5 Questions For Moe Bergman, Worcester At-Large Council Candidate

WORCESTER, MA — As usual, Worcester's At-Large City Council race contains the biggest field of candidates in 2021 with ten people vying for six seats.

Five of those candidates are incumbents — plus one more incumbent, District 5 Councilor Matt Wally, who doesn't currently hold an at-large seat. Worcester Patch asked all City Council candidates to answer questionnaires so voters can get to know them and their priorities better.

Morris Bergman, 58, won his Council seat in 2013, coming in third in a 12-way race for six At-Large seats. Here's what he had to say about going for a fifth term as a councilor:

Why are you running for City Council in 2021?

I am running for re-election to continue helping Worcester to be a place of opportunity for everyone. That includes making and voting on decisions and proposals that are well-researched and sensible.

There are now hundreds of housing units planned near Polar Park. What does Worcester have to do to ensure that these developments 1) don't overcrowd the neighborhood and 2) don't push out lower-income residents?

Current zoning and building regulations will ensure that there is no overcrowding. Some affordable and market-rate housing units will likely be included within these new housing units that will afford a percentage of lower-income residents a place to live. However, there is no legal way to ensure all current residents remain.

The City Council voted 8-3 in March to adopt ShotSpotter Connect. Why did you vote the way you did?

I voted to support ShotSpotter Connect because the technology makes sense: it's racially neutral and it’s a pilot program that we as a city could opt out of if we find otherwise.

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 believe the WRTA should be fair free as a service to city residents. We should try to find revenues to offset taxpayer responsibility for this but it should be fair free. I do think the success of the WRTA is more complicated than just the “fair free” issue. It’s been several years since I have been on a WRTA bus.

What's one thing that's missing in Worcester that you would like to see added?

Worcester would benefit from more historic markers, statutes and recognition of all the prominent places, people and events that occurred here. Our City’s history during the American Revolution, Civil War, anti-slavery and women's suffrage movements is as powerful/significant as any city in America but so much of this history is not recognized and celebrated.