Candidate Profile: Andrea Kelley, Ward 3 Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — Andrea Kelley is running for reelection against Pamela Wright and Meryl Kessler for Ward 3 Councilor-At Large. There are 20 people vying for the 16 Councilor-At-Large seats on the Newton City Council in the Nov. 2 municipal election, as well as contested races for Ward Councilor, mayor, and school committee.

Newton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Kelley has been Landscape designer and site planner for over 30 years. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A), Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Annie Sandoli at annie.sandoli@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

Campaign website

http://www.andreakelley.org

Age (as of Election Day)

68

Position Sought

City Councilor, At-large

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

husband, three adult children, two grandchildren ages 1 1/2 and 3 1/2, one more on the way

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

A.B. Bard College, Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A), Harvard Graduate School of Design

Occupation

Landscape designer and site planner, 30+ years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

City Councilor, At-large

Why are you seeking elective office?

To continue to have a voice and a vote on multi-issues locally. To work collaboratively with residents, businesses, City staff and my colleagues to keep Newton a great place to live and work. I do my homework, do my research, listen to constituents - all together to understand each proposal.

As an At-large councilor, I care about West Newton, and all of Newton. I hope residents from all wards of Newton will vote for me: city-wide issues are also my issues.

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

First of all, getting us transitioned out of COVID-crisis. Simultaneously and after that, housing is a topic of utmost importance. We need to maintain and expand the variety of housing options in Newton, with homes of all sizes, ownership and rental, to provide housing for our existing and the potential workforce, families, downsizing seniors, people of all ages, ethnicities and incomes.

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

Balance and civility: not all current Councilors possess these attributes. There is too much grandstanding, taking undue credit, fear mongering, condescension, being the smartest person in the room, distortion of reality, the NO perspective or that one person has the solution.

I am none of those things, but rather am collaborative, balanced, civil, have respect for others, as well as common sense.

Rather than just complain and point out problems, I try to be part of the solution. Rather than seek attention, stir up negativity, or take sole credit, I work with others as a cooperative problem solver.

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

I understand that the uncertainty around the coronavirus led to caution in setting policies on social distancing, mask-wearing, in-person meetings and school attendance. The science of COVID-19 was measured and developed over time. Our leaders tried to stay abreast of medically sound direction and CDC recommendations. However, particularly around the school re-opening issue, I found the School Department and School Committee leadership to be frustratingly slow and not fully acknowleding the community input. Although school matters do not lie within the arena of the City Council, I would have preferred more openness, more responsiveness, a less patronizing attitude. I wish we had addressed and resolved the air quality and ventilation systems in some of the schools much sooner.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

*social justice and equity, for issues city-wide (access to housing, food, services, employment and transportation) and in the schools

*climate change - environmental sustainability for now and the future

*open space and economic development, especially helping local businesses succeed- both necessary components of a healthy city

*roads/sidewalks/paving/infrastructure maintenance are a budgetary and programmatic priority

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

With over 30 years of civic advocacy and leadership on various boards, commissions, subcommittees and organizations, I have to ability to be an effective City Councilor. I have docketed a wide variety of items including environmental issues like banning polystyrene, installing solar, improving small businesses success, rental and mortgage assistance, support services for our most vulnerable residents, water usage and billing, creating a housing trust, rodent control and improving the City’s website. I have a multi-issue approach which is well suited to the variety of topics that face Newton.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

THINK: before speaking consider is it Thoughtful, Honest, Intelligent, Necessary and Kind?

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

Being thorough, listening to all perspectives, having a positive approach and "playing well with others" are attributes of mine that are well suited to being on the City Council.