5 Questions For: Etel Haxhiaj, Worcester D5 Council Candidate

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester residents living in City Council District 5 will get a new City Councilor this year. Four people are running to replace Councilor Matthew Wally, who is running for an At-Large seat in 2021.

Worcester Patch has asked each District 5 candidate to answer a questionnaire to help voters get to know them better ahead of the Sept. 14 primary, which will narrow the field down to two candidates.

Etel Haxhiaj, 41, is the public education and advocacy director for the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, and this is her second City Council run. In 2019, she came a few hundred votes shy of winning an open At-Large seat won by Councilor Donna Colorio in a 13-way race.

Here's what Haxhiaj had to say about her 2021 bid for the District 5 seat:

District 5 will have a new Councilor in November. What would you do differently than the current representative?

Our current Councilor has done many things to benefit our district and city and I’m excited about the new economic development Worcester is experiencing. We need to do better to make sure that all Worcester residents and all neighborhoods in District 5 benefit from this economic success.

This year in particular has been so difficult for so many. I hear from our small business owners and small landlords that they are struggling. Park Avenue feels forgotten and vacant and underutilized parcels sit fallow.

Worcester is still a city of neighborhoods and we should dedicate time, resources and attention to all parts of our City. This also means that all neighborhood voices need to be included in community planning decisions.

If you could have your way, what kind of transportation upgrades would you make in D5? This could be for vehicles, but please include thoughts on trails, bike infrastructure and pedestrian upgrades.

Before talking about transportation upgrades, I want to talk about the safety of our residents and children first. Recently, drivers struck and injured two young children on Pleasant and June streets. I have heard more than a few stories about elders crossing the street and drivers nearly missing them, or drivers not stopping for children coming off the school bus. As a mother, I am very concerned about this and I know I am not alone.

Just recently, I joined residents of the West Tatnuck neighborhood, where I listened to them express serious concerns about pedestrian safety. Excessive speeding, drivers disregard for pedestrians, and lack of signage make our neighborhoods less safe and discourage walking.

I also did a walk audit with neighbors along Mill Street in June to hear their thoughts about challenges and opportunities related to walkability and pedestrian safety. In all these conversations, I have heard a recurrent theme: Worcester streets are unsafe for residents and our kids. It shouldn’t be this hard or take long to introduce traffic calming measures that protect our health and safety. The residents I have spoken to and heard from have suggested many valid options such as increasing the time in pedestrian crossings, adding more speed bumps throughout the City, having dedicated bus and bike lanes, repainting and increasing the number of crosswalks, lowering speed limits and, where possible, reducing traffic lanes, as well as building bus shelters and benches along bus stops. All these improvements make our roads and sidewalks safer and more enjoyable for all.

No resident and no parent should have their and their children’s lives endangered while walking, biking, crossing the street or getting off the bus.

The City Council voted 8-3 in March to adopt ShotSpotter Connect. How would you have voted and why?

I have two concerns about the process that brought ShotSpotter to Worcester.

First, ShotSpotter Connect did not go through the budget hearing process for big ticket items. Having this new major purchase reach the City Council outside of the typical budget process is a concern. As a City Councilor, I believe we have a responsibility to closely follow City spending and protect Worcester residents and community members. I cannot tell residents of District 5 I’m doing my best when votes on sewer and tax rates come before Council, but don’t ask the exact same questions when something like ShotSpotter Connect is presented.

Secondly, concerns have also been raised in other parts of our state and across the country about the accuracy and more so the potential for the inaccuracy of this new technology. I think Worcester should be thoughtful and not rush to implement new technologies when there are significant concerns being raised. We need to get away from criticizing leaders and experts because of the questions they ask. It’s an unhealthy national trend that Worcester shouldn’t be mimicking.

What's your stance on making WRTA buses free permanently? Following up on that, when was the last time you rode a WRTA bus?

I have been a supporter of making WRTA buses free permanently and have been working alongside the WRTA Zero Fare Coalition for a few years now. All residents benefit from having free, reliable and connected buses we can take to work, to the grocery store, park or medical appointments.

In 2020, as a member of the WRTA Zero Fare Coalition, I was part of organizing the “Ride the Bus” event for community members, advocates, and elected officials to talk about the Zero Fare movement. In riding the bus during this event, I had the opportunity to hear from consumers about the challenges and strengths of the current system.

In recent years, bus transit advocates had been calling on elected officials and candidates for office to take the bus. At the beginning of July, I responded to the #TaketheWRTA challenge and took the bus for a few days to observe and share my experience and thoughts. It gave me the chance to talk with riders and others, about the importance of having a free, reliant and connected bus transit system in Worcester, as well as hear about suggestions for improvements.

You have a visitor from out-of-town. Where are you taking them to dinner in D5?

My boys and I have been doing a tour of locally-owned restaurants in the District for several years now. We like the new discoveries as places open. While getting to know the owners better, I’m hoping my boys, who are still young, are learning more about supporting their neighbors and occasionally learning something about a new country or region. I can’t lie, spinach pies and veggie burgers are still a challenge for the boys, but pupusas, meat pies and fried plantain have been great additions.

It’s important that we support our small businesses and their workers who have greatly struggled over the pandemic. I’ll give my visitors a choice of some of our favorite places, or offer-up the opportunity to try a new and, as yet, still unexplored new restaurant that’s popped-up somewhere in the district.