Medford Election Profile: Breanna Lungo-Koehn For Mayor

MEDFORD, MA — City Councilor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, 39, is challenging incumbent mayor Stephanie M. Burke in Medford's municipal election Nov. 5.

Lungo-Koehn lives in Medford with her husband, David, and their three children. Her sister is a special education teacher in the Medford Public Schools.

Lungo-Koehn holds a juris doctor from the Massachusetts School of Law and bachelor's degrees in criminal justice and psychology from Endicott College. In addition to serving as a city councilor for nearly 20 years, she is an attorney and small business owner.

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The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Lack of transparency and engagement. Medford is filled with talented, hardworking people with great ideas. We need to engage them in how we solve our toughest challenges. I will change the dysfunctional culture that discourages people from participating in our City by listening to all ideas, taking action and holding myself accountable. This will include quarterly neighborhood ward meetings and monthly visits with the City Council. It will also include a charge to all department heads to embrace the need to share our work, embrace 21st century communication and management tools, and listen to ideas for how we get better from all corners of Medford.

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

Our approach to leadership is different. I strive to invite others in by listening, leading with humility, sharing credit when things go well, and holding myself and my Administration accountable when we suffer a setback. I would rather share tough news openly than withhold information. My unwavering commitment to transparency AND follow through are the major differences in our leadership styles.

On substance, here are a few critical examples of our differences.

I support better planning and balanced growth and development. A top goal of mine is to revise zoning and improve economic development approaches to increase our commercial tax base from a record low 10.6%. For example, we should accept permit applications online and help small businesses navigate our permitting processes. We should rezone mixed use districts that require a minimum amount of commercial development of at least half. I do not support unplanned development of dense luxury apartments far from transit. The Mystic Ave. zoning amendment proposed by the Mayor was a perfect example of how the Burke Administration lacks the vision to thoughtfully propose changes to our City's rules for development by pushing luxury apartments in too many locations, at too great a density. I support additional senior and affordable housing and aim to include that in our planning efforts.

I do not support repurposing revenue currently supporting school facilities to other needs when the debt matures, as the Mayor confirmed she is doing during the Mayoral debate. Our highschool and other schools need those resources. Furthermore, I support improving student-teacher ratios, adding teacher professional development and increasing resources for children with special needs. The recent State House education bill helps. We can also afford to do so by increasing our commercial tax base.

I do not support Park Medford and will cancel the contract at the earliest time to avoid undue penalties, which is 2021. I support areawide permits to ensure residents have adequate parking, especially in light of the Greenline coming. The Mayor has shown no leadership on either issue.

I support charter review, including Mayoral term limits to limit the ability of a Mayor to aggregate too much power over the course of time. I also support exploring ward-based Councilors for part of the Council representation.

I support replacing the defunct see-click-fix city services reporting system with a 311 system that increases follow-through and gives us the data we need to improve city services. I also support increasing funding for sidewalks and streets.

I support funding for a historic district on Forest St and taking that additional step to protect our historic homes. The Mayor has not provided the necessary $12K to do so.

These are some concrete examples of our current policy differences. I will note that when Mayor Burke and I served together on the City Council, we had similar voting records and were friends and allies. When she was elected Mayor, something changed.

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

Medford is great. We have so much to be proud of. Four years ago, when Mayor Burke was elected, I was hopeful that she would capitalize on our assets and the excitement from being the first new Mayor in decades. Her first six months in office included some of the things I hoped to see, with lots of opportunities to seek ideas and input. Since that time, there has been a lack of follow through and communication. She hasnt articulated a vision on major issues that residents understand and her actions and inactions have eroded the public trust.

The Mayor promised quarterly neighborhood meetings to share information and listen. They never happened. She has been to a handful of City Council meetings in her tenure as Mayor. She communicates via press release instead of two-way conversation.

The Mayor promised to revitalize Medford Square. Instead, she waited until 2019 to share a plan for developing four vacant parcels that would have not pushed retail/commercial uses and would have resulted in 400 fewer parking spots. She subsequently backed away from the plan and has done nothing since.

She promised to rezone Medford but has refused to engage the neighborhoods in a real process to seek input and grow consensus. She refused to support an independent zoning consultant until 2019.

She has done nothing to solve the problems with Republic Parking/Park Medford and has taken no position on whether to extend the contract or revise the approach.

Most importantly, she's not unified the City. Medford is divided and too many have lost faith that their City government puts the interests of the people first. Medford deserves better and we need a leader who will lead to grow trust in government through transparency, listening, inviting ALL residents into City Hall, and holding an ironclad commitment to create a culture of integrity.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Here is our plan for transparency, community, action, and change:

Planning, Zoning and Development. Advance comprehensive planning to clarify Medford’s vision for development. Work with businesses and neighborhoods to update our zoning. Use planning and zoning to protect our neighborhoods from overdevelopment and increase our commercial tax base from a historic low of 10.6%. Protect historic homes. Grow smart without increasing traffic or parking problems. Add senior and affordable housing.

City Services & Infrastructure. Upgrade to a 311 reporting system to replace failed See-Click-Fix. Create a transparent & comprehensive capital plan to address deferred maintenance in city buildings and infrastructure. Cancel ParkMedford when the contract expires in 2021. Continue to support substance abuse resources and collaboration.

Schools. Invest in classrooms first. Improve resources dedicated to supporting children with special needs. Improve school facilities through small dollar changes and comprehensive capital planning. Increase private fundraising.

Environment. 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by traffic congestion. I support a balanced approach to growth and development. I’ll bring a greater focus on planning and will encourage transit-oriented development. I've also proposed legislation to require large new developments to include solar panels. I supports local solar homeowner programs and have installed solar on my own home. Medford needs to protect our tree canopy, including curbing developers from unnecessary cutting. I will increase awareness and tools to preserve mature trees whenever possible.

Communication & Transparency. Lead a culture of transparency and integrity in City hall. Personally engage in quarterly neighbor ward meetings and monthly City Council meetings. Reject campaign contributions from out-of-town deep pocketed interests with business before the City. Listen and follow-through.

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

For nearly 15 years, I have been an attorney representing families through some of the most difficult times of their lives. I am asked to interpret the facts and the law and advocate for the best path forward for my clients. With families, the challenges they face that require counsel can be difficult and emotional. Through poise, professionalism, hard work, skillful negotiation and a commitment to kindness and caring, I have been able to help families resolve challenges and move on with their lives. These experiences in negotiation rooms and the courts, applying hard work, passion and caring will all help the City if I am elected Mayor.

I have also been a small business owner and understand the needs of businesses to navigate City Hall, balance a budget, and take care of hardworking employees.

I have also been invested in the community as a coach and mentor. I helped start a chapter of a nonprofit programs that empowers young women to grow, support each other, learn to achieve goals and have confidence earned from achieving success. This experience fills me with the energy to work hard for people, especially young people and those in need. It has provided me with a unique window into what children and families need and how many people in Medford are willing to step up to help empower each other, but also need support themselves.

I have several accomplishments on the Council that I am proud of. In this recent budget, we successfully advocated for a grant writer to increase revenue to the City and we advocated for a zoning consultant to advance necessary rezoning to grow Medford the right way.

In recent years, I've successfully fought for increasing in inclusionary zoning requirements so developers now have to build more housing for working families in seniors when they construct new buildings. I've also increased notification rights so neighbors know when developments may impact their neighborhoods.

In these cases and many more, I learned that it takes collaboration and teamwork to get things done. I will take those lessons to City Hall and change the way the Mayor reaches out and works with others.

I also learned valuable lessons advocating for safe schools after the Gun Magazine incident. My parents taught me to speak up for whats right. I've always approached my work and service with that conviction. The gun magazine incident experience reinforced that I need to stand up for whats right, no matter what. That bringing the truth to light is necessary, especially when its difficult. Its that truth that creates the ability to make meaningful, positive change. Thats why I am running for Mayor.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Work hard. Be Kind. Be true to yourself. Never give up.

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

I respectfully ask for your vote for Mayor of Medford on November 5th. I decided to seek the office of Mayor because I believe in Medford, I love this place, and I know we need a change of leadership to unify the city around our strong sense of community. The campaign has been the experience of a lifetime. I've appreciated your engagement, your ideas, and your passion. I've heard you and I am filled with energy and enthusiasm to make the change you've rightfully demanded. I pledge to be transparent, to follow through, to bring humility and a commitment to listen. My plans are as follows: to improve city services through new professional tools, to revamp parking, ensure balanced growth and development through better planning and revised zoning, to support our schools, students and teachers, to continue positive progress doing our part to protect against climate change, to comprehensively plan for parks and infrastructure capital needs, and to support prevention and services to combat substance abuse. You can learn more at breanna4mayor.com. I will do all of this transparently, putting the neighborhoods and people first. Medford IS strong, but we need change to protect our future. Thank you for your consideration.