Meet Salem City Council Candidate Filipe Zamborlini

SALEM, MA — Filipe Zamborlini, a Brazilian immigrant who serves as chair of the Salem Affordable Housing Trust, is running for an At-Large seat on the City Council in the Nov. 7 general election.

Zamborlini is one of six candidates — two challengers and four incumbents — seeking one of the four At-Large spots on the Council.

He told Patch that among his priorities on the Council would be the city's affordable housing and climate crisis, as well as equity for marginalized populations.

Patch sent a series of questions to candidates in contested races in this fall's election with these Zamborlini's responses:

Campaign website/social media page:

www.FilipeForSalem.com

www.facebook.com/FilipeForSalem

Share some details about yourself, your ties to the city, your career in public office and/or professional life.

My wife and I moved to Salem in 2018, looking for an affordable community to set roots, and raise a family. I immediately got involved and joined the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board; today I serve as its chair.

As a formerly undocumented immigrant from Brazil, I have faced poverty, housing instability, and many of the same challenges Salem residents face today. I have been in the forefront of fights for minimum wage, family leave, in-state tuition and driver licenses for all, and LGBTQIA+ rights. I had the honor to successfully shape efforts to change federal, state, and local laws to meet people’s needs. Here in Salem, I have contributed to our recent housing and environmental resiliency plans and to policies such as Accessory Dwelling Units, Land Disposition for affordable housing, and efforts to pass Inclusionary Zoning and to draft a strong tenants' protection condo conversion ordinance.

Today, we are raising a daughter and expecting baby #2 next year. Salem is home for us and I hope to make sure the legacy I leave for my family and others is one of a community that is affordable, accessible, and welcoming for all. I hope I can count on your vote on November 7 to do that work!

Why are you seeking this elected office?

Imagine a Salem where everyone can afford a home, access the resources they need, and feel welcome. I am running for City Councilor At-Large because I believe we can be that city. I am running a positive campaign going door to door to meet voters and engage them in an honest conversation about policy and the future of Salem I am running for Salem City Councilor At-Large to continue to serve, fight for and alongside people most marginalized, and make sure Salem is an affordable, accessible, and welcoming City for all.

I will bring a unique perspective to the Council through my lived experience, strong public policy and constituent service skills, and a track record of creating solutions for people. I can write ordinances and help people find solutions. From potholes to policy, I am ready to serve on day one.

What are the key issues facing Salem and how would address them, if elected?

The combined challenges of our housing and climate crises are the top issues Salem faces today. We need to face the reality about our housing crisis; for the past 50 years, Salem, Massachusetts, and parts of the U.S., have not produced enough housing, including affordable ones. Housing is a human right. Too many Salem residents are facing extreme rising rents, instability, and displacement.

It's time to tackle housing with bold ideas and real solutions. We need to build more housing for people of all incomes and help people stay in their homes. We must update our restrictive zoning laws, incentivize multi-family and mixed-use developments, and remove barriers for production such as reduced parking minimums, streamline permitting, and encourage denser affordable development. We are catching up on decades of low housing production and it’s time to do more, faster.

As a coastal city, we are in the forefront of the climate crisis and cannot be a contributor to it any longer. We must reduce carbon emissions, invest in our resiliency, and improve our greenspaces and tree canopy. We must enact a zero emissions ordinance for all future developments and move towards 100% decarbonization. We have several plans addressing resiliency needs and must make sure those plans' recommendations are implemented. Last but not least, we must recognize that there is work to do locally to reduce and end reliance on fossil fuels; Salem must move towards a 100% renewable energy grid for all properties and I would work to make that goal a reality.

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

I am an immigrant, a Latino, a Brazilian-American, and someone who has experienced and overcome challenges by working with my community to lift each other up. I have served the public in the Massachusetts State Senate, the Attorney General’s Office, and several non-profit organizations. Today, I continue to be a public servant creating housing solutions. I have provided direct services and constituent services, and I have the empathy and ability to work with people of all walks of life. I have 13 years of expertise in getting things done as an organizer, policy advocate, and public servant. I am the only candidate in this race who has the combination of lived experiences, policy expertise, and a record of creating policy solutions and guiding people through government services, rules, and regulations to find the solutions they need.

If you are a challenger, in what ways would you look to improve on the way the current elected official is performing duties of the office?

There are many ways to improve the Council and how At-Large Councilors serve the people of Salem. It takes more than forwarding inquiries to ward councilors to serve the people of Salem. I am a strong believer in collaborative constituent services and would partner with ward councilors to provide constituent services when and where collaborative support is most needed to better serve people's needs.

I would make the committee level more efficient by giving questions to city staff in advance of committee meetings so they are 100% ready to give answers instead of being asked questions they have no way to answer on the spot. I would chair committees every session so that my policy expertise can be put to good use and would ask to chair the Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs Committee on my first term.

Lastly, our city charter states that "(t)he legislative powers of the city shall be vested in a city council" yet far too many of our ordinances do not originate in the Council — I would lead efforts to write ordinances and fully implement the role of the City Councilor as a local official with the role to legislate.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am a progressive who believes that government must create tools and paths for people to thrive. Beyond the issues I have already outlined, I would also work to tackle the following:

Economy: I will support our small businesses and make sure we are creating good local jobs by prioritizing mixed-use growth and working with our business leaders to plan for a sustainable and diverse economic future.

Traffic & Parking: We must implement street calming strategies in a data-driven approach, make sure Salem resident-parking rules meet all our needs equitably and tackle congestion in a comprehensive manner. It is time for Salem to complete a master traffic plan and create new, more efficient ways, to manage traffic and parking city-wide.

Tourism: I fully support our tour economy and the people it supports, and we must have a serious conversation about managing tourism growth by better organizing ourselves, tackling tourism taxation for revenue-raising options, and improving our city infrastructure for tourists and residents alike.

Infrastructure: We must promote complete streets, walkable neighborhoods, connected bike paths, and make sure we improve our aging water and sewer before water mains break. This is one of the costliest issues and we must do better by Salem residents by applying more often for every possible grant dollar available to improve our infrastructure.

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

I have made myself available to Salem voters in various ways this election season. I have been going door to door throughout Salem, have been endorsed by the North Shore Labor Council and the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter, have done a Reddit Ask Me Anything (www.reddit.com/16445mr), participated in the Chamber of Commerce debate (youtu.be/R3oATGHKM1A) and the first ever Salem bilingual forum (youtu.be/E5M-e0VgQXI), and answered the Salem League of Women Voters candidate questionnaire (lwvsalem.org/news/at-large-candidate-filipe-zamborlini) and Progressive Salem candidate questionnaire (www.progressivemass.com/filipe-zamborlini-2023).

Voters can reach me by email at FilipeForSalem@gmail.com, or phone at ‪(978) 219-4787. I am happy to be able to reach you as well, the Patch reader. I invite you to reach out, learn more about why I am running, and, on November 7, I hope I can count on your vote to be your next Salem City Councilor At-Large.