Election November 7, 2023
Meet your Councillor at Large Candidates Forum
League of Women Voters Candidates Night
Councillors At Large
Tuesday October 17, 2023
Government Center
Moderator
Attorney Alice Taylor LWV
Candidates,
Councillor at Large
Colleen Bradley-MacArthur
George A Darcy
Emily E Saperia
Emma Tzioumis
Stephen L Duffy
Thomas M Stanley
Carlos A Vidal
Thomas E Stanley
Two panels A and B, four candidates each. One same question to both panels. Questions selected by LWV committee are confidential.
Timed answers, one minute., accepting closing statements, one and one half to two minutes.
My personal round up notes taken in person to the best of my ability for sharing and informational purposes only.
Last day to register for the November 7 election is October 28 . Presented by Attorney Alice Taylor. League of Women Voters are in their 130th year.
First question from Attorney Alice Taylor….
What’s the biggest challenge facing the city today?
Colleen Bradley MacArthur
Planning is the Number 1 challenge , along with
Attitude of isolationist practices. phrases like, “What works for Somerville and Cambridge won’t work here..
The Charles River Watershed just did a study just on Waltham telling us what we could do for climatization
We could implement those changes.
Attitude in city officials. trust and transparency.
Let the public speak before council meetings like they do on other towns and before School Committee meetings.
^^^^^^^^^^^
George Darcy. Biggest challenges are Fernald reuse,
Synchronizing traffic signals,
Pocket parks on the South side congested area.
Gem of Fernald. Housing adaptive traffic. Fernald Fernald reuse. Fernald a Gem. Community. Comprehensive plan. Start from scratch. —————————
Patrick O’Brien
Why are all these trees being taken down. A hiker at best place at Prospect Hill..and Camp Cabot I think why have all these trees come down??
A phrase I like… “I have … Two ears and one mouth.” I like to listen at council meetings.
I’m there to protect the neighbors. What if I lived next to this development???
Open eyes. Look for opportunities.
. Alice Taylor
Question Two:
What can the city do to better help serve mental health services for unhoused population?
George A Darcy
What can city do for mental health probs. Reuse and house mental health people at Fernald. We have had five hospitals in north Waltham.. Military Hospital Murphy Army Hospital , Gaebler, Fernald, Met State, Middlesex County Sanatorium and it gels rightly w helping mental health issues. Five hospitals. Coordinate with agencies.. step up and support them in other ways , with these agencies..
Patrick J O’Brien
To help strugglers with mental health issues… help with Access points for critical care. COVID has brought on depression. I work in Medicare sales… People need or Elders…. Companionship calls Need an advocate. Get thru this tough patch as best as we can
Emma Tzioumis
I work in Public Health
Public health is part of mental health , City can provide increased therapists in schools Help youth. Increased training cops in mental health Broadly going upstream. Isolation is a problem. provide gathering spaces. Designing the city. Create spaces for people to come together. Like Moody St closing did If we had a robust planning department again.
Colleen Bradley-MacArthur
Collaborate. I’m With Emily on Connect people with our caring city resources .. I work with volunteers with Chaplains on the way and now have people in my life through them The lens I see these issues in the city has completely changed. .. clients who got housing vouchers thru dpt of mental health couldn’t afford waltham rent …but wanted to stay here. such resources in our caring city.
Next Question
Same to both panels A and B.. What impels you to serve?
Patrick J OBrien
My Friends and neighbors here and new people. Restaurants. Free trash removal , free leaf pick up, others towns talk about… I love this city. It’s a place you love. The potential. Not just community it’s the people. Combination.. We’re working on 42 projects. In long term debt. I chair, The new Rail Trail worked at for years to bring prospect hill. We have a lot of tremendous services. I was told by someone I hired I was told, “You know what you gave me a shot. “ When I interview people for my job I see the Potential of people. My Dad always says, “Today is the day. “ (to make a difference)
Colleen Bradley-MacArthur This is a job interview. What other job do you learn about zoning, I mean the word everyone. You have the right to be informed. Get involved. I’m tired I of feeling like I’m not part of this community.. I’m bringing everyone around with me.. unhorsed. This is a way to bring people along with me. Transparent. I love this job.. inclusive.
George Darcy
Make Waltham better , When I first served as Ward three Councillor , they were selling off of a lot of open space Land in North Waltham Selling off much valued open land.. at Our lady’s. State will sell Fernald for luxury development . I worked hard to save those , Worked hard with Other wonderful people from Lexington and Belmont to save that land for open space.
In this job you help people with all kinds of problems.. getting them a handicapped parking space when they had back pain. That was a big win.. All kinds of prob help people with.
Fernald 196 acres. That’s a Big Win. But there are Small things that are big wins.
Emma Tzioumis
What Impels me is all our kids. See the world thru thrir eyes. Like my public health hat can’t unsee it .. great potential. For our kids .. I don’t want my kids to lose their classmates. At their dual language school Instill optimism in them shape their world , lunches. Providing safe future. Bike across town. Safely..
Mr.Stephen Duffy.
Worked with students 13 years school counselor. Affordable housing at Fernald Development without displacement.
Median income numbers , is it really affordable. Keeping residents where they already are , Homeowner empowerment. Zoning. Only a majority to pass housing in the council. Not be afraid to make changes.. that benefit everyone..
Carlos A Vidal
I’ve been Realty Agent Twenty years.living here Since 2003 it was affordable Waltham. What really is the meaning of Menial income
The Merc has affordable no housing, Totten Pond rd will have affordable. It’s coming… with a little bit of work.
Tom Stanley
Chair of ad hoc affordable housing ad hoc committee I’d to do converting armory. Chair elder affairs. Senior 25 percent increase in pop Adu s doubling the money for housing authorities. Healy announce bold ideas More green
Emma Tzioumis
Overwhelmingly climate change Here we could. Transportation. And green issues. Hard just to walk. Up sts. Think holistically. Not acknowledge stop fossil fuels. Will run out anyway. We should choose first. Climate …
Tom Stanley
Awarded green grants. Open space preserving. Farm. Fernald. Met state. Charles river watershed. Land trust. Missing piece of flooding at hardy pond. 250.000 flood gate for hardy pond.. working with watershed closely pull levers of gov to make positive change. For Waltham. That’s what I’ve done..
Mr Stephen Duffy Explore city use of energy at local level. Take a serious look. Preservation open space. Appropriate development solar energy. Wind energy. Reasonable for us explore these green means.
Carlos A Vidal
Look ahead for kids. Our planet Involved in geo thermal heating. Eversource Framingham geo thermal heating. Water in pipes. Cooling. Heating. Create. Catherine Clarke said grants available.
Tom Stanley I take great pride in doing my best Mass equality. Right thing to do gay mart lost friends forever. Home care. Improve nursing homes. Home care. Elder affairs. Locally started long term debt Committee.
Mr Stephen Duffy
Overhaul the budget of the City. Do our Due diligence.
Emily Saperia
wants council to work together for the best for this city.
wants to keep people in their housing not displace them
Development without displacement
median income so high in MA
a wide variety of residents should have made available
planning needs to be better
enjoy the greenest of our city
multi pronged approaches
trouble just walking in the city
