Candidate Profile: Pam Wright, Ward 3 Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — Pam Wright is running for reelection against incumbent Andrea Kelley 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.

Wright worked for over 20 years as an engineer and program manager for Raytheon, HP and Agilent. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University.

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

WrightForNewton.org

Age (as of Election Day)

59

Position Sought

City Councilor at Large

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

My husband John and I have lived in Newton for more than 22 years. We sent our two children and our foster children to Newton public schools, and today we are happy to report three are in college and one foster daughter is recently married.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University.

Occupation

I worked for over 20 years as an engineer and program manager for Raytheon, HP and Agilent. Presently, besides working as your city councilor, I’m managing our two rentals, and I volunteer in the schools in a variety of capacities, including as a LigerBots coach, a T2 – First generation college mentor, and a CAP – Child Assault Prevention instructor in all the Newton elementary schools. I’m a robotics tournament director, including the Eastern MA championship. My husband and I have nearly finished the process necessary for hosting an Afghan family for 4 months. We’re excited to welcome them to our home, and we know that Newton will embrace them with open arms.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Ward 3 Councilor at Large

Why are you seeking elective office?

First, I’m running for re-election for the same reason I ran two-years ago. I believed then, and know now, that as the only engineer on the city council, I bring a careful, analytical, and detailed approach to the table; a different and, in my opinion, vital perspective. I am fact and data driven when confronting the challenges our city faces. My modest upbringing allows me to understand how it feels to struggle, like many residents in Newton.

Secondly, I’m running again because I pride myself on listening to the residents. Residents have told me they want a vibrant, inclusive Newton, and they want changes to our bylaws which accomplish that, while incorporating our climate action initiatives. They want improvements to our infrastructure, from making our streets and sidewalks safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists, to improving our green spaces and recreational facilities. And residents are concerned that seniors are being priced out of Newton, and that their children can’t afford to live here. Since day one in office, these issues have been at the heart of my work; I share their goals and their concerns.

And on that note, I’m running because I want to continue the work I started. My vote is always one in the best interest of our city, and not best interests of the loudest voices or the deepest pockets, the developers or the ideologues. I’m just a resident, looking to make Newton a better place for my fellow citizens.

I want the voters to know that I’m your voice, and if re-elected, I will continue to be your voice on the city council.

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

Zoning redesign with our climate action goals may be the single most important issue in the city. Zoning dictates so much of what Newton is and what it could be, from how we build our houses, to what our village centers will be like, to reaching our climate action goals... it honestly touches every issue we face in some fashion.

As a member of Zoning and Planning Committee, I read what is proposed, I analyze it, and search for the unintended consequences and come up with solutions. Engineering is all about identifying problems and solving them. Rather than trying to rewrite our entire zoning code to give more power to developers, we should be modifying our zoning in targeted ways to address our most pressing issues.

I look at zoning in terms of what’s best for the city. I will continue to do that. I question, I challenge, and I fight for solutions; a zoning code that works for Newton. I look forward to continuing that work

Again, as an engineer, I bring a methodical and analytical approach to zoning redesign. Numbers and data matter. Especially with zoning. That’s what you get with me and that won’t change.

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

I’ve mentioned my approach to the job, that’s a key difference, being data and facts driven. In my decades of experience as an engineer, we constantly solved problems through teamwork. I continue this process in my work as a city councilor. Also, my very modest upbringing allows me to understand how it feels to struggle, like many residents in Newton.

I’m running to continue the work I started as an average Newton resident, free of conflicts of interest and questionable motives; I’m just serving my community. It’s a tough job, but it’s an incredibly rewarding job knowing I can make a real difference for folks citywide whose voices are often ignored when money and political favors enter the equation.

I’m not doing this job to make friends or make my friends happy. I’m doing it to try to make the city I love a better place for all of us.

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

Tackling COVID-19 was, and continues to be, an exceptionally difficult job. Thankfully, the residents took it seriously and we have an over 95% vaccination rate of residents over the age 30. I joined with many of my city council colleagues in writing letters to the mayor and the school committee requesting a sense of urgency to get back into the schools and recommending that the medical advisory group provide information for a safe opening. I joined all my colleagues in calling for the need for vaccination and masking. We aren’t out of the woods yet, and going forward we will need to work collectively, but I do believe that, if re-elected, the experience I’ve gained with COVID-19 over the last year or so will serve our city well.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

To the residents of Newton, I pledge to continue to advocate for responsible development with a plan for traffic, infrastructure, and schools. I will continue to press for changes on zoning, special permits, and other ordinances to further our climate action initiatives. I will push for our Infrastructure improvements from roads, sidewalks, bike lanes to playing fields to storm drains and more. And I will continue to fight to increase affordable housing, and supportive measures so that seniors, their children, and their children’s children, are not priced out of Newton. We’re losing our past and our future because it’s becoming increasingly unaffordable to live here. That, to me, is unacceptable.

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

As a new councilor, I became a quick study on zoning redesign and today, residents and other councilors come to me with their questions on zoning. I led on reducing the garage prominence to the street, also known as snout houses. I joined my colleagues urging the mayor and school committee to endorse a sense of urgency to get the children back into school, and recommended the medical advisory group provide information for a safe opening. I’ve been working on so many issues, including affordable housing, housing trust, rodent control, increasing our tree canopy, Cheesecake Brook and storm water issues, historic preservation, reducing tear downs, climate action initiatives, and improving playing fields; and I believe I’ve helped our city make progress on every one of them. I’ve done the best job I can for the residents of our city, and I truly hope to continue that work.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

From my father. Tell the truth. You will never get into trouble for being honest. Also, treat everyone with respect.

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

Per my father’s advice, I’ve never lied to you, and I never will. We may not always agree, but know I’m doing the best job I can, I will always listen, and I will cast my votes for what I believe are in the best interests of our community.