Medeiros: Make Melrose a Leader in Community Engagement

As an elected official in Melrose, as a City Councilor and former School Committee member, I have worked hard to improve the atmosphere and the quality of life here in Melrose, and am proud of our successes. One area in which we could use further improvement is in the area of community engagement. I want to change the way we do business at City Hall to open the doors to a friendlier, more inclusive, more forward thinking and fiscally responsible Melrose.

To me, an open government is one that is welcoming, one that remembers that the resident is our customer, one that communicates freely and is open to criticism, and one that listens deeply and hears its resident’s concerns.

I want to see us be a leader in Community Engagement by opening up our government, by involving people in the decision making process, and making sure we are operating in an open and transparent way. It is your money we are spending. You should be able to know how it is being spent and where it is going.

For example, I believe the community would have benefitted from involving residents earlier in the decision making process by having community discussions before deciding where to zone recreational marijuana. The schools in particular, could use better communication. Whether it be about the decision to eliminate e-camp or about the “Bring Your Own Device” Chromebook policy, communicating better with parents may have reduced tensions and allowed other alternative options to be identified.

Improving Access to City Services

One of the first orders of business will be to review staffing levels to ensure resident’s needs are being met. In the short term, perhaps the simplest thing we can do to make City Hall more customer friendly is to return the position of “Greeter,” first instituted by Mayor Guerriero. The Greeter would welcome those who entered and direct them to the appropriate office. This position could be filled by a volunteer, someone in the Senior Tax Work Off program or an intern.

My administration would also seek to offer increased online options – for forms, payments & processing – to make accessing city services more convenient and accessible. By making better use of technology, we can streamline our city’s government to be more efficient.

Civic Engagement

As Mayor, I will create a “Civic Engagement Committee” to explore ways we can improve access to services and information, and to ensure all populations are treated fairly and equally.

As a former ward alderman (now known as Ward Councilor), I believe taking a neighborhood approach to government by involving stakeholders in the decision making process yields the best results. I want to see us be a leader in Community Engagement by opening up city government to make it accessible to all, not just the politically connected.

More than half the battle about getting people engaged is about meeting them where they are. This is not a one size fits all world and not everyone reads the paper. To better outreach on important issues, I will regularly host community or neighborhood meetings to involve more residents and gather more input from our stakeholders.

Budget Transparency & Accountability

If elected Mayor, I will begin Day One to build a five-year strategic financial plan for Melrose and use it as the basis to build our annual budgets. I am committed to ensuring this is presented in a clear budget format that is detailed, easy to find, and understandable. I want Melrose to be a leader in this area.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) annually gives out Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards to entities whose budgets meet these goals. My goal for Melrose would be that we receive one of these awards within my first term as mayor.

Respecting your tax dollars with every decision is a central to my platform. Implementing the use of “Open Checkbook” would help do this by providing the public with a clear and searchable way to view all of our expenditures.

As a City Councilor, I have been a fierce advocate for accountability and transparency, consistently calling for a more open government. As your mayor, I would be able to put this into action. At the heart of what I hope to provide is a budget that is grounded in sound fiscal management and that is clear, transparent and easy to understand. My administration would provide our taxpayers with clear financial detail of how their money is being spent and open the doors to let more voices be heard.

To learn more about my campaign or to get involved, please visit my website at www.VoteMonica.com or follow me on Facebook at "Monica Medeiros for Melrose" and Twitter @VoteMonica.

Monica Medeiros is a Melrose City Councilor-at-Large, President of the Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association and candidate for Mayor of Melrose.