflict resolution. That means I can bring knowledge and networks to bear on the full range of issues facing Beverly today.

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

I am running for one of three at-large (citywide) seats with only one incumbent because I want to build upon the work of the current city council, not to correct a specific failure. With the upcoming retirements from the city council, I believe we need public servants that have the capacity to work effectively citywide from day one. The areas I'd like to expand on to better serve all Beverly residents include transparency and inviting more public input into priority-setting and policymaking.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Overall, I think Beverly's local officials were very effective in responding to the coronavirus. I am grateful to the frontline staff across departments — schools, police, fire, public health, public services, and more — who continued to serve the people of Beverly at risk to their own health. I would have supported their work as our current elected officials did, and tried to ensure that frontline staff in all roles received adequate compensation and support as the pandemic has worn on, including part-time staff in less visible but vital roles, like custodial and maintenance.

I learned working in global health policy that the foundation of public health responses is having local, trusted partners to provide health communication, education, and services at a full-community scale. Although our area has incredibly high-quality medical care available to individuals, our basic public health infrastructure has not been maintained as well. Therefore, I would have worked hard to mobilize and coordinate our city's full set of trusted partners — public health nurses, school nurses, senior and youth service staff, nonprofit social service case coordinators, and community leaders from our religious, business, arts, and neighborhood organizations — to reach Beverly residents with consistent communication about the ever-changing landscape and to provide direct practical support for those quarantining, isolating, caring for children, receiving vaccinations, or otherwise taking action to promote public health.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The top two issues I hear about from neighbors and care about deeply myself include residential/commercial development that supports greater affordability and a healthy community, and improvements to public services (particularly roads and sidewalks). As a renter downtown who works in the nonprofit sector, I feel the affordability crunch acutely. I would like to work on a new accessory dwelling unit ordinance that helps us diversify our housing stock to address affordability in new ways, not just through large apartment buildings.

On roads, sidewalks, and other fundamental public services, I think the issue is as much one of transparency as effective management. The city council's role includes providing public accountability for service delivery and facilitating communication between city departments and residents across the city — both are needed when it comes to paving and other infrastructure projects.

Beyond those two areas, I am also focused on making sure our climate resilience strategy is people-centered, our economic development strategies attract and retain community-focused businesses, our school system supports our students and staff well, and our government is more representative and inclusive of our full community.

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

Most recently, I'm proud of completing the Charter Review thoroughly and quickly after the pandemic disrupted our original timeline. Working with the other members of the committee to do a comprehensive and thoughtful review within time constraints was certainly good preparation for the work of the city council. In my nonprofit career, I have directly managed complex partnerships and budgets, including an over $8 million annual budget for collaborative work across 15 organizations on 5 continents. I have represented diverse constituents in policymaking before in my past work in global health, and accomplished important advocacy wins like funding for infectious disease research and development.

I am also proud of my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana from 2004-2006; completing that form of national service was not only a significant personal accomplishment and contribution to the community in which I served but also the foundation for my approach to community and public service in the years since.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

“Just ask.” My parents adopted that phrase as constant advice growing up, after a family trip where we realized it was the best/only way to navigate a new place. Now I hear those words ringing in my ears in so many situations — not sure how something works? Not sure what’s motivating someone to act a certain way? Not sure what that word meant? Not sure how to start a hard conversation? Not sure if an out-of-the-box idea is worth pursuing? Every time — just ask. Even when I don't get an answer, the act of forming the question teaches me something.

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

I'd like voters (and all Beverly residents) to know how grateful I am to be part of this community. The level of community engagement and volunteerism I see around the city is constantly inspiring. The care I see neighbors taking to support each other makes me feel truly at home here. The open spaces, vibrant downtown, and nature that we get to enjoy together are really special and worth protecting.

My gratitude and love for Beverly have only grown deeper through the process of campaigning, which makes me even more excited to contribute as a city councilor and to continue working with my neighbors to help Beverly thrive.