Noval Alexander On Second Run For Framingham D5 Council Seat

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham District 5 Council seat is one of two open races in 2021.

Candidates Noval Alexander and Cheryl Gordon are vying for the seat held by Robert Case, who declined to run for the seat again. Case first won the seat in 2019, defeating Alexander, who was a School Committee member at the time, by under 100 votes.

We asked both Gordon and Alexander to answer four questions about why they're running in 2021, and what they would do with a Council seat. Here's what Alexander said:

Why did you decide to run for City Council this year?

While I was and still am a proponent of our change from town to city government I feel as we’ve made significant strides forward only to be thrown into reverse or we’re stuck in the mud. A major impediment to progress is the toxic relationship between our Council and mayor. It’s unfortunate this toxicity and factional squabbling has often bled into the Council. We can fight for what we believe in but do it in a more respectful manner. I realize and understand there are contentious issues facing the Council and heated debates are part of human nature, but we need to adhere to our expected norms, hold ourselves accountable, and remember our kids, grandbabies and for some like myself our parents are watching us. Councilmembers always need to remember our focus, our north star is the people of Framingham. I will not and nor should any Councilmember pay homage, get marching orders, or be a parrot for any mayor or any major political party or factions thereof. I believe all stakeholders want to see the betterment of Framingham but these broken relationships and less independent thought processes haven’t gone unnoticed amongst many residents and its’ been appalling and disappointing, to say the least. If elected, my intention is to address it early on, that is half of the battle in my view.

What's the biggest issue facing District 5 right now and what do you intend to do about it?

There are many issues facing our District but the one that seems to stick out for many is public safety/quality of life. One of those concerns is motorists speeding through side streets
to avoid traffic on arterial roads and residents living along major streets like Concord Street, Union Avenue, Franklin Street, Warren Road it seems to be at peak congestion times, and during pleasant weather on weekends noise from very loud car and truck stereos. Conversely, motorcyclists and cars accelerating quickly (gunning it) with altered exhausts exceeding decibel levels like Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier. This seems to be the bane of their existence living along those major streets. The pandemic combined with rapid advances in technology all packaged into our phones have brought out the best and worst behaviors in all of us and that has filtered down to driving habits. We have a noise ordinance, a reduction of the speed limit to 25 mph throughout the City that the Council and mayor worked hard to pass and sign a few years ago but I don’t think its translated to making these issues overall better or more tolerable.

I don’t have all the answers but if elected I would like to bring together smarter and more adept folks like the Traffic Commission in conjunction with DPW, Framingham police and our City Citizen Participation Officer to study these issues and recommend solutions. In the end, they may need more resources and tools at their disposal to educate the public, deter unsavory behavior and amend or enforce existing ordinances.

Can you name one transportation priority for District 5 you have?

Transportation issues? … oh, count thee headaches!! It’s no secret Framingham has had significant traffic and congestion issues for at least three generations. I believe this issue impacts and overlaps quality of life, environmental and local climate change mitigation with idling vehicles. Framingham needs to ramp up its efforts to get closer to meeting the Commonwealth’s carbon emission 2050 goals. The Council and the next mayor need to adopt a visionary mindset to alleviate this problem. One possible solution I’ve thought about is to
synchronize the 10 traffic lights from Concord Street/Route 30 (Cochituate Road) intersection thru Downtown Framingham to the Burkis Square intersection (Irving/Hollis streets) I believe we can harness the technology available to us and employ them. If elected that’s one I’d like to see come to fruition during my first term.

How will you work with either a new mayor or the incumbent to get things accomplished in 2022 and beyond?

Working and collaborating with the Mayor is fundamental to getting things accomplished. This question goes to the heart of the first question and my response to that. Both elected bodies need to treat each other with mutual respect and be forthright about their intentions. Honesty and a truly open dialogue are an essential element in that. If either party comes in with a disrespectful tone, an ego, a hidden agenda or my way or the highway approach more than likely nothing will get accomplished. That’s not good for either party and worse the people of Framingham will bore the brunt of ineffectual and rudderless leadership. To me as a leader that is unacceptable and if I exhibited those attributes, one should expect frustration and an unfavorable response from the voters at the ballot box. I believe if all leaders understand their roles, leave their swords and egos at the door to approach issues in a less confrontational manner we can overcome any obstacles that confront us.

RELATED: Cheryl Gordon Seeks Open Framingham District 5 Council Seat