ELECTION 2011: Kathleen McMenimen

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following are responses from City Councillor At Large Kathleen McMenimen, who is seeking relection in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general city election.  The questions were posed by Waltham Patch and have only been edited for clarity and readability only.

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Current Employment:

Retired teacher in the Boston Public Schools for more than 32 years. City Councillor At Large for the City of Waltham for five decades

 What is your professional background?:

I earned my BS in Education and M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Boston College. I am past President of the B.C. Alumni Association. 

I taught for more than 32 years in the Boston Public Schools; formerly administered the Head Start Program in Charlestown and authored “A Curriculum Guide to Operation Head Start”. 

Some of my community activities include: serving on the Board of Trustees of the Fernald Developmental Center; creating and editing the monthly newsletter for the local AARP chapter; Lector and former Pastoral Council Member and School Board Member of Our Lady’s Parish; former President of the Waltham College Club and previously producing and hosting the Waltham Cable Television Program “Tick-Talk”. 

 Why are you running for City Council?:

I have been and will continue to be an advocate for finding creative solutions to the issues facing the people of Waltham. I have been involved in numerous endeavors throughout my forty-year residency. Our city is rich in history, vibrant in its culture, benefiting from its people and worthy of representation to continue these things. I have been involved in the fabric of Waltham for many years. Any city that thrives is the recipient of a multitude of contributions from its citizens. I have been a small part of that contribution and want to continue to do my part to make Waltham a livable, viable and vibrant place. If the people of our city approve, I hope to represent them for another two years as a Councillor-At-Large in our local governmental entity. 

How are your skills useful for representing constituents?:

For the past forty years, I have been a Trapelo Road resident. I own my home and work diligently to maintain my property. I raised and educated two children in Waltham. My daughter and her husband and three children and remain in Waltham.

My family and I believe that Waltham provides many advantages. It is close to Boston and accessible to Route 128. It is home to eight new schools, unprecedented in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Many small parks, soccer fields and other recreational attributes contribute to a balanced quality of life, in addition to the preservation of hundreds of acres of publicly accessible open space. The residential property tax is one of the lowest in the Commonwealth and the amenities and advantages are among the best. Waltham residents are caring and neighborly. In essence, although deemed a city, Waltham has many attributes found in small towns.

The skills I possess as a mother, grandmother, teacher, educator, homeowner, volunteer, neighbor, activist, cable TV producer, candidate, public servant and Councillor have collectively combined to provide me with a unique perspective for decision making on behalf of Waltham’s residents.

During my 24 years as Councillor, I sponsored and supported issues concerning education, public safety, affordable housing, transportation, infrastructure improvements and most importantly, financial and economic stability for the city. 

I have been instrumental in implementing quality of life legislation for Waltham's citizens. 

My leadership includes the preservation of a 12-acre parcel of land on Beaver Street known as Waltham Woods; the establishment of quarterly-tax billing saving taxpayers $125,000 annually; "Impact Fee" legislation resulting in over $10 million in alternative financing for traffic and infrastructure improvements; and amending Waltham’s zoning for “Inclusionary Zoning” and the “Waltham Housing Partnership.” I sponsored the first recycling effort, “Waste Works for Waltham.”

If elected, what issues would be your biggest priority and why?:

The most pressing issue now facing Waltham is the challenge of weathering the national economic downturn and its impact on Waltham’s operating and capital budgets for this fiscal year and the future. As councilor and long-time member of the Council’s Finance Committee, I intend to carefully monitor the revenue stream and expenditure outlay and will work toward sustaining and maintaining existing city services for FY 2012.

Two issues regarding the future growth and development in Waltham and the large-scale impact of these lie at opposite ends of the City: the Fernald Center’s 200-acre campus and the former Polaroid site. My insight and experience to zoning issues over the past 30 years will allow watchful and beneficial oversight to these two properties to help mitigate the impact of both developments.

For incumbents only: why should you be re-elected if you have already had several years in office?

I served as Councillor-At-Large from 1986 to 2000 and from 2002 to the present, and as Ward Three Councillor from 1976-1978. 

I have served and chaired nearly every standing City Council committee and am currently a member of the Finance Committee and Long-Term Debt Committee. From 1980 to 1985, I served as a Waltham Housing Authority Commissioner. The institutional knowledge, experience and insight that I bring to the City Council is without peer.

The people of Waltham have placed a great responsibility and trust in me. My representation of their best interests has spanned twenty-four years and I take that responsibility and trust seriously. I am proud and honored to serve the people of Waltham and I look forward to continuing to do so. I respectfully ask for their vote on Nov. 8 to re-elect me to an at-large seat on the Waltham City Council.