As a child, Tom’s father Bill lost his parents. After finishing school, he always worked two-three jobs, volunteered as coach, PTO President, CCD teacher and more while raising Tom and his four siblings. Tom’s mother Roberta waitressed at the Chateau for over 30 years, sold real estate and worked at Waltham Hospital for a time while volunteering for everything from cheer leader coach, shack mom, PTO President and many more. Along the way, Bill and Roberta made time to elect Bill city councillor, state representative and eventually mayor of Waltham.
1&2. How would you assess how the city has managed and maintained open space? What plans do you have in mind to improve this work? Would you support the administration’s request to create a Park Ranger position within the Recreation Department to help the City responsibly manage its forested parcels (many of which were acquired in recent years)?
The City of Waltham has made great strides in preserving open space over the last 15 years. This would not have occurred without the guidance and leadership of the Waltham Land Trust (WLT).
Unfortunately, the City of Waltham has put forth minimal effort to manage and maintain public open spaces, including the Fernald and Prospect Hill properties. While we have seen a few improvements, such as the installation of rest rooms at Prospect Hill, much more can and should be done to maintain these precious resources.
To help the City move forward with preserving open space, I believe Waltham needs to create and fund a full time park ranger position which could eventually grow to include additional part time staffers to care for our public forested land. I supported this idea during my tenure as a city councilor and if elected, will do my best to make this happen.
Additionally, state grants are available to help maintain and improve our open space. Prior administrations have actively sought this funding and I believe the City should reinstate these efforts.
3. Should Waltham Land Trust’s position on development (see below) guide the management of city-owned property?
To best preserve our natural resources, I believe that the WLT position on development of city-owned property should be a guide for city officials. I support the city acquiring the Agrillo Farm off Beaver Street with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding without further delay.
Any development on the city’s open space should only be considered when there are no other options for conflicting municipal priority needs. For instance, if viable, I would have supported the creation of a new high school at the Fernald or Stigmatine properties. Both would prevent disrupting our students learning environment. I support building the new high school at the only viable location identified at the current site utilizing school property. I do not support building on the Storer land.
I do not support taking property by eminent domain for a public purpose when other options are available. However, I do support a friendly purchase of the Stigmatine property to prevent future development on the site and preserve additional open space.
Regarding the Fernald Property, I have fought for a comprehensive community reuse process to prevent over-development on that site. Personally, at a minimum, I have always believed that the majority of the land should be preserved for public open space and recreation. Any limited development ought to be for a necessary municipal need or minimal impact means to finance and maintain our open space and recreation. However, any reuse decisions must be made with a comprehensive and professional asset and reuse assessment with extensive public involvement and support.
4. The Waltham Land Trust continues to encounter people tenting/living along Waltham’s trails and open spaces. We are concerned about a potential lack of facilities for folks who need them. What will you do to help this situation?
People tenting/living along Waltham’s trails and open spaces discourages the public from using these properties. Waltham needs to do more to provide services and create safe and affordable housing for folks in need. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) and CPA funded housing vouchers are underutilized. Builders ought to be required to incorporate a higher percentage of affordable units into developments rather than finance the AHTF. Additionally, we really need to focus on providing housing with supportive services for individuals facing addiction or in need of mental health services, which are both factors driving homelessness.
We need to look at public spaces such as the former city dog pound on Felton Street. By turning this space into a homelessness facility, we can service and shelter those in need while at the same time discouraging use of public spaces such as the library, Waltham Common, Prospect Hill and the Charles River walkway for tenting/living.
Planning for Waltham’s future requires foresight. As a parent, I am extremely disappointed it has taken so long to settle on a realistically viable site for a new high school. This episode is a glaring example of what is wrong with our local government.
Three sites were selected as the best options to build a new high school: the current location, the Stigmatine property and the Fernald property. Two of these three locations are not viable. The Stigmatine property is not for sale and the mayor and city council restricted new school buildings for future use on most of the Fernald land when they bought it with CPA funds in 2015. The remainder portion has significant environmental and historic preservation challenges. A Councillor at the time of purchase, I vocally opposed and voted against buying so much land with CPA funds and specifically cited that we may need the land to build a new high school.
Pursing the Stigmatine or Fernald property are long shots which would add years to the project which leaves the current location as the only viable option. Not moving forward with this site will put another generation of students through sub-standard school facilities.
When my youngest child entered kindergarten, Waltham needed to renovate the high school or build a new one to meet today’s educational standards. Today, this child is a freshman at Waltham High School. During this time our student population has risen. Exhaustive efforts were made to design a school that best meets students needs. Despite all of this, a new location has yet to be nailed down, which has jeopardized the $145 million in state funding.
We must move forward with the current location for the new school as it’s the only viable option. I ask for your vote for Councillor-at-Large because Waltham needs strong leadership to move us forward.
Rep. Tom Stanley
As a candidate for Waltham City Council, the League of Women Voters of Waltham asked Rep. Stanley to respond to the following two questions:
What are two significant issues facing Waltham and how do you think they should be addressed?
1) Two significant issues facing Waltham are the siting of a new high school and the reuse of the Fernald property. These issues are glaring examples of what is wrong with our local government. Both have taken far too long and decisions must be made in order to move forward.
Planning for Waltham’s future needs requires foresight. For the last decade, Waltham has fought to control the 190-acre Fernald property and has known it needed to either renovate and upgrade the high school building or build a new school. To date, the city has been unable to site a new high school location or begin the process to develop plans for the reuse of the Fernald property.
Two of the three priority locations for a new high school selected by the school building committee and school committee are not viable options. The city does not own the Stigmatine property and it is not for sale. New school buildings were excluded on most of the Fernald property by the mayor and city council when it was purchased with Community Preservation Act funds. The remaining portion has significant topography challenges, environmental hazards and development restrictions the mayor and Mass. Historic Commission.
Leaders should stop avoiding tough decisions and move forward with the location adjacent to the current high school, which is the only viable site for a new high school. Our community also needs to Implement a community-driven, comprehensive asset assessment and reuse plan process in regards to the Fernald land. To do otherwise is a serious neglect of responsibility.
To read more of my thoughts on these issues, visit my website at http://tomstanley.org/2017/09/22/rep-stanleys-waltham-citizens-for-education-position-statement/.
What will be your first activity, or most important accomplishment?
2) The first thing I will do as city councillor is resubmit my Resolution passed by the Council in 2014 requesting that the mayor fund and issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a professional firm to conduct an asset assessment and community-driven reuse plan of the Fernald property.
Thank you Waltham Citizens for Education for requesting a statement on the saga of siting a new high school. If any member of the group would like to host a coffee party I would certainly attend and address these issues and any others.
This episode is a glaring example of what is wrong with our local government. Planning is suspect and it takes far too long to get anything done. Along the campaign trail I received countless questions regarding plans for the new high school and the Fernald. What is taking so long to site the new high school? Is the city ever going to do anything with the Fernald property? I will address these broad issues in relation to the specific questions regarding eminent domain and where we should site the new high school.
Three sites were selected by the SBC and SC as the best options to build a new high school that met the needs of the strategic education plan: the current location, the Stigmatine property and the Fernald property. Unfortunately, two of these three locations are not viable. The city does not own the Stigmatine property and it restricted new school buildings for future use on most of the Fernald land when it was purchased in 2015.
Planning for Waltham’s future needs requires foresight. The city has known for over a decade that it needed to either renovate the current high school or build a new one. Friendly discussions with the Stigmatine Brothers could have started earlier. Waltham has also fought for over a decade to obtain the Fernald property. Less than three years ago, the mayor requested City Council (CC) approval to purchase the entire 190 acres of Fernald land with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. Ultimately, the mayor, with overwhelming CC support, purchased 140 acres with CPA money and 50 acres with general city funds. A member of the CC at the time, I vocally opposed and voted against buying so much land with CPA funds and specifically cited that we may need the land to build a new high school.
Using CPA funds restricts the use of land to open space / recreation, affordable housing and historic preservation and excludes building schools. Using general funds does not restrict the property use. However, the 50 acres which were designated by the Mayor to be bought with general funds has significant wetlands, topography issues, ledge, most likely environmental contamination, and historic buildings which all make the siting of a new high school, a significant problem.
As a parent, I am extremely disappointed that the city eliminated most of the Fernald land as an option by purchasing it with CPA money and that it has taken so long to settle on a realistically viable site for a new high school. When my youngest son entered kindergarten, Waltham understood it needed to renovate and upgrade the high school or build a new one to meet today’s educational standards. Three weeks ago, this same child started school as a freshmen at Waltham High School. It is unacceptable for Waltham to not have a site determined at this date.
During the past ten months since the SBC and SC first selected the current high school property as the preferred site for a new high school, several attempts to change the site location have only created unnecessary stress and division in our community. The rapid changing in site selection has been like watching a squirrel cross the road. These attempts have further delayed the construction of a new high school and jeopardized the $145 million in state building assistance.
1. The Stigmatine property: Separate CC approval is required to purchase and take private property by eminent domain. As I understand it, the Stigmatine property is not for sale. The CC is overwhelmingly against taking this property by eminent domain and has repeatedly voted against doing so. If the CC changed its mind, an unfriendly taking would take three years on average in court.
To be clear, I am in favor of buying the Stigmatine property if it were for sale. I am philosophically against taking the property by eminent domain. Eminent domain is a police power that should be used sparingly with great care and only if there are no other alternatives. If there is another site option available (albeit not the best), an unfriendly eminent domain taking should not be considered.
Side Note: I would have voted to expand the bond authorization to purchase the Stigmatine property from $18 million to $25.4 million as this was not contingent on taking the land by eminent domain. I also do not believe the request was out of order.
2. The Fernald property: Buying the Fernald with CPA money boxed in the city’s options.
Reversing Waltham‘s decision to buy the Fernald land with CPA funds is another long shot. The CPA became state law twenty years ago and is funded with local and statewide taxation. Communities must vote to adopt the law in order to receive matching state CPA grants. Waltham voters accepted the CPA with its use restrictions in a special election. Communities can opt out of the CPA or alter the taxation rate but cannot disobey the state law. In fact, no community has attempted to change the state law in order to allow use of the expended CPA funds for a restricted use.
The statewide Community Preservation Coalition has said it will fight any attempt to undue the CPA and therefore Waltham’s recent decision to use CPA money to buy the Fernald. This is a state-wide issue as opposed to just a local concern. Every legislator in the state has constituents that would fight the alteration of CPA use and the integrity of the CPA law. In addition, Waltham would be required to replace open space used at the Fernald with land not already preserved elsewhere in the city. Over the last 10-15 years, Waltham has purchased and restricted the use of large tracts of land for open space. That land could not be used in a swap.
For years, I along with the Fernald Working Group and others, have called for a community driven, comprehensive asset assessment and reuse plan for the Fernald land. If this had been funded and implemented, the Fernald would have been properly vetted and community consensus on reuse arrived at.
Mass Historic Commission (MHC) approval would also be required to use or demolish historic buildings on the site per a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the mayor and enforceable by the MHC. This takes time to consider and Waltham has yet to submit documentation requested by MHC to make any determinations. Finally, Waltham was able to buy the 190-acre site for only $3.7 million because the city bought it as is. In other words, Waltham is responsible for any environmental cleanup required. To the best of my knowledge, in the nearly three years that the city has owned the property, it has not sought to formally locate, determine the cost and existence of environmental issues on the property.
Side Note: The city never registered the purchased Fernald land in court. Some believe the configuration of land could be adjusted by the mayor by moving the 50-acre, general fund bought land away from historic buildings and likely environmental hazards. This would avoid the politically challenge changing the CPA law. It would also allow a new school without MHC and legislative approval. If this is true, I would support doing so.
3. Veterans Field: Placing WHS at this site would create severe traffic and safety problems, while destroying expensive athletic fields and displacing the popular youth soccer league. In addition, it would take a new memorandum of understanding between federal agencies or literally, an Act of Congress to approve an educational use for that property. I do not support utilizing this location for a new high school.
In Summary:
The root cause of this mess is poor planning. For over a decade the city has known of the current high school building short comings. For years our student population has been rising. Exhaustive and thoughtful efforts have been made to design a school that best meets our students needs. Despite all of this, leadership has failed to nail down a location.
At this time, pursing the Stigmatine or Fernald property for a new high school are long shots at best which would add unknown years to the project. They are not viable locations. This leaves one site chosen by the SBC and SC which is only thirty feet from where my child, a freshmen and thousands of other students are attending Waltham High School. Do I want a new high school built adjacent to the existing high school my child is attending? No. But at this point, I don’t know where else it could go without putting another generation of Waltham students through sub-standard educational learning conditions. It is time to stop the nonsense and get the job done.
People who perpetuate crime and acts of terror have many different origins and appearances. These acts are not committed primarily by people of the Muslim faith, nor those from the immigrant community.
Waltham is an ethnically and racially diverse city; residents come from all over the world to join our proud community. In past years, our city embraced newcomers from places like Italy, Ireland, England, Scotland and Canada. In recent years, we have welcomed Latin Americans, South Asians and Haitians, among others. And we are a better city for their presence and contributions.
The recent actions of the Trump Administration sets a damaging tone and misrepresents what our country stands for: religous freedom and embracing people from far and wide. They send the wrong message to those who wish to come here, and communities at home that now fear for the safety of themselves and their loved ones.
We all want to be safe from people who instill fear, hatred, and violence. But the President’s recent Executive Orders effecting refugees and immigration make America less safe. Policies banning Muslims and directing law enforcement to ramp up the deportation of families will likely have the effect of motivating those who wish to harm us.
With regards to terror, our nations resources and energy should be focused on routing out terrorist at home and abroad and not blanket discrimination based on color, origin or religion. I support legislation (Safe Communities Act) which prohibits state support for a Muslim registry and the use of state and local resources for mass deportations or deportation raids but allows continued local and state police collaboration with federal immigration agents to apprehend dangerous criminals.
Raising the cap on charter schools has dominated discussion over the past several years, culminating in Question 2 on the 2016 statewide ballot. Results aside, what we should be taking away from the heated debate over Question 2, is that an overwhelming majority of Massachusetts voters consider public education to be an extremely important issue. Most, if not all, public school parents want their children to receive the highest quality education possible and want their respective school districts to be given the proper tools and resources to provide this. With the start of the 2017-2018 legislative session quickly approaching, I offer several proposals that will help close the achievement gap and allow public schools to focus more of their attention on education.
In November 2015, the Foundation Budget Review Commission released a report highlighting the need to update the method the state calculates the per pupil cost of delivering education. The Commission discovered that the foundation budget significantly underestimates the cost of educating students by at least $1 billion per year. Included in the Commission’s recommendations were increasing the rates paid to districts for special education students and for English Language Learners (ELL) as well as providing a new tiered support for districts with high concentration of poverty, and aligning health insurance costs and inflation rates to Group Insurance Commission (GIC) numbers.
Over 20 years has passed since the foundation budget was reviewed. We cannot wait another 20 years before reviewing it again. Making the Foundation Budget Review Commission a permanent entity will ensure that Ch.70 will keep up with the times and reflects the true cost of educating Commonwealth students. Current state budget constraints will most likely prevent full adoption of the Commission’s recommendations, but a phase-in of the changes along with targeting school districts in dire need is feasible and should be explored further.
Both of the school systems in my district have experienced unique challenges to providing proper financial resources to adequately support public education during the last decade.
Waltham Public Schools are at or above capacity after experiencing an unforeseen surge in ELL enrollment over the past several years, a 60% increase since 2011-12. Many of these ELL students are classified as students with interrupted education (SIFE) and students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). These students are often refugees from war-torn regions with little to no formal education and require staff-intensive interventions to close the serious gaps in learning in such a short amount of time. The increase in ELL students has put a strain on WPS’s already-limited resources. Waltham is certainly not the only school district in the Commonwealth facing this situation. School districts need to be given the proper resources in order to deliver a first-rate education to ELL, SIFE and SLIFE students. The Commission’s findings on ELL rates hold merit and should be a point of focus for education reform over the next two years.
Lincoln Public Schools
Since the 1950’s, Hanscom Airforce Base has encompassed close to 400 acres of land within Lincoln’s municipal boundary. The Base is considered a “federal enclave” meaning no municipal real estate taxes can be assessed on any of the Base’s property. The federal government owns the on-Base prek-8 school buildings, but contracts with Lincoln to operate these schools. Lincoln is paid a fixed amount based on the enrollment of the children of active-military and DOD families.
Ten years ago, the federal government decided to privatize housing at Hanscom. A private company now leases approximately 730 housing units, most of which is occupied by the families of active-military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of Defense. However, close to 4.5% of this housing is leased to retired-military families. Despite not receiving any federal or state aid to provide education to these students, the Town is educating them in the on-Base preK-8 school. These numbers are only projected to keep growing and will be unsustainable in the near future. Lincoln will also be required by state law to educate non-active retiree high school students who, up until this year, had been attending Bedford High School through a previous arrangement between the federal government and the Town of Bedford. These students are now scheduled to attend Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, located in Sudbury, MA, in the Fall of 2017. Lincoln will be assessed by Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School for each student, just as the Town is assessed for all Lincoln residents who attend the high school.
Hanscom Airforce Base is a significant generator of jobs and economic activity for the Commonwealth. The Town of Lincoln has long been a supporter of the Base and its mission. However, the educational expenses of non-active retiree children are a big burden for a small municipality with limited resources. The town should not be expected to operate under this unique unfunded mandate.
Another area ripe for reform relates to state mandates on public school districts. Anytime I meet with my Superintendents, the topic of mandates repeatedly comes up. A top-down review of all state mandates is warranted and should be included in a larger education reform package. DESE or an education mandate task force should develop recommendations on how best to streamline, consolidate, or eliminate outdated or duplicative mandates as well as instituting a moratorium on all new mandates until a task force reviews existing ones. While some state mandates are necessary for compliance of federal laws or for public safety, many are onerous and are often unfunded by the state, requiring local school districts to come up with the funds for implementation. Our school districts should be focusing on what’s most important, educating students, not complying with burdensome mandates.
Massachusetts is blessed to annually rank as one of the top states in the country for public education. We have a legislature, administration and electorate that is passionate about education and wants to see our students achieve success in K-12 and beyond. These proposals give school districts the necessary resources and tools that reflect the true cost of education in the 21st century to address abrupt changes in student demographics, and allow school districts to concentrate on education, not administration.
All American citizens deserve equal rights and Rep. Stanley believes it’s time to end all forms of discrimination in our country. That’s why Rep. Stanley supports legislation and initiatives that support tolerance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and help residents lead safer and more productive lives.
He is especially proud that this year, thanks to his support and the support of his colleagues in the legislature, legislation passed provides legal protections against discrimination related to gender identity or expression in public accommodations. With the passage of this bill, Massachusetts joins 17 other states in extending protections to transgender citizens in public accommodations – as public accommodations are fundamental to equal rights in America.
The 2016 legislation – which builds off of the 2011 Massachusetts Transgender Equal Rights Act prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit, and hate crimes – includes the right to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match an individual’s gender identity. The bill represents both a fundamental civil rights milestone and a very real victory for the many residents for whom this law will have a significant and indisputable impact providing equal protection under the law to all – we are all equal under the law.
To provide clarity to businesses and help quell harassment of transgender individuals, the bill:
• Directs the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination to adopt and promulgate policies regarding the implementation of the law.
• Requires the Attorney General’s office to provide guidance on how to handle legal action if any person were to assert gender identity for an improper purpose.
• Provides that public accommodations be included in places such as hotels, restaurants, retail stores, taxis and trains, bathrooms, parks and entertainment venues
A portion of the bill went effect immediately upon signing. The remainder of the bill will become effective October 1, 2016
Rep. Stanley also supported the Gender Wage Act which gives women across Massachusetts a level playing field in terms of equal pay. The bill, which promotes salary transparency and encourages companies to conduct reviews to detect pay disparities, will give our state the strongest pay equity statute in the nation while helping dismantle the gender wage gap.
Men and women should receive equitable compensation for comparable work and this legislation will do that by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender. The bill would prevent employers from requesting salary history in hiring, a measure designed to end the self-perpetuating cycle of wage disparity. Massachusetts would be the first state in the nation to adopt such a provision. However, prospective employees would not be barred from voluntarily disclosing their past salaries.
Additionally, the bill incentivizes companies to correct compensation disparities internally before going to court by creating three-year affirmative defense from liability. Within that time period employers must complete a self-evaluation of its pay practices and demonstrate reasonable progress in eliminating pay disparities. Additionally, the bill prohibits employers from reducing salaries in order to comply with law and prohibits an employer from preventing employees from talking about their salaries.
It’s about time that we make gender wage gap history and this legislation is a huge leap forward in ensuring equal pay for equal work.
In the fiscal year 2017 budget debate, Rep. Stanley cosigned a letter to Conference Committee Members supporting the Senate’s inclusion of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), an Act relative to job creation, workforce development and infrastructure investment, and asking that this language be included in the final conference committee report.
The PWFA aims to rectify workplace injustice against pregnant women by amending the Massachusetts anti-discrimination statute, M.G.L. Chapter 151B, section 4, to include pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, including the need to express breast milk for a nursing child. The PWFA protects pregnant workers against discrimination in the workplace by:
• Prohibiting employers from not hiring or firing a worker from her job based on pregnancy;
• Requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers, including such accommodations as a stool to sit on, more frequent bathroom breaks, allowing the worker to carry a bottle of water, or providing a private non-bathroom space for lactation; and
• Prohibiting an employer from requiring an employee to take paid or unpaid leave because of pregnancy. Overall, this legislation will promote women’s economic security, save taxpayers money in the form of unemployment insurance and other public benefits, and benefit employers in the form of reduced turnover and increased productivity.
Rep. Stanley has supported and cosponsored House Bill 784, legislation providing for equitable coverage in disability policies. The bill would prohibit gender discrimination in disability, accident or sickness insurance policies. The bill would require that all disability policies be gender-neutral. Currently women pay more for a policy even though they perform the same job and this bill would end that discrimination.
In 2004, Rep. Stanley and the Massachusetts Legislature addressed the issue of same-sex civil marriage in a Constitutional Convention (The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Following the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s (SJC) decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex couples to marry. Rep. Stanley agreed with the SJC’s decision and felt that the proposed amendment would have inserted discrimination into the state Constitution and voted not to ban civil same-sex marriages. Since that time, more than 20,000 same-sex couples have married in the Commonwealth.
We need to think seriously about transportation and infrastructure impacts as part of local land use and sustainability efforts. Current traffic conditions in Waltham are unacceptable. Traveling in, out and across our city is a traffic nightmare at any given point on any given day. Running out to the local market can become a multi-hour excursion due to inadequate traffic light synchronization. Kids no longer safely play along neighborhood streets or walk themselves to their neighborhood schools because of excessive and reckless cut-through traffic. Residents feel trapped in their homes because pedestrians and vehicles cannot traverse our city streets safely and with ease and the local transit infrastructure is inadequate. Moreover, too many residents are forced to pay for repairs to their vehicles from damages due to the potholes and the poor condition of many Waltham roads. This is not acceptable.
Rep. Stanley speaking at MassDOT CIP Public Meeting.
Working with state and local officials, as well as private sector leadership, Rep. Stanley works hard to help reduce traffic congestion, improve walkability on our city streets, make playing in the neighborhood and walking to school safer for children, and lessen the stress of daily commutes.
After Gov. Baker vetoed $156,000 for traffic signal upgrades intended for the installation a wireless coordination system for 39 identified traffic signals in the business district of Waltham, Rep. Stanley led the charge to restore this important appropriation.
This year, Rep Stanley and Rep. Lawn filed an amendment to the Economic Development Bill allocating $250,000 to qualified municipalities address their downtown parking demands. Under the criteria, Waltham would be eligible to receive funds for the study and implementation of a parking management plan.
Rep. Stanley with Chairman McGee at the MassDOT CIP Public Meeting.
Traditionally, cities and towns seek to resolve parking issues by constructing new garages which often seem like a quick fix at the time. However, to build a garage, communities need to make a major capital outlay for construction and then come up with continued funding for operations and maintenance. Sometimes parking cover these expenses, but more often than not, they don’t. In addition to the high costs of construction and maintenance, parking garages also use up valuable land in downtown areas that could otherwise put into productive, revenue-generating uses for the community.
Rep. Stanley and Rep. Lawn’s amendment will provide major job centers of the Commonwealth, municipalities seeing more than 30,000 daily visitors, with assistance to address downtown parking challenges. According to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s latest published data set (2012), there are 15 communities across the Commonwealth, including Waltham, that host at least 30,000 jobs, meeting the criteria for this benefit as a major jobs center.
Rep. Stanley listens to Mike Tilford of Boston Properties at CityPoint meeting.
Rep. Stanley has also been advocating for multi-modal infrastructure improvements which reduce traffic gridlock and protect neighborhoods. In a letter to Matthew Beaton, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Rep. Stanley urged state approval of proposed major traffic infrastructure improvements along the Rt. 128 corridor to alleviate Waltham street traffic and protect local neighborhoods from eminent domain takings.
The 1265 Main Street Developer has been working with MassDOT, the City of Waltham and regional stakeholders to advance Phase II of the project. However, the current roadway network is unable to support further development within the corridor without major multimodal infrastructure improvements.
These improvements include the reconstruction of the Rt. 117 Bridge over I-95, the construction of a Green Street Connector, and potential modifications to the I-95/Rt. 20 Interchange (both a Northbound On-Ramp from Main Street and Northbound Ramps to/from Third Avenue), an Internal Connection to CityPoint/Fifth Avenue and potentially a new train station on the Waltham-Weston border west of Rt. 128/I-95.
One of the major traffic improvements proposed is the replacement of the existing four-lane Rt. 117 Bridge with a seven-lane bridge, including sidewalks and dedicated lanes for bicycle travel. When finished the new bridge will help increase traffic capacity along the Rt. 117 corridor and permit means of travel for pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, the direct connection to I-95/Rt. 128 at the Rt. 20 interchange via Green Street (Green Street Connector) will provide vehicles direct access Rt. to I-95/Route 128, while also moving highway-bound traffic away from the Tavern Square and Cedarwood neighborhoods.
Rep. Stanley advocated approval of the 1265 Main Street Connector to Winter St. & Totten Pond Rd via 5th Ave at a Traffic Commission hearing.
Plans for the construction of a new I-95/Route 128 northbound on-ramp to the east side of the Rt. 117 bridge will permit direct access from Rt. 117 to Rt. 128/I-95 North, eliminating unnecessary travel in and around the city street network to find access to and from Rt. 128/I-95 northbound through Totten Pond Road and Stow Street neighborhoods.
The Internal Connection at CityPoint/Fifth Avenue is another critical piece to reducing street traffic and one that can only be realized if the above proposals are approved and executed. The proposed Internal Connection will run northerly from the 1265 Main site to Fifth Avenue and the CityPoint Development, providing an alternative point of connection between Rt. 117 to the south and Totten Pond Road to the north operating as a “relief valve” and allow traffic to directly access Rt. 117 and/or Winter Street, reducing trips on congested local roadways.
Every day, lives are being ruined and cut short by the addiction epidemic we have seen across our city, state and country. At the State House and in our communities, Rep. Stanley has become a community leader in the statewide fight against addiction. He has worked hard with members of the House and Senate as well as local community leaders to combat the opioid crisis and expand the necessary services for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens. Rep. Stanley has organized several community meetings including a presentation and question and dialogue with MA Secretary of Human Services Mary Lou Sudders on what the state is doing about the opioid crises and what communities can do.
In the district:
Rep. Stanley helps prevent substance abuse in the community by serving as a board member on the Waltham Partnership for Youth and Waltham Youth and Community Coalition. He has organized several community meetings including a presentation, question and dialogue session with MA Secretary of Human Services Mary Lou Sudders on what the state is doing about the opioid crises and what communities can do. He also spoke at the Waltham Overcoming Addiction (WOA) community forum.
On Beacon Hill:
Rep. Stanley supported the passage of a fiscal year 2017 budget which supports 45 new treatment beds at Taunton State Hospital with $13 million and revives a popular program from the 1990s that would give police departments $2.5 million in grants for community policing strategies.
While the state budgeted approximately $158 million in opioid abuse prevention services in FY16, Rep. Stanley and his colleagues continued ramping up efforts to combat opioid addiction by increasing support over 8 percent ($13 million) to a total of $171 million in FY17. This additional funding will support 2,150 adult residential recovery opioid beds, 150 more than last year.
Rep. Stanley supported House Bill 4056, an act relative to substance use, treatment, education and prevention which was signed into law on 3/14/16. He spoke on the House floor and shared his own experience with recovery from alcoholism and family members’ drug addiction on behalf of this bill which:
Rep. Stanley has also supported the following legislation:
Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2016, an act relative to civil commitments for alcohol and substance use disorders. This bill states that Massachusetts women civilly committed for substance abuse treatment will no longer be sent to prison and instead will be referred to one of the 60 new state hospital beds slated to open this year.
Chapter 258 of the Acts of 2014, an act to Increase Opportunities for Long-Term Substance Abuse, which went into effect 10/1/15. This legislation mandates up to 14 days of medical detox (ATS) and Step Down Services (CSS) levels of care as well as new reporting by the Chief Medical Examiner’s office regarding overdose deaths.
Rep. Stanley also supported the Commonwealth’s Municipal Naxolone Bulk Purchase Trust Fund in which Attorney General Healey made an agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals – maker of naloxone (Narcan) – to pay more than $300,000 (10,000 doses of Narcan) into the new trust fund to make the medication more affordable to cities and towns. The fund will be administered by the DPH and municipalities will purchase Narcan directly from DPH.
Housing costs are getting out of control. Home prices and rent are sky rocketing, making it more and more difficult for residents to keep and find housing. To prevent homelessness, we need to increase our state’s supply of affordable housing and adequately fund housing assistance programs.
As state representative, Rep. Stanley works closely with members of the Joint Committee on Housing advocating on behalf of housing and homelessness programs in the Commonwealth. Rep. Stanley supports efforts to create safe affordable housing and expand services for our most vulnerable residents including low-income seniors, veterans, families and individuals with disabilities. He also supports efforts to prevent and end homelessness through his support of programs that provides individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness with shelter, housing search and stabilization services.
Rep. Stanley frequently sponsors and cosponsors legislation that support the state’s housing and homeless programs. He speaks on behalf of important line items related to housing and homeless budget priorities.
In the 2015-2016 legislative session, Rep. Stanley and his colleagues in the House continued to enact effective programs to combat homelessness. As of March 31, 2016, Massachusetts’ shelter population fell below 4,000 for the first time since August of 2013; and the number of families in hotels and motels has dropped by more than 1,500.
He supported the following programs and line items in the fiscal year 2017 House budget:
HOUSING PROGRAMS
Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) | $100M (7004-9024): A $9M increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. The Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program provides low income families with project and tenant based vouchers that can be used in the private rental market. This increase in funding will create up to 375 new vouchers in addition to the approximately 7,500 vouchers already leased.
Alternative Housing Voucher Program | $5.1M (7004-9030): An increase of $500K over the FY16 GAA funding level. The Alternative Housing Voucher Program provides low income individuals with disabilities under age 60 with tenant based rental assistance. This increase in funding will create new vouchers in addition to the approximately 550 vouchers already available.
Public Housing Authority Operating Subsidy | $65.5M (7004-9005): A $1M increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. Local housing authorities provide affordable housing to our most vulnerable residents including low-income seniors, veterans, families, and individuals with disabilities.
Public Housing Reform Implementation | $800,000 (7004-9007): Maintained funding for the administration’s implementation of Chapter 235 of the Acts of 2014.
Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs) | $2.6M (7004-3036): Maintained funding for the Housing Consumer Education Centers which allow households to access housing services and counseling. Grants are given to nine regional nonprofit agencies.
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) | $12.5M (7004-9316): Maintained funding for the RAFT program which provides families with up to $4,000 per 12 month period to maintain housing or move into permanent housing.
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS
Emergency Assistance Family Shelters | $155.1M (7004-0101): Maintained funding for the Emergency Assistance program which provides families experiencing homelessness with shelter, housing search, and stabilization services.
Homeless Individuals Assistance | $44.9M (7004-0102): Maintained funding for the Homeless Individuals Assistance program which helps individuals who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.
Home and Healthy for Good | $2.3M (7004-0104): A $500K increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. This program pairs housing placement with intensive case management for chronically homeless individuals.
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth | $1M (4000-0007): Restored $1M in funding for unaccompanied homeless youth.
HomeBASE | $31.9M (7004-0108): Maintained funding for the HomeBASE program which provides families with up to $8,000 per 12 month period. This short-term household assistance provides stabilization services and financial assistance to pay rent, utility bills, security deposits, and other expenses that allow families to avoid the shelter system or transition out of shelter.
The brave members of our armed forces and their families make sacrifices, serving our country to protect freedoms across the world. As a state representative and an American who is grateful for veterans’ contributions to protecting peace and freedom, Rep. Stanley works ensure our veterans and their families are supported in every way possible.
Since taking office, Rep. Stanley has worked side-by-side with House members of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs to support and protect initiatives and services for our veterans. Rep. Stanley and his colleagues in the House are committed to ensuring that Massachusetts remains number one in the nation in providing services to our veterans.
As a member of the Way & Means Committee, Rep. Stanley supported a state budget which includes:
Rep. Stanley and his colleagues in the House unanimously passed “An Act Relative to Housing, Operations, Military Service, and Enrichment” (HOME Act). Building on the successes of the Valor Act I passed in 2012 and the Valor Act II passed in 2014, the HOME Act provides important benefits to veterans and their families in terms of employment, housing, property tax relief, education and other services.
Other provisions of this legislation include:
Previously, Rep. Stanley has filed legislation and voted in support of omnibus bills known as the Valor Act I and II, some of the most comprehensive and innovative legislative changes to support and expand services for military personnel, veterans and their families. These bills provide business opportunities, school services, employment education and health care support services to our state’s veterans and families.
The VALOR Act II included the following provisions:
Since taking office, Rep. Stanley has worked side-by-side with members of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs as well as local Councils on Aging on issues important to seniors such as health care services and delivery systems, housing, long-term care, transportation, economic well-being, socialization, nutrition, family and community support and security.
A senior in Massachusetts is defined as an individual who is 60 years old or older. In our Commonwealth today, there are currently 1.3 million individuals over the age of 60. In the next five years, the state’s overall population will increase by 4.3%. In the same five years, the group of individuals over 60 will increase by 20%. In 2020, people over the age of 60 will make up 24% of the Massachusetts population. Most stunningly, the University of Massachusetts Gerontology Institute informs us that by December 31st of this year there will be more people in Massachusetts over the age of 60 than people under the age of 18.
It is one of the greatest tasks of our generation, and as an elected official, to adequately plan, prepare and provide initiatives and resources for the seniors of our society.
Below are several budget items Rep. Stanley supported in the fiscal year 2017 state budget:
As state representative, Rep. Stanley has also helped pass bills that positively impact the lives of seniors:
S 1882-An Act Relative to the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Acute Care Advisory Committee
This legislation will create an Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Acute Care Advisory Committee to: Craft a strategy to address dementia-capable care in all acute care settings; Present this strategy to state legislature and relevant state agencies and departments; Assist in implementation of the strategy; Assess whether acute care settings are dementia-capable; Coordinate with the federal government to ensure access to dementia-capable care in acute care settings; and Provide information and coordination of Alzheimer’s and related dementia care in acute care settings across state agencies
S 2249-An Act Relative to Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction
This legislation will create a clear process for determining which state has jurisdiction to appoint a guardian or conservator if there is a conflict. It outlines a procedure for transferring a guardianship or conservatorship to another state and for accepting a transfer, helping to eliminate some of the expense and wait for families. This legislation will help to facilitate enforcement of guardianship and protective orders from other states by authorizing registration in Massachusetts.
FY14 Budget
Councils on Aging—The formula grant was increased from $7 per elder per year to $8 per elder per year.
Home Care—Wait lists were eliminated thanks to additional funding secured for this program.
Notification of senior health care options— The FY14 budget directed MassHealth to provide each beneficiary age 65 and over with an annual notice of the options for enrolling in voluntary healthcare programs.
FY15 budget
Home Care—The legislature and the administration secured funding to ensure that there are no waiting lists for home care in FY15.
Councils on Aging— The legislature secured funding to bring back innovation grants for Councils on Aging which fund proposals for new programs at COAs including: job search services, benefits screening tools, transportation to regional Councils on Aging and enhanced benefits screening for elders.
Homemaker Salary Reserve—The legislature included funding that will provide an annualized wage increase of approximately 75 cents an hour to over 17,000 homemakers and personal care homemakers.
Elder Protective Services—The legislature appropriated $50,000 to establish a financial abuse specialist team that will assist elder protective service workers.
Nursing Homes—The legislature approved changing the base reimbursement year for nursing homes from 2005 to 2007. This will help ensure that nursing homes are reimbursed for an amount that more closely reflects their current costs of providing care.
Psychotropic Medications—The legislature established an outside section requiring the Department of Public Health to create a schedule of psychotropic medications that require informed written consent before they can be administered to patients in a nursing home, rest home, or other long term care facility.
Other 2013-2014 accomplishments
Elder Protective Services Commission—This commission has drafted recommendations to develop a multidisciplinary approach and standardized training and coordination procedures to enhance the effectiveness of the protective service program in reducing and addressing neglect, abuse and financial exploitation.
LGBT Aging Commission—This commission is in the process of collecting testimony in order to analyze the health, housing, financial, psychosocial and long-term care needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults, and their caregivers, and to make recommendations to improve access to benefits and services where appropriate and necessary.
Elder Economic Security Commission—This commission has begun meeting to begin collecting information necessary to: assess older adults’ current level of economic security; identify policies and programs currently in place to assist older adults; assess the needs of state and local programming to increase elder economic security; and make recommendations to the legislature.
Rolling back fares for the RIDE—The MBTA increased fares for the RIDE (paratransit for seniors and people with disabilities) from $2 to $4 in July 2012. A study from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Office on Disability determined that the increase in fares led to isolation and other negative outcomes, so the legislature worked with the MBTA and EOEA/MOD to roll back fares from $4 to $3 in December 2013.
Rep. Stanley supports and protects public education through legislation and budget initiatives to reduce costs and increase revenue for the state’s public schools. As state representative, Rep. Stanley had made protecting public education a priority and has fought to ensure Waltham and Lincoln receive a fair share of local aid through the annual state budget. He also closely reviews state mandates on both school districts for fairness.
Here’s how Rep. Stanley supports and protects public education:
· Cosponsored Rep. Roger’s bill, HD4532, An Act Strengthening Public Education in the Commonwealth which implements the Foundation Budget Review Commission’s findings. Rep. Stanley supported the creation of the Foundation Budget Review Commission in the FY15 state budget a couple of years ago and advocated the House to pass HD4532 this session. Under this legislation, the most recent statistics show that Waltham’s Foundation Budget would increase by $2M, triggering an immediate infusion of $540,272 from the state into Waltham’s Chapter 70 local aid award.
HD4532 is a very important piece of legislation, but it is not the only education funding proposal Rep. Stanley has supported. Here are some other bills and budget initiatives for which he advocated which would benefit public education:
· Co-sponsored H.472, An Act expanding the special education reimbursement program, which would allow transportation costs to be factored into the Special Education Circuit Breaker. Waltham would see an increase in Circuit Breaker aid under the bill.
· Co-signed a bi-partisan letter to state budget leaders calling for an increase in minimum aid from the current level of $20 per pupil up to $50 per pupil for the upcoming fiscal year. On a statewide basis, the request would add about $20 million to the entire Chapter 70 line item, $106,311 of which would go to Waltham if the $50 per pupil target is met.
Rep. Stanley cosponsored the following bills seeking to unburden school districts from excessive, unfunded mandates:
· H.456, An Act establishing an educational mandate task force, which establishes an 11 member education mandate task force to review existing state mandates placed on public schools and districts. The task force is charged with developing recommendations to streamline, consolidate, or eliminate outdated or duplicative mandates.
· H.376, An Act concerning unfunded education mandates, which creates a task force, similar to H.456, but also establishes a moratorium on all new mandated education programs until the task force completes its recommendations.
· H.3391/S.322, An Act related to unfunded mandates on public schools, which would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to conduct an analysis of all new state laws, regulations, or administrative directives to assess their impact on school districts.
· Testified against H.3928, An Act to allow fair access to public charter schools, at the Public Education hearing on Monday, March 7, 2016. This initiative petition would allow the authorization of up to 12 new charter schools every year. Charter schools divert funding from public schools. Raising the cap will drain limited financial resources public schools desperately need.
· Sponsored H.493, An Act relative to charter schools, which would require local approval for proposed charter schools.
Over the past several years, Rep. Stanley led the effort to create a new line item in the state budget to reimburse municipalities for homeless student transportation costs related to the federal McKinney-Vento Act. Although this funding has only been partially funded due to budget cuts, Rep. Stanley has continued to push for full funding and made DESE’s FY17 McKinney-Vento estimate of $24,312,389 one of his FY17 budget priorities.
Rep. Stanley also made increased state aid to school districts serving non-Gateway Communities with high populations of English Language Learners another of his FY17 budget priorities. The Waltham Public School system has experienced a dramatic increase in the enrollment of ELL students over the past several years (60% since 2011-12). Waltham High School, in particular, has seen a nearly 100% increase in ELL students since 2011. As you know, many of these students arrive at school with little to no formal education for WHS to build upon. WHS has very little time to close the learning gap, requiring costly staff-intensive interventions with support staff to meet this challenge. Overall, this remarkable influx of ELL students has put a severe strain on the school system’s resources.
Rep. Stanley urged the House Ways and Means Committee to include the Foundation Budget Review Commission recommendations regarding ELL students into the House FY17 budget proposal. Funding is not only needed for operational expenses to educate ELL students but for capital expenditures as well. Therefore, he requested an outside section in the FY17 budget to include increased enrollment of ELL students as a viable option for submitting a Statement-of-Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Many school districts in the Metro-West area, Waltham included, are facing unique and significant population increases and don’t have the proper facilities to provide the highest-possible education to these students.
Waltham is qualified for and does receive limited funds from the Federal Title III program but that comes nowhere close to covering the cost of educating ELL students. Waltham’s income and college achievement levels are above the state requirements for Gateway Communities which are eligible for certain economic development and educational state programs. Despite Waltham educating some of the highest populations of ELL students (percentage-wise) in the Commonwealth, more than many Gateway Communities, the City is unable to apply for these state programs and grants.
Rep. Stanley filed H.3220, An Act relative to gateway communities, to help raise this issue. The bill allows any municipality who has experienced a sudden increased in ELL enrollment to be eligible for any education programs and funding reserved for Gateway Communities.
To keep our state moving in the right direction, we need to foster economic growth and remain focused on promoting our innovation economy, strengthening the manufacturing sector, supporting housing and infrastructure upgrades, and supplying the training and equipment needed for workforce development throughout the state.
Rep. Stanley discusses the Economic Development Bill with House colleagues and Sect. Jay Ash.
As a member of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, House Post Audit and Oversight Committee and Municipalities Committee, Rep. Stanley is focused on creating a stronger economy though smart investments. As an experienced leader, Rep. Stanley knows that strong local economies allow municipal governments to provide the best services and opportunities to all our residents. High quality police, fire, schools, libraries, and other public services all cost money, and a thriving business community creates jobs for our neighbors and shifts more of the tax burden away from home owners. As state representative, Rep. Stanley has supported smart economic development and job creation initiatives.
Rep. Stanley with Jay Ash, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development in MA
In 2016, Rep. Stanley supported an economic development bill aimed to enhance the state’s position as a global economic competitor and support residents through education programs.
For the first time, the legislation creates an education tax incentive program (529 plan) which will allow single filers to take a $1,000 tax deduction on contributions to college savings accounts.
Recognizing the unique role that early-growth companies and emerging sectors have in revitalizing the economy, the bill includes numerous provisions to support the innovation ecosystem including:
• Creates the Angel Investor Tax Credit to incentivize investment and foster growth in newly formed start-ups in Massachusetts. Investors are eligible for a 20 percent credit of the qualifying angel investment and 30 percent if the recipient business is located in a Gateway City.
• Allows for $500 Million in bonding authorization for the MassWorks Infrastructure program.
• Establishes the Digital eHealth Institute, which will be run by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative in coordination with the Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, to enhance the state’s rapidly emerging e-health cluster.
• Authorizes $4.5 Million to launch the Cybersecurity and Data Analytics Technology Department & Training Center. This organization will bring together universities, government and private industry participants to bolster the Commonwealth’s data analytics and cybersecurity sectors.
The legislation takes multiple steps to further develop talent, support students and keep graduates in Massachusetts. It authorizes:
• $45 million for Workforce Skills Capital Grants;
• $71 million the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Funding;
• $30 million for the Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Hospitality Training Trust Fund;
• $2.4 million for the Early College High School Initiative, a program that encourages partnerships between regional school districts and institutions of public higher education.
This bill also authorizes:
• $15 million for the Innovation Infrastructure Fund, a new grant and loan program aimed at spurring entrepreneurship across the state, particularly through the use of co-working spaces and innovation centers;
• $45 million for the Brownsfields Redevelopment Fund;
• $45 million for the Transformative Development Fund, a program that makes equity investments in major development programs in Gateway Cities.
Lastly, the bill also authorizes $15 million for the Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund, creates a new local option so a community can develop “starter home zoning districts” and reforms the Housing Development Incentive Program.
As state representative, Rep. Stanley works closely with members of the Joint Committee on Housing advocating on behalf of housing and homelessness programs in the Commonwealth. Rep. Stanley supports efforts to create safe affordable housing and expand services for our most vulnerable residents including low-income seniors, veterans, families and individuals with disabilities. He also supports efforts to prevent and end homelessness through his support of programs that provides individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness with shelter, housing search and stabilization services.
Rep. Stanley frequently sponsors and cosponsors legislation that support the state’s housing and homeless programs. He also speaks on behalf of important line items related to housing and homeless budget priorities. He recently supported the following programs and line items in the fiscal year 2017 House budget:
HOUSING PROGRAMS
Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) | $100M (7004-9024): A $9M increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. The Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program provides low income families with project and tenant based vouchers that can be used in the private rental market. This increase in funding will create up to 375 new vouchers in addition to the approximately 7,500 vouchers already leased.
Alternative Housing Voucher Program | $5.1M (7004-9030): An increase of $500K over the FY16 GAA funding level. The Alternative Housing Voucher Program provides low income individuals with disabilities under age 60 with tenant based rental assistance. This increase in funding will create new vouchers in addition to the approximately 550 vouchers already available.
Public Housing Authority Operating Subsidy | $65.5M (7004-9005): A $1M increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. Local housing authorities provide affordable housing to our most vulnerable residents including low-income seniors, veterans, families, and individuals with disabilities.
Public Housing Reform Implementation | $800,000 (7004-9007): Maintained funding for the administration’s implementation of Chapter 235 of the Acts of 2014.
Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs) | $2.6M (7004-3036): Maintained funding for the Housing Consumer Education Centers which allow households to access housing services and counseling. Grants are given to nine regional nonprofit agencies.
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) | $12.5M (7004-9316): Maintained funding for the RAFT program which provides families with up to $4,000 per 12 month period to maintain housing or move into permanent housing.
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS
Emergency Assistance Family Shelters | $155.1M (7004-0101): Maintained funding for the Emergency Assistance program which provides families experiencing homelessness with shelter, housing search, and stabilization services.
Homeless Individuals Assistance | $44.9M (7004-0102): Maintained funding for the Homeless Individuals Assistance program which helps individuals who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.
Home and Healthy for Good | $2.3M (7004-0104): A $500K increase over the FY16 GAA funding level. This program pairs housing placement with intensive case management for chronically homeless individuals.
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth | $1M (4000-0007): Restored $1M in funding for unaccompanied homeless youth.
HomeBASE | $31.9M (7004-0108): Maintained funding for the HomeBASE program which provides families with up to $8,000 per 12 month period. This short-term household assistance provides stabilization services and financial assistance to pay rent, utility bills, security deposits, and other expenses that allow families to avoid the shelter system or transition out of shelter.
Since taking office, Rep. Stanley has worked side-by-side with House members of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs to support and protect initiatives and services for our veterans. Rep. Stanley and his colleagues in the House are committed to ensuring that Massachusetts remains number one in the nation in providing services to our veterans.
Most recently, as a member of the Way & Means Committee Rep. Stanley supported a state budget which includes:
Previously, Rep. Stanley has filed legislation and voted in support of omnibus bills known as the Valor Act I and II, some of the most comprehensive and innovative legislative changes to support and expand services for military personnel, veterans and their families. These bills provide business opportunities, school services, employment education and health care support services to our state’s veterans and families.
The VALOR Act II included the following provisions:
At the State House and in our communities, Rep. Stanley has become a community leader in the statewide fight against addiction. He has worked hard with members of the House and Senate to combat the opioid crisis and expand the necessary services for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens.
In the district:
Rep. Stanley helps prevent substance abuse in the community by serving as a board member on the Waltham Partnership for Youth and Waltham Youth and Community Coalition. He also recently spoke at the Waltham Overcoming Addiction (WOA) community forum.
In 2015, Rep. Stanley formed the Waltham Drug Task Force to look at substance abuse issues in Waltham with a particular focus on the opioid battle facing individuals and families in the community. The Task Force is comprised of local officials, stake holders and experts in the field who discuss ways to address the opioid epidemic and substance abuse in the City. In addition to Rep. Stanley, the group includes local resident Annette Reynolds, John Lawn, state representative, 10th Middlesex District, Michael Barrett, state senator, 3rd Middlesex District, Joe Vizard, Waltham city councilor-at-large, Beth Toolan, executive director, Waltham Partnership for Youth, Lt. Rich Manning, Waltham Police Department, and chairman of the department’s Drug Task Force, Jamie O’Neil, program director for Spectrum Health Systems & Waltham Outreach Patient Center, Shannon Mountain-Ray, Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Children’s Hospital, Stephanie Sunderland, project coordinator for Waltham Partnership for Youth’s Drug Free Communities, Dr. Michael Reynolds and Marilyn Lee-Tom, executive director of the Community Day Center of Waltham, Inc.
On Beacon Hill:
Rep. Stanley supported the passage of a fiscal year 2017 budget which supports 45 new treatment beds at Taunton State Hospital with $13 million and revives a popular program from the 1990s that would give police departments $2.5 million in grants for community policing strategies.
Rep. Stanley supported House Bill 4056, an act relative to substance use, treatment, education and prevention which was signed into law on 3/14/16. This legislation:
Rep. Stanley has also supported the following legislation:
Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2016, an act relative to civil commitments for alcohol and substance use disorders. This bill states that Massachusetts women civilly committed for substance abuse treatment will no longer be sent to prison and instead will be referred to one of the 60 new state hospital beds slated to open this year.
Chapter 258 of the Acts of 2014, an act to Increase Opportunities for Long-Term Substance Abuse, which went into effect 10/1/15. This legislation mandates up to 14 days of medical detox (ATS) and Step Down Services (CSS) levels of care as well as new reporting by the Chief Medical Examiner’s office regarding overdose deaths.
Rep. Stanley also supported the Commonwealth’s Municipal Naxolone Bulk Purchase Trust Fund in which Attorney General Healey made an agreement with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals – maker of naloxone (Narcan) – to pay more than $300,000 (10,000 doses of Narcan) into the new trust fund to make the medication more affordable to cities and towns. The fund will be administered by the DPH and municipalities will purchase Narcan directly from DPH.
As a member of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, House Post Audit and Oversight Committee and Municipalities Committee, Rep. Stanley is focused on creating a stronger economy though smart investments. As an experienced leader, Rep. Stanley knows that strong local economies allow municipal governments to provide the best services and opportunities to all residents. High quality police, fire, schools, libraries and other public services all cost money, and a thriving business community creates jobs for our neighbors and shifts more of the tax burden away from home owners. As state representative, Rep. Stanley has supported smart economic development and job creation initiatives.
Below are examples of economic development investments supported by Rep. Stanley in the fiscal year 2017 state budget.
John Adams Innovation Institute (7002-0032): Provides $500,000 for the John Adams Innovation Institute Fund at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), which supports MTC’s technology and innovation initiatives.
Urban Agenda Economic Development Grant Program (7002-0036): Provides $3 million for the Urban Agenda Economic Development Grant Program to promote small businesses, job growth and workforce development initiatives in urban communities. The program seeks to advance employment and economic opportunity in urban neighborhoods across Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (7002-0040): Provides $2 million to the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation for their small business technical assistance grant program, which provides competitive grants to businesses with 20 employees or fewer for targeted training and technical assistance.
Transformative Development Fund (7002-1502): Provides $1 million for residential, commercial, industrial and institutional development in Gateway Cities. Administered by MassDevelopment, the Fund is organized around three distinct programs: (1) a Technical Assistance Program, which awards grants to Gateway Cities to pay for third-party professional services managed by MassDevelopment; (2) a Fellows Program, which places professional staff in Gateway Cities to assist them with development projects; and (3) an Equity Investment Program, which authorizes MassDevelopment to make equity investments in real estate within Gateway Cities.
Working Cities Challenge (7002-1506): Provides $500,000 for the Working Cities Challenge, which builds on a new program run by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Requiring a dollar-for-dollar funding match from private sector contributions, the program will support grants and technical assistance for Massachusetts cities in an effort to strengthen local economies.
Start-up Mentoring and Talent Pipeline Program (7002-1508): Provides $1.5 million to support two programs run by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The Start-Up Mentoring Program connects early-stage entrepreneurs, technology start-ups, and small businesses with successful, experienced firms and capital financing. The Talent Pipeline Program supports stipends for interns at technology and innovation start-ups through dollar- for-dollar private matches.
Global Entrepreneur Program (7002-1509): Provides $100,000 for the operation of a pilot program which offers exceptionally talented international students the opportunity to remain in Massachusetts while developing a new business venture.
Big Data Innovation and Workforce Fund (7002-1512): Provides $2 million for the Big Data Innovation and Workforce Fund, which promotes the use of big data, open data and analytics, as well as helps connect the public and private sectors to prepare the Massachusetts workforce for big data careers.
Rep. Stanley strives to support and protect public education through legislation and budget initiatives to reduce costs and increase revenue for the state’s public schools. As state representative, Rep. Stanley had made protecting public education a priority and has fought to ensure Waltham and Lincoln receive a fair share of local aid through the annual state budget. He also closely reviews state mandates on both school districts for fairness.
Here’s how Rep. Stanley supports and protects public education:
· By supporting the creation of the Foundation Budget Review Commission in the FY15 state budget. The Commission studied the ways in which MA funds public education and determined in its final report that the state was underfunding its obligation to cities and towns.
· By cosponsoring House Bill 4531 (An Act Strengthening Public Education in the Commonwealth) which implements the findings of the Foundation Budget Review Commission and favorably adjusts the formula by which Chapter 70 aid to school districts and foundation budgets are calculated.
· By cosigning and supporting a bipartisan letter to state budget leaders calling for an increase in minimum aid from the current level of $20 per pupil up to $50 per pupil for the upcoming fiscal year. Statewide, the request would add about $20 million to the Chapter 70 line item.
· By cosponsoring House Bill 472 (An Act expanding the special education reimbursement program) which will allow transportation costs to be factored into the Special Education Circuit Breaker, giving communities an increase in Circuit Breaker aid.
· By cosponsoring the following bills seeking to unburden school districts from excessive, unfunded mandates:
o House Bill 456 (An Act establishing an educational mandate task force) establishes an 11 member education mandate task force to review existing state mandates placed on public schools and districts. The task force is charged with developing recommendations to streamline, consolidate or eliminate outdated or duplicative mandates.
o House Bill 376 (An Act concerning unfunded education mandates) which creates a task force similar to H.456, but also establishes a moratorium on all new mandated education programs until the Task Force completes its recommendations.
o House Bill 3391/Senate Bill 322 (An Act related to unfunded mandates on public schools) would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to conduct an analysis of all new state laws, regulations, or administrative directives to assess their impact on school districts.
· By sponsoring House Bill 493 (An Act relative to charter schools) which would require local approval for proposed charter schools.
· By testifying against House Bill 3928 (An Act to allow fair access to public charter schools) at a public education hearing on March 7, 2016. This initiative petition would allow the authorization of up to 12 new charter schools every year. Charter schools divert funding from public schools. Raising the cap will drain limited resources public schools desperately need.
· By leading the effort to create a new line item in the state budget to reimburse municipalities for homeless student transportation costs related to the federal McKinney-Vento Act. Although this funding has only been partially funded due to budget cuts, Rep. Stanley continues to push for full funding and made DESE’s FY17 McKinney-Vento estimate of $24,312,389 one of his FY17 budget priorities.
· By prioritizing increased state aid to school districts serving non-Gateway Communities with high populations of English Language Learners in the FY17 budget. The Waltham Public School system has experienced a dramatic increase in the enrollment of ELL students over the past several years (60% since 2011-12). Waltham High School, in particular, has seen a nearly 100% increase in ELL students since 2011. Many of these students arrive at school with little to no formal education for WHS to build upon. WHS has very little time to close the learning gap, requiring costly staff-intensive interventions with support staff to meet this challenge. Overall, this remarkable influx of ELL students has put a severe strain on the school system’s resources.
Waltham is qualified for and receives limited funds from the Federal Title III program but the funds do not cover the cost of educating ELL students. Waltham’s income and college achievement levels are slightly above the state requirements for Gateway Communities which are eligible for certain economic development and educational state programs. Despite Waltham educating some of the highest populations of ELL students (percentage-wise) in MA, the City is unable to apply for these state programs and grants.
o Rep. Stanley filed House Bill 3220 (An Act relative to gateway communities) which allows any municipality which has experienced a sudden increased in ELL enrollment to be eligible for any education programs and funding reserved for Gateway Communities.
o Rep. Stanley urged the House Ways and Means Committee to include the Foundation Budget Review Commission recommendations regarding ELL students into the FY17 budget.
o Rep. Stanley requested an outside section in the FY17 budget include increased enrollment of ELL students as a viable option for submitting a Statement-of-Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Funding is not only needed for operational expenses to educate ELL students but for capital expenditures as well. Many school districts in the Metro-West area are facing unique and significant population increases and don’t have the proper facilities to provide the highest-possible education to these students.
Waltham is a wonderful place, but we can do better. Taxpayers deserve the best that we can offer. For too long, inattentive management in City Hall has led to costly deferred maintenance, government inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. My vision for City Hall involves moving away from erratic and kneejerk short-term spending and toward a focused spending plan that supports long-term citywide priorities. We will hire new personnel, reshaping our city’s operations model, and make investments to repair our long ignored city infrastructure. With a revised approached, we will be able to fund the strategies I am outlining with existing resources or through reallocation of existing resources. In short, Waltham will get a lot more out of resources while enhancing the experience of living and working here.
Surplus Cash Without A Plan
In Fiscal Year 2015, the City of Waltham operated a $247M local budget, 66% of which was funded by our local tax levy and 7% state aid. At the close of Fiscal Year 2014, we had more than $21M left over in free cash, representing 8.8% of our total budget. We have a 5% debt to budget ratio and our residential tax rate ranks in the lowest 25% in Massachusetts.
In the last two fiscal years, Waltham has had the second largest pot of free cash left over at the close of the fiscal year. The state recommends that municipalities should aim to have 3% – 5% free cash available to cover any unforeseen expenditures that should arise throughout the year. Over the past three years, Waltham has ended the year with approximately 7% – 9% of the total budget left over in unused free cash.
If Waltham has this surplus of cash available, why aren’t we using it to repair our roads, improve city traffic, and increase the quality of our schools?
Having extra money left over at the end of the year is certainly better than the reverse scenario, but, the City of Waltham has far too much cash and too many issues negatively impacting Waltham’s quality of life. The city needs to put that extra money to work for its residents by investing in infrastructure upgrades to curb traffic and minimize sewer backups, filling key local positions that are critical to city operations, and making more timely investments such as building a new high school before we are threatened by the state with losing accreditation.
Instead of thoughtful long term planning, Waltham spends valuable resources on short-term fixes while kicking the can down the road on existing issues. We currently use cash to fund capital expenditures and depreciable assets that municipal finance practices dictate are more appropriate for bonding. Additionally, there is no vision or plan to guide our spending decisions. Each decision happens in a vacuum with little context for how each decision impacts the big picture. Waltham taxpayers deserve better and the strategies I outline will provide taxpayers with more value and improved services for their tax dollars.
Improving Transparency
Citizens become more engaged when they have a better understanding of what is happening in their city and when they have a point of contact for questions. It is difficult for taxpayers and other stakeholders to understand the affairs of city because the city’s website is antiquated and the information lacks an explanation of the big picture. I will publish an annual report that discusses the goals of the city, plans for achieving our goals, and how our city expenditures align with those priorities. I will publish an organizational chart for City Hall, so residents understand who their public employees are and the employees feel a strong sense of accountability to those taxpayers. And I will publish annually a detailed fiscal analysis outlining the health of city finances with benchmarks and a clear, understandable budget documents that shows budgeted and actual spending by category. I will utilize the City of Boston’s Budget Office webpage (http://www.cityofboston.gov/budget) as a model for the City of Waltham, and our city will be a stronger community when more people feel informed and engaged.
Personnel Management
One critical flaw in our city government is that our operations structure is not set up to maximize efficiency or effectiveness. Simply leaving positions vacant for years at a time or eliminating positions or entire departments does not equate to effective management or fiscal responsibility. Waltham has some very talented employees with much to contribute, but without the appropriate support and adequate authority, these talented employees will not reach their maximum potential. As mayor, I will provide leadership and vision, and I will empower our employees to implement. I will source the very best talent available to the city and I will require that city employees utilize best management practices, consistently measure performance and effectiveness of their programs and services, and seek opportunities to innovate and improve. City employees will understand the goals of the city and we will work together to provide seamless interactions for residents.
Sound Fiscal Management
Under my leadership, Waltham will adopt a transparent budgeting system such as the state’s Open Checkbook to enable taxpayers to understand city expenditures and the outcome of each investment. In fact, as a State Representative in 2009, I co-sponsored the legislation to establish the state’s Open Checkbook. As an additional way to engage taxpayers, I will establish an annual budgeting contest whereby residents will nominate and vote on specific investments for the city, and the city will then make a targeted investment in that effort as requested by taxpayers. The City of Cambridge has implemented this budgeting strategy, as have other jurisdictions across the country, to crowd source ideas for municipal spending. It has been a tremendous success and it will be in Waltham as well.
In my administration, taxpayers will know the city priorities, how much they cost, and how we can pay for them. I will work with department heads, councilors and residents to prepare a long-range capital improvement plan and maintenance schedule for city infrastructure, buildings, equipment and vehicles. I will commit to working proactively with the City Council and residents to explore all funding solutions and I will cooperate and collaborate to achieve the best fiscal outcomes for the city. I will make it a priority to leverage all available state and federal grants, no and very low-interest loans, and other technical assistance programs to support critical investments and programming for our city. It is a shame to leave any available funding source untapped when we have the opportunity to improve our city without financially burdening residents.
The City of Waltham has a 5% debt to budget ratio. The chart below shows how this ratio compares to other similar cities.
Commonly accepted municipal finance principles dictate that bonding is a more financially prudent and effective means of paying for capital expenditures and depreciable assets than cash. Working with the City Council, I will conduct an analysis of our debt capacity and our capital investment needs to introduce greater transparency around the city’s bonding process. Taxpayers should understand the full implications and opportunities of future bonding for certain capital expenditures such as a new high school or road and bridge upgrades. I will also develop a policy to guide bonding decisions in the future.
What this means to you
My reason for running for mayor is to put Waltham back on the right track. I have clear and concise plans for the future and I will establish performance measures to ensure that those plans are working. My objective is to maintain low residential tax rates and a stable fee structure for our residents and businesses while improving the services, programming and the quality of life for residents. Under my leadership, Waltham’s local government will be more effective and efficient, and our city employees will enjoy a better work environment. Through enhanced collaboration, thoughtful planning, better communication, and more effective city management, our residents and businesses will enjoy improved services and more predictable and consistent governing from City Hall.
To help others when help is most needed is why I have dedicated my career to working in public service. It is important to me that the City of Waltham support and care for all of its residents regardless of their age, gender, culture or financial status. What is lacking in Waltham today is a coordinated and collaborative effort to make the most of our existing resources, make those programs easy to access for the residents they are intending to serve, and the leadership to identify and fill existing service gaps. My administration will not only actively support existing efforts, but we’ll work to supplement them.
Expanding the role of the city’s Health Department to encompass Waltham’s vital human services will be a cornerstone of my administration. We must make sure no Waltham resident slips through the cracks and we need to eliminate duplication of services to ensure that we are distributing our resources most efficiently. We need all departments working together every day to address the needs of our residents. Not only will internal coordination be prioritized but we will prioritize strong partnerships with our private and not-for-profit human services organizations who are critical to our success. Together we will create a stronger and more comprehensive and effective safety net for our neediest residents.
Our Community: Waltham’s Demographic Profile
Waltham is a diverse community and our diversity is growing. There are more than 60 languages spoken in our Waltham Public Schools and our schools saw a 20% jump in English Language Learners (ELL) over the last two school years. Our residents are a cross section of age and financial status. 12% of our population are elderly and approximately 10% of our residents are living below the poverty line. Our households are almost evenly split between homeowners and renters living in Waltham. Effective human supports are especially important for a community as diverse as Waltham. We must ensure that each and every individual and family has the resources they need to survive and thrive in our community.
My Health & Human Services Agenda: Reshaping our Delivery Model
As Mayor, I will continue to work as a champion for the residents of Waltham and will reshape the city’s Health Department to become an Office of Health and Human Services. No longer will the Health Department’s singular focus be on health inspections. It is capable of doing so much more and providing a much greater benefit to our residents. The Office of Health and Human Services will bring recreation, health, senior, children, veteran, immigrant, nutrition, and disability services and programs under one roof allowing greater coordination and collaboration between departments serving our city. This new office will be empowered to think boldly about laying a sustainable foundation for the health and prosperity of our residents now and in the future. We need a Health and Human Services Department that leads on issues that address the full scope of modern-day health needs of our residents, and to deliver on that goal, we will create a streamlined and comprehensive approach.
Planning Ahead and Building Strong Partnerships
There are many private and non-profit organizations within Waltham who work every day to provide invaluable assistance to the residents of Waltham. These organizations provide housing assistance, job training, healthy lifestyle workshops, access to healthy foods for low income residents, and other critical services to seniors, ELL families, children, veterans, unemployed or underemployed residents, disabled residents, and many others. As mayor, I will make it a priority that the Office of Health and Human Services work with organizations such as Healthy Waltham, Neighbors Who Care, Waltham Family Schools, Waltham Partnership for Youth, WATCH CDC and Latinos en Accion to create a network of support that maximizes resources and helps the city to identify and fill service gaps. Under this model, we will aim to provide a seamless delivery model among and across partner organizations where no resident gets left behind.
Our Office of Health and Human Services will also focus on health and wellness. We will actively collaborate with organizations like Waltham Fields Community Farm and Healthy Waltham, who are working to provide access and education about the nutritional value of fresh, locally grown food product, the need for sustainability and the value of open space. We will ensure that Waltham residents have access to well-maintained open space, hiking trails, parks and recreational opportunities such as Prospect Park and the Western Greenway. We will also look for ways to introduce active living concepts to the city by hosting family fun runs and other initiatives that bring vibrancy and activity to our downtown core and every neighborhood of Waltham.
Effective Management for All Residents
As Mayor, I will work to make sure we have the most effective programs in place to assist our most vulnerable residents. The Director of Health and Human Services will work to create or expand upon successful models of collaboration to enhance services for all Waltham residents.
Making sure our youngest residents are given every opportunity to succeed is of utmost importance. Under my leadership, the city will focus on strengthening the partnerships between human service agencies, city government and our school department to ensure all of our students needs are realized and addressed. We will build upon successful programs such as the Waltham Family School, Breaking Barriers, Inc., Parent Child Home Program, Power Program, YMCA, Waltham Boys and Girls Club, Waltham Partnership for Youth, and our local youth sports leagues to make sure all Waltham children are receiving support before, during and after school. We will work to address transportation gaps that prevent participation of some students in after school sports, tutoring and extracurricular activities. Providing the opportunity to participate in recreational activities, join team sports and explore the arts are all part of a healthy childhood and are opportunities every child should enjoy and we will work to make sure that happens.
As mayor, I will support our veterans by creating partnerships between the Waltham Office for Veteran’s Affairs and workforce training and housing organizations so that our veterans have access to attractive, affordable housing and appropriate job training to put their valuable military skills to work in civilian life. I will work closely with the Disability Services Commission to support our disabled residents and ensure that they have an active voice in Waltham.
Waltham’s seniors helped make our city the exceptional place that it is today and they deserve the utmost respect and the best of services from our community. As a city, we need to be sure we are planning for their needs, which includes addressing the changing housing and transportation needs of our aging population. Under my leadership, city government will work in partnership with organizations such as the Council on Aging and Neighbors Who Care to streamline offerings and fill the gaps in senior programming. Keeping our seniors active and involved in every aspect of our community will be a top priority of my administration.
I will work with our public safety officials to address some of our biggest public health and safety challenges head on. We will establish a dedicated, comprehensive and cross-departmental effort to combat addiction and domestic violence, and we will put more police officers on the streets to make sure that all residents in every neighborhood feel safe and secure in our city.
My administration will work to support a healthy lifestyle for all residents. The Farmers Market offers a dollar for dollar matching program that will double the value of SNAP food dollars up to $10 for low income residents and provides a 10% senior discount. Organizations like Waltham Fields Community Farm and Healthy Waltham are supporting healthy lifestyles and partnering with Waltham schools to teach students about nutrition and the benefits of eating healthy. My administration will support these efforts and work to enhance access to healthy foods for all families – especially our most vulnerable populations.
Our Team
My Office of Health and Human Services will think boldly about how to operate in new and innovative ways that maximize resources, reach all of our needy residents, and empower the dedicated staff and volunteers providing these critical health and human services that are so important to our city. We will better understand the many agencies whose work falls under the umbrella of health and human services, including their successes and their struggles. We will partner with them to ensure that services are delivered to the people of Waltham in the most effective and impactful ways possible. My goal will be to ensure that Waltham continues to be a welcoming and supportive place to live for all of our residents.
What This Means to You
As is commonly said, A rising tide lifts all boats. Under my leadership, Waltham will offer a health and human services agenda that aims to lift all boats. We will deliver the services necessary to assist our neediest of residents, we will work hard to combat crime, and we will bring the community together in a spirit of volunteerism. We will all feel the city’s pride and prosperity when all residents of Waltham are well cared for and optimistic for the future.
Promoting sustainability is a win-win for the City of Waltham. We can save money for taxpayers while also making the city a nicer, cleaner, more affordable place to live for future generations. Everything we do in local government should be considered through the lens of sustainability, from the operation and maintenance of public buildings and public spaces, to land use planning and zoning, to procurement of vehicles and equipment, to transportation planning and traffic management, and the list goes on. As mayor of Waltham, I will make sustainable policies that cut across all departments, programs and operations.
The Missed Opportunities
Waltham is a home to some of the world’s most sustainable companies, yet the city does not participate in a robust public-private partnership to support local sustainability efforts. The wealth of corporate knowledge, experience and resources in our own backyard could be leveraged with greater leadership in our city.
40% of the state’s communities have joined the Green Communities Program because it provides valuable resources to help municipalities with sustainability planning and programs such as energy efficiently, renewable energy, and clean transportation. Below is a snapshot of the designated Green Communities (shown in green) and Waltham is the white patch in the middle.
Source: Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, Green Communities Program website
This state program has made $28 million in grant awards to 110 cities and towns to reduce energy consumption in schools and public buildings, erect solar arrays and implement the latest building codes. Waltham has not been eligible for any of those grants. Similarly, the state’s Energy Resilience Program made $40 million in grant awards to help cities and towns to use clean energy technology solutions to help prevent service interruptions due to the effects of climate change. Waltham did not receive a grant from that program either; another missed opportunity.
Climate change is an international issue that cannot be addressed by any one city. In Metro-Boston, 14 area mayors have teamed up and created a task force to address this issue on a regional basis. The task force, announced earlier this year, will work together to address the region’s readiness for the inevitability of climate change, and will make policy recommendations and set regional priorities for climate preparedness. Waltham is not represented around that table; this must change.
Currently, Waltham recycles less than 20% of its waste, which is low by regional standards. Combined with the fact that Waltham pays among the highest rates per ton for trash incineration, our low recycling rate winds up costing taxpayers millions of extra dollars in disposal costs.
Sitting in traffic in congested areas of Waltham wastes time, fuel, and money, while needlessly harming the environment. This is another area where a thoughtful sustainability approach, led by the mayor can make a difference. We can improve signalizations at intersections, make the city much more bike and pedestrian friendly, and press state officials for improved public transportation access.
Being a sustainable community also means preparing to meet the needs of all residents across all income spectrums and there is no greater missed opportunity in Waltham than the Banks School property. The city has wasted years and taxpayer dollars on the failed rehabilitation of the former Bank School into affordable housing units. This property could have been a vital resource to the residents of Waltham and instead has been a financial drain on our city.
My Sustainability Agenda
Cities all over the world are recognizing that sustainability is a key issue for the future that requires commitment and forward thinking at the local level. In July 2015, mayors from all over the world met and adopted the United Nations sustainability development to “end extreme poverty and hunger by 2030, ensure health care, education, access to water, sustainable energy and growth for all — and take urgent action to combat climate change and protect the Earth.” I will adopt those same goals when I am elected Mayor of Waltham, and below are some examples of how my administration will promote sustainability.
Energy & Our Environment
Under my leadership, Waltham will adopt the Green Communities Program to make Waltham eligible for important state grants and resources to supplement the local sustainability efforts. I will reconfigure and empower the city’s Energy Action Committee to leverage the talent and expertise of our citizens by establishing real goals and objectives for the Committee to support long range sustainability and resiliency planning with an actionable implementation plan.
My administration will host an annual Waltham Sustainability Summit to engage residents and promote a more sustainable Waltham. The event will outline our efforts, report on our results, and encourage residents and local businesses to bring new ideas to the city. I will also establish public-private partnerships with cutting edge local companies to introduce energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives. Under my leadership, residents and businesses will recognize that sustainability is a priority for the city and will feel welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion.
I will join the Metro-Boston area mayor’s task force on climate change, and work in partnership with other municipal leaders who have implemented smart sustainability plans, such as Somerville, Boston, Cambridge and the Merrimack Valley. This collaboration will provide a higher level of regional collaboration and high impact sustainability planning at no expense to the taxpayer.
Public Buildings and Spaces
I will work with local and state officials to identify and remediate brownfields sites in Waltham, and we will prioritize that effort based on redevelopment potential and the severity of contamination. The first priority will be to access state or federal brownfields funding to enable the city to repurpose the former town landfill, which was evaluated more than a decade ago and remains unused today. Utilizing the lessons learned by many other municipalities in Massachusetts who have done this successfully, Waltham will work to make city-owned land available to residents for public purposes, including open space and recreation facilities.
My administration will always seek to maximize efficiencies in local government. One immediate way to do so is to assess the energy efficiency of all public buildings and implement new technologies to reduce local energy consumption and thereby reduce the cost and carbon footprint of our public facilities.
Housing
There is a tremendous need for safe, affordable housing options for low and moderate-income residents of Waltham, as well as our seniors and veterans. Unfortunately, the city spent millions of taxpayer dollars to transform the Banks School property into affordable housing but failed to do so after $5 million in renovation costs and an untold amount in utility costs and municipal employee wages. Ten years later, the current administration finally accepted my recommendation to put this project out to bid so that the private sector can finish the project and the city can again reap tax revenue from that property. However, the Mayor is continuing to act irresponsibly by presenting an unrealistic bid to potential buyers. I will conduct an audit of the Banks School project to ensure that all of the appropriate procedures were followed and all of the affordable housing resources were repaid to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. It is important to restore resident confidence that these resources were repaid, and that affordable housing resources will be used appropriately in the future. Residents can be assured that my administration will not undertake any projects that we do not have the professional capacity or resources to complete in the best interests of taxpayers.
What This Means to You
As mayor, I will provide vision and leadership for the sustainability of Waltham generations to come. Working with stakeholders both inside and outside of Waltham, we will reduce the energy costs of operating public buildings, implement better protections for our environment, promote greater utilization of renewable energy technologies, and support the creation of more affordable housing options for our most vulnerable residents. Waltham will be an active partner in promoting global sustainability, by joining state and world leaders on efforts to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and provide enhanced access to renewable technologies and public spaces. Under my leadership, Waltham will join the ranks of other leading cities across the state, country and world by working to make our city a nicer, cleaner, more affordable place to live for future generations.
As many residents know, the City purchased the Fernald Center campus,
which consists of more than 190 acres of land this past December. This was
a significant investment for our city costing $3.7 million and I feel a
significant opportunity as well if handled under the proper leadership.
First, the City of Waltham gaining control of this key parcel of land was
absolutely critical and as state representative I am proud to have
successfully completed this task along with the state delegation, city
officials and Waltham advocates.
Second, I have proudly collaborated with the Fernald Working Group and see
public input as a central aspect of this land reuse
project. Waltham’s success will also be measured on our ability to
develop and execute a thoughtful plan that includes open communication
with residents and an opportunity for dialogue and input.
Specific to this project, in my opinion, it is irresponsible for the city
to move forward without a thought out, long term reuse plan including a
costs and benefits analysis and capital improvement plan. Residents
deserve to know what the options are and how much they will cost, and then
have an opportunity to guide the future use of the property.
Making knee jerk decisions to demolish buildings without any idea of the
costs or goals for the property reuse is absolutely the wrong strategy.
Instead, I recommend hiring an independent consultant to assess the
various options, complete a cost/benefit analysis and budget, and hold a
series of meetings to gather public input. In fact, Councillor Vizard and
I authored a City Council Resolution last year that called for this action
to take place. The Resolution passed unanimously and was forwarded to the
mayor.
I will not support spending taxpayer dollars to take actions on this site
without a comprehensive reuse plan and budget. Under a Stanley
administration, I will take these steps on all projects that come before
the city.
There is nothing more important than educating our children in an environment that promotes self-esteem, positive social interactions and enthusiasm for life-long learning. Waltham has the good fortune of having dedicated teachers and supportive families, but the city’s leadership on education is insufficient and our teachers have not been provided with the necessary tools to succeed. The turnover rate for teachers and administrators is too high, creating instability within the system. The long-anticipated overcrowding at our elementary schools has now ballooned into a critical problem. Despite repeated warnings for many years about the potential failure to meet accreditation standards of the high school, the plan for a new high school facility is only just beginning.
Waltham needs a sustained and active commitment to educational excellence. We should demand a school system where the students are excelling, facilities are modern and up-to-date, the diversity of our student body is both addressed and celebrated, special needs students get the support they need to achieve their highest potential, innovative teaching and programming is our competitive advantage, and music, arts and enrichment programming is abundant. Our world is innovating and our public school system needs to keep up in order to prepare our students for the workforce of the future. Educational excellence is the foundation of every great community and it is an achievable goal for Waltham as well.
THE CHALLENGES OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FACES
The Waltham Public Schools was responsible for educating 5,254 students across nine schools during the 2014-15 school year. During the 2013-14 school year, our high school dropout rate was significantly higher than the state average and our high school dropout rate among English Language Learners (ELL) students was more than three times the state average. Our ELL population is more than double the state average at 17.3 percent, with more than 60 languages spoken in the Waltham Public Schools. The turnover within the school administration is astoundingly high, with six new superintendents and dozens of new principals over the past 12 years. Some of our elementary schools are bursting at the seams due to overcrowding and our high school facility is outdated and inadequate for 21st century learning. Our teacher salaries are below the state average and our per pupil spending decreased over the last two school years, yet the overall school budget continues to rise year after year and our facilities are getting worse rather than better. Something needs to change and it needs to change now.
MY EDUCATION AGENDA
As the parent of a current Waltham Public Schools student, I know there is a lot going right in our schools, but I also know that we can do better. We need to ensure that every student has the opportunity to start life on the right foot. We need to know that our educators are excited and empowered to teach our kids in the best ways possible. We need to do more to leverage the opportunities at our doorstep, by working with our cutting edge companies and institutions of higher learning to improve opportunities to our students, teachers and administrators. Waltham students deserve nothing but the best, and I will deliver the focus, leadership and vision from the mayor’s office to accomplish all of these objectives and more.
Collaboration and Empowerment
In Waltham, the office of mayor serves as a non-voting member of the school committee. Over the years, different mayors have approached this role in different ways. Regardless of how a mayor engages in this role, be it as a micromanager, or in a truly “hands off” fashion, the mayor of our city is ultimately responsible for the quality of our schools. But the mayor does not act alone in matters pertaining to the schools. The school committee plays an important part in setting the agenda and direction for our public school system. As mayor, I will seek to empower the school committee to act as an independent body as intended by the city charter. I will provide the leadership to ensure that city government prioritizes educational excellence for all students and supports the school committee to do its job, but I will not micromanage the committee. Under my leadership, the school committee will return to an independent body serving at the will of the voters to serve the needs of our students.
I will partner with the school superintendent, school committee, parent associations and teachers union to address the consistent problem of administrator and teacher turnover throughout our school system. Waltham loses valuable experience and relationships every time we lose a member of our administration or faculty. Educator retention needs to be a priority for Waltham, and one of my primary goals will be to improve the policies or conditions that will lead to higher rates of teacher and administrator retention.
Waltham has an outstanding opportunity to partner with our local institutions of higher learning and corporate leaders to achieve a unique educational experience for our students. The current administration has failed to fully realize those opportunities, resulting in missed opportunities for Waltham. I will partner with area colleges to maximize the mutual benefit that can be realized when college students and their professors connect with city departments, schools and area non-profits.
Financial Stability and Facilities Management
Waltham Public Schools needs a long-range financial plan that is transparent, understandable and consistent. I will support long-range financial planning across all departments, but specifically in our public school system to better understand the current and future financial needs for our schools. We need to fully understand the funding requirements of operating the schools for peak performance. We also need to
recognize the capital investments that will be necessary to keep our facilities in good condition and our equipment modern and relevant for 21st century learning techniques. I will work with the school committee, teachers union, city council and parent organizations to craft a plan that addresses our school funding needs with fiscal discipline for taxpayers.
To support educational excellence from the mayor’s office, I will collaborate with the school committee, superintendent, administrators, teachers, and legislators, as I have as a city councilor and state representative, on efforts to build a new high school. Additionally, I will work to ensure that the overcrowding and other facilities issues are addressed in the near term and consistently addressed in the future throughout the regular course of business. I will promote shared services, such as IT, human resources and other “back office” functions between the school district and city administration to reduce administrative cost burdens to the taxpayer and use our valuable financial resources on items that will improve the quality of education in Waltham.
Similarly, there are opportunities to partner with innovative companies in Waltham to promote cutting edge STEM education and technology preparedness that is required of every job in the 21st century. Such partnerships will create high school internship opportunities for our students with these companies located in our very own backyard. To facilitate these partnerships, I will establish a private-public educational task force comprised of businesses, higher education centers, Waltham Public Schools representatives and parents to seek ways to formulate more of these collaborative opportunities to improve the educational experience in Waltham.
Diverse Needs and Diverse Solutions
Waltham is a unique City full of cultural diversity and I believe that our diversity should be celebrated and considered an opportunity rather than a challenge. One distinct opportunity for Waltham Public Schools is the proposed dual language immersion program that offers our students the opportunity to learn foreign language skills beginning at a young age, making it easier for those students to learn even more languages later in life. The dual language immersion program would be a competitive advantage for our schools. It would also serve as a community development tool to bring students and families of diverse cultural ethnicities together toward common objectives. I believe that the dual language immersion program is a win-win for Waltham and it represents the spirit of innovation that we should promote in Waltham Public Schools.
While our community’s cultural diversity provides opportunities for Waltham, it also brings challenges for our educators who need to address the unique needs of all students. As mayor, I will work with all relevant stakeholders to focus on the unique needs of ELL students and their families to ensure that they are able to access all of the services and supports that Waltham and its school system offer. I will support the district to reduce performance gaps and to improve the performance and opportunities for ELL
students and the school system at large by collaborating with mayors in other parts of the country who are facing the same challenges and developing best practices. Waltham should be at the forefront of developing best practices, potentially serving as a role model for other cities and towns looking to address similar challenges.
During the 2013-2014 school year alone, 52 high school students dropped out; nearly half of these students have disabilities. To better prepare our students for the workforce, we need to keep them in school that may require alternative solutions. Following the lead of nearby communities, I will work with stakeholders to establish an alternative high school for students with unique demands who cannot be integrated into the mainstream educational environment but still deserve and require a free and appropriate education that prepares them for the future. I will work with administrators and others to create workforce training and school-to-work programming for older ELL students entering our school system with diverse experiences, expectations and needs for the future. These are the realities Waltham schools are facing today and I will support the district in finding new and inventive solutions that meet these needs.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU
I want families in Waltham to choose the public schools over private school options because of our district’s superior performance and unique offerings. I want teachers and administrators to stay in the district for the bulk of their career, getting to know families and making a long-term commitment to our city. I want other districts to look to Waltham for best practices to close achievement gaps, reduce dropout rates, increase MCAS and SAT scores, and create a seamless college placement and school-to-work program. This is my vision for educational excellence in Waltham and I know it is achievable with hard work, public engagement and innovative thinking.
Waltham’s economy is good, but I know we can do even better. A strong local economy will allow city government to provide the best services and opportunities to all our residents, while maintaining a low residential property tax. High quality police, fire, schools, libraries, and other public services all cost money, and a thriving business community creates jobs for our neighbors and shifts more of the tax burden away from home owners. A major priority for Waltham’s Mayor must be to actively engage in a plan for Waltham’s economic future, one of smart development and job creation that works with the community.
From an economic development perspective, Waltham has it all: A hardworking and educated workforce, close proximity to Boston, two commuter rail stops, two prominent institutions of higher education, existing clusters of innovation companies, prime highway access, and high quality real estate. We have the type of economic assets that make other communities green with envy. Yet, at the very same time, we have a reputation for being a difficult place to do business. Our city government is known for lengthy and unpredictable permitting, outdated and irrelevant land use plans, and arduous, inefficient and inconsistent government processes. Eventually, these roadblocks will chip away at our local economy, depreciating assets and tax revenues, and providing fewer and fewer opportunities for our residents. That doesn’t happen overnight, but I want to make sure it doesn’t happen at all.
In the future, I see Waltham as a world-class city that works in partnership with its small businesses, universities and innovation companies to lead the Innovation Revolution. Waltham will attract the best and the brightest young talent, property values will soar and vacancies will decline, and the city will be known for its innovative thinking. We will cut red tape and make it easy to start new businesses in Waltham, and those businesses will choose to stay in Waltham as they grow because of the positive relationship they have with the city government and its people. Waltham will have cutting edge land use plans that allow for sustainable growth while also reducing traffic congestion and parking shortfalls. Our downtown will be bustling with locals and tourists who come for the local flavor and unique storefronts, and then come back again for the always evolving cultural and artistic offerings. Our city will offer targeted resources that promote workforce development, enhanced adult ELL classes and job training, and school-to-work programs to give young adults and newcomers the tools they need to secure a consistent, well-paying job. We will again be known as the center of innovation and invention – not only in the private sector but in city hall as well – and by making these improvements to our business environment, we will build upon the legacy that our ancestors created for us, and we will pass a similarly impressive legacy on to our children for future generations.
Our Community: Waltham’s Economy
From textiles to watches to magnetron tubing, the hardworking people of Waltham have been at the forefront of invention and innovation for over two centuries. It is remarkable to think that Waltham changed the very course of American history as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. That spirit of innovation has carried through the many generations in Waltham still today as we host a world-class cluster of global companies and world-recognized product manufacturers. Just as important are the hundreds of mom and pop retailers, restaurants, contractors and other small businesses and entrepreneurs who, when combined with the technology, biotech and research giants, reflect a local economy that is as unique and diverse as our people. The strength and diversity of our economy is a big part of what makes Waltham great, and I know the city can do more to secure our economic future in way that serves all families in Waltham.
Today there are more than 6,000 businesses in Waltham that generate billions of dollars in economic activity and contribute nearly $100,000,000 in annual property taxes, representing 59.92% of the city’s total tax levy. (Source: MA Division of Local Services, FY2015 Comparative Report Analysis)
The tax contribution from our businesses helps to stabilize the residential property tax rate in Waltham, which ranks in the lowest 25% in the state, while also providing the necessary financial resources to operate our city and invest in our future. The residential tax rate in Waltham is more than $2.00 lower than the statewide median rate of $15.61 per $1,000. The chart below provides a snapshot of Waltham’s residential tax rate in comparison with the statewide median and six similar cities. (Source: MA Division of Local Services, FY2015 Comparative Report Analysis)
Waltham has the 9th highest total tax levy in Massachusetts and the 8th largest commercial tax base in the state (as a percentage of the total tax levy). Compared with six similar cities, Waltham has the largest commercial tax base and the second largest total tax levy. A direct statewide median of these measures is not applicable given the diverse size and scale of cities and towns in Massachusetts, however a more accurate comparison for Waltham is data compiled from the 40 largest cities in Massachusetts with a minimum population of 40,000. The chart below shows tax levy data for Waltham, six similar cities, and median data for the largest 40 cities in Massachusetts. Across all comparisons, Waltham has a high overall tax levy and commercial tax contribution. (Source: MA Division of Local Services, FY2015 Comparative Report Analysis)
The latest available unemployment data shows Waltham had a 3.8% unemployment rate in March 2015 versus 4.5% one year ago in March 2014. Waltham’s unemployment rate is below the state unemployment rate in of 5.0% in March 2015 and 6.3% in March 2014. Below is a chart showing unemployment data for Waltham, the state and in six similar cities. (Source: Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development, Department of Unemployment Assistance)
What all the data shows is that Waltham is very well positioned to succeed. Waltham has a good local economy, but we haven’t fully realized our potential. Our businesses create nearly 58,000 jobs for our residents of all skills and abilities, and they support our community in countless other ways such as sponsoring youth sports programs, supporting area non-profits and providing internships for our students. Our local businesses are an important part of the fabric of Waltham and our city needs to do to more to support them and help them grow here. What then is the barrier to Waltham realizing its full economic potential? Strong leadership with a vision in the Mayor’s office.
My Economic Development Agenda
The characteristics of a world class local economy are already here, but it requires leadership and vision to leverage those assets, connect the dots and build something exceptional. As mayor, I will embark on a robust economic agenda that is predicated upon business and resident engagement, planning for the future, and effective management. We will learn from the experiences of other world class cities and look for ways to make continued improvements and progress. Through these principles and strategies, we will make Waltham an even more desirable place to live, work and play.
Planning Ahead
Under my leadership, Waltham will establish a 21st Century Planning Office to be led by a qualified and experienced Planning Director. The planning office will undertake thoughtful land use planning aimed to reduce traffic congestion, support smart growth and walkable community concepts, address local infrastructure needs, provide enhanced amenities for residents, and achieve the highest and best uses of our available development parcels. We will establish an actionable downtown revitalization plan to improve parking and streetscape management, attract higher demand retail and cultural amenities, and attract new investment to downtown. We will prioritize the repair and management of the city’s defunct public sewer system and other infrastructure systems suffering from deferred maintenance, and utilize talented volunteers such as the citizen’s Inflow and Infiltration Advisory Committee to advise and assist in those efforts. We will prioritize public-private partnerships and innovative infrastructure financing strategies, and we will utilize every available state and federal grant program to offset the costs to our residents of infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. Our land use planning efforts will set the stage for how Waltham will look over the next 20 to 30 years, and it will integrate innovative and sustainable planning strategies into our development review process to ensure that every decision made today has a positive impact on tomorrow.
Effective Management
Under my leadership, Waltham will engage in an Economic Development Self-Assessment Tool (EDSAT) exercise with economist Barry Bluestone of Northeastern University to better understand our local economy and the needs of our businesses, and assess how well aligned our city operations are to meet those needs. The EDSAT has helped many other Massachusetts cities and towns to become more effective and efficient, and it can and will do the same for Waltham. We will also working toward more prompt and predictable permitting by adopting many of the best practices for streamlined local permitting that were published by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies in 2007. This does not mean that every project will be approved but it does mean that more effective and efficient government processes will be established that will lead to a higher and better result for residents. We will build a comprehensive, user-friendly online portal modeled after the San Francisco Business Portal (http://businessportal.sfgov.org) to make it easier and more transparent to do business in Waltham. We’ll work with startup accelerators like MassChallenge and host Shark Tank events to foster an innovation climate in Waltham that supports entrepreneurs who will be an important part of our economic future.
Meaningful Engagement
We will collaborate with the many partners that make up a local economy such as residents, businesses, universities, schools, workforce training programs, ELL support providers, venture capital, and real estate practitioners. Recognizing that small business operators spend day and night working on their business with very little or no time left for civic engagement, we will create a Small Business Advisory Council to coordinate their interests and work hand in hand with local government to make it easier to start and grow a small business in Waltham. We will support the innovation clusters in Waltham through a variety of public-private partnerships to promote and enhance the city’s innovation economy and STEM education, and create stronger university partnerships, such as establishing a makerspace in downtown Waltham in partnership with Brandies University. We will prioritize talent retention by working with our local colleges to make impactful connections between their students and our city. We will break down silos within city government and support enhanced collaboration with human service providers to ensure that our neediest residents have access to the training and services they need to secure a job and achieve their highest potential. Many of these resources already exist today, but my administration will ensure coordinate service delivery and fill gaps to make sure our programs are working.
Directing Development and Growing Jobs
A $100 million economic engine needs a full time manager who is focused on supporting the local economy. I will hire an Economic Development Director to guide local policy making and implement best practices. This person will serve as the city’s business ombudsman, working across city departments to ensure that our policies, programs and service to business is not only consistent, but predictable, transparent and sensible. There will be benchmarking of economic indicators, concrete performance measures, and transparent reporting on economic conditions filed as a report to the City Council on an annual basis. The Economic Development Director will ensure that the strength and vitality of Waltham’s economy is a top priority within my administration, and that we are consistently monitoring economic trends and planning for our future.
What This Means to You
My economic development agenda represents a change for the better in Waltham, and the goals and objectives outlined in this policy brief are not only achievable and but measurable. Responsible permitting will be achieved through a more professional, prompt and predictable local process. This means that restaurants will be able to offer outdoor seating in downtown where residents can enjoy dinner with friends on a warm evening. This means our mom and pop businesses can spend their time running their business and delivering value to the people of Waltham rather than cutting through expensive and nonsensical red tape at city hall. Improved transparency and communication from city hall to developers and businesses will accomplish a higher and better result for Waltham residents. This means attracting projects with fewer traffic implications and better shopping, retail amenities and high quality jobs for residents. Smart growth zoning and modernized planning will make our city more livable, accessible and marketable. This means reducing traffic, providing sidewalks so residents can walk and bike safely, and allowing for coffee shops, corner stores and recreational areas in close proximity to our neighborhoods – all of which will improve our real estate values and quality of life.
A stronger local economy with careful management and monitoring means a more financially secure Waltham for the future. The March 2015 MassBenchmarks report published by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute shows that the Massachusetts economy grew by 2.9% in the 4th quarter of 2014. Conservative annual growth estimates to the Waltham economy could mean another $2,400,000 in local tax revenue without increasing our residential tax rate by a single penny, and it could mean more than 1,000 new jobs for our residents. This means more financial resources for our schools, roads, police and fire departments, human services, and all other public operations. It means a shorter commute for residents who get new jobs closer to home. It means stabilized residential tax rates, low fees and higher property values. But none of this growth is guaranteed. Waltham needs a strong Mayor to help grow the local economy, and to do so while protecting the community and neighborhoods of the city.
This paper summarizes the economic value that our businesses deliver to Waltham residents and I believe that the strategies outlined above will enable our businesses to grow and deliver enhanced revenues and job opportunities to the City of Waltham. I will bring leadership and vision back to the City of Waltham to ensure that taxpayers are getting the very best value for their tax dollar. I will ensure that the economic engine in Waltham churns at our maximum potential, providing taxes, amenities, jobs and small business creation opportunities for our residents of all skills, ages and ethnicities.
Waltham is rich with history, arts and culture, and support for the arts should be a fundamental priority for the community. Promoting arts, culture and diversity simultaneously promotes a variety of other important issues such as economic prosperity and job creation, educational achievement, health and wellness, and civic engagement. Perhaps most importantly for a community as diverse as Waltham, support for the arts helps to cement and promote a cultural legacy by embracing our community’s unique character and passing it on to future generations. We are a community that has long celebrated these riches and we need to do a better job of celebrating the uniqueness of our people who made it all possible. The arts and cultural offerings of a city tell an important story about its history and how it embraces its people of all ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. Waltham should be actively promoting and celebrating our cultural and artistic diversity and it should be our calling card to the world.
In the future, I see Waltham as a world-class city that works in partnership with its artisans, musicians, historic preservationists, schools, cultural groups, colleges and residents to build an Arts, Culture and Diversity Program that is unmatched. All of the necessary characteristics to become a world class cultural center are already here, but it requires leadership, vision and heightened collaboration to bring those assets together and build something exceptional.
Waltham has a long list of existing cultural assets that are already contributing to the fabric of our community. Our robust local music scene includes two orchestras – the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and Waltham Symphony Orchestra, the Reagle Music Theater of Greater Boston, a free summer concert series hosted by the Waltham Arts Council, Waltham High School’s show choir Music Unlimited and show band, and many other live music offerings. We have amazing performance art by the Hovey Players, Bentley and Brandeis Theater Companies, and are proud to be the only school district in the state offering drama education to all students K-12. We offer unique physical assets such as the Waltham Public Library, Waltham Historic Society, a variety of historic estates and homes, and the Waltham Mills’ Artists Association. Having such outstanding artistic talent and physical assets right in Waltham’s backyard delivers amazing benefit to our residents and these assets should be maximized to their fullest potential.
Our community is exceptionally diverse and getting more diverse over time. In the decade between 2000 and 2010, Waltham saw a 5.1% increase in Latino population, a 2.3% increase in Asian/Pacific Islander population and a 1.5% increase in African American population. These demographic changes are unusual for Massachusetts and make Waltham incredibly unique. As a community, we need to translate that uniqueness into opportunity, and as we engage in policy making, supporting and celebrating our diversity should be a large part of the decision making process.
As mayor, I will support a program of arts, culture and diversity that makes Waltham the envy of Greater Boston. Our agenda will be formulated around three important principles of resident engagement, planning for the future, and effective management. We will learn from the experiences of other world class cities and look for ways to integrate creativity, cultural awareness and artistic exploration into our city fabric. When visitors come to Waltham, they will immediately understand who we are and what we are about by seeing, hearing and experiencing the history, art and cultural diversity of our amazing city. Supporting the arts also offers economic benefit to the city and our small businesses. The Academy of the Arts estimates that an average arts attendees spends $24.60 above the price of admission when attending an arts event, and that non-local visitors spend twice as much as local visitors to cultural and arts events. This spending represents an important economic boost for our city while simultaneously promoting a stronger community development platform for our residents.
Under my leadership, Waltham will seek a Cultural District Designation for downtown that supports enhanced cultural activities and tourism. We will become a destination for events, dining, unique cultural and historic experiences, and the arts. We will promote arts and culture in our public spaces and buildings by adopting great models like the Sidewalk Poetry Program recently launched in Cambridge, and we will remove red tape to enable more performance art in public spaces as was recently undertaken in Boston. We will maintain, preserve and invest in our public spaces so residents and visitors feel safe, comfortable and welcome to participate in civic events and visit public spaces. We will promote enhanced arts and music programming in our public schools to ensure that our students obtain a comprehensive educational experience with enrichment programs that offer opportunities to express their creativity and talent in a variety of ways. We will ensure that our public library has the resources it needs to continue their valuable programming that serves residents of all ages. We will explore the opportunity to open an arts center, as was once contemplated for the former South Middle School, to provide a place for music, arts and cultural programming for Waltham residents.
Under my leadership, the city workforce will be more representative of the population it serves. We will establish a Cultural Diversity Committee that will work to enhance outreach efforts to multicultural groups and promote more engagement with city government at every level. The Committee will advise my administration on ways to improve our diversity planning, programming and engagement, and diversity policies will be integrated into every department of city government. We will support expanded adult ELL classes, introduce citizenship classes, and integrate workforce development programming for young adult immigrants into the public schools to mitigate drop-out potential and provide alternative pathways to opportunity for their future. We will collaborate with local artists, cultural groups, public schools and community groups to produce street-based art and performance, and to display local art throughout our public buildings. We will establish public-private partnerships and seek foundation support of innovative arts programming, such as micro-grants to artisan entrepreneurs, pop up art exhibits, and storefront artist programs.
Waltham needs the right team in place to drive progress and execute our community vision. As mayor, I will appoint a Diversity Director within city hall to serve as a liaison to the minority and immigrant community and to ensure that all residents have an open line of communication to the Mayor’s office. The Diversity Director will also be responsible for engaging with city departments, Personnel Director, residents and with the Cultural Diversity Committee to ensure that consistent and comprehensive diversity policies are implemented throughout every city department. I will also establish an Arts and Culture Director, who will be a strong and focused advocate for the arts in Waltham. The Arts and Culture Director will be a partner for the Waltham Arts Council and will serve as a grant writer for the city to attract new financial resources to supplement non-profit and government-sponsored activities. It is anticipated that the economic benefit of promoting enhanced diversity and art and cultural activities, coupled with the opportunity to attract grants, foundation support and public-private partnerships will generate more than enough revenue to support these two important personnel positions.
Under my leadership, the voices of all of Waltham’s residents will be heard and celebrated. We will promote cultural exchanges between Waltham and other cities around the world, and look to models such as the Hands Around the World Program in Dallas, TX to make meaningful connections between our residents of diverse ethnicities. We will collaborate with artisans, multicultural groups and our colleges to create synergies between our arts and cultural events by leveraging existing events such as the Waltham Food and Wine Festival, the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, the Watch City Steampunk Festival and the Waltham Riverfest to provide additional tourism and cultural benefit for Waltham. We will work to promote and support the existing arts, cultural and historic groups and institutions that make Waltham such a great place to live and visit.
When Waltham embraces its arts, culture and diversity in a systemic way, you will feel a new sense of community in our city. It means people of color and diverse ethnic backgrounds being a part of the decision-making process in Waltham, and as such, our city’s decisions will be more comprehensive and thoughtful about meeting the needs of all residents of Waltham. It means our streets, buildings and public spaces will be welcoming and adorned with all local art and expression. It means better enrichment in our schools and more creativity for our students. It means people of all ages and backgrounds coming together toward the common purpose of making our city beautiful and joyful. It means music and performance on our streets, tourists filling our shops and supporting our local businesses, and a revived spirit of excitement throughout our city. Under my leadership, residents will have the opportunities to contribute to the fabric of our community in their own unique way, and Waltham will be better for it.
Waltham and Lincoln’s local aid numbers are up over fiscal year 2019 funding levels in Governor Baker’s FY20 budget recommendations! Rep. Stanley will continue to fight to deliver more Chapter 70/UGGA funds to the 9th Middlesex District in the House budget debate.
The Fernald Working Group released a Fernald Framework Plan Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The RFQ was developed by the Fernald Working Group and modeled after the successfully completed Medfield State Hospital RFQ. The state sold both the Fernald and Medfield State Hospital to Waltham and Medfield within two weeks of one another in 2014.
The City of Waltham acquired the Fernald property almost four years ago in December 2014. Since that time, the cottages and Malone Park have been demolished and there are plans to remove the Shriver and Kelley buildings along with the Green building that housed the pool but there have been no comprehensive plans for the site.
The City of Waltham only conducted an initial Phase 1 environmental study of a portion of the land in relation to determining if a new high school was appropriate. The City has not conducted a comprehensive environmental analysis of the property despite the council’s repeated requests.
Since the acquisition, the buildings have not been properly secured and much damage has occurred. There has been no study of the physical status of the historic buildings at Fernald, with the possible exception of the three homes on Trapelo Road. There have been some environmental studies as a part of considering the Fernald as the site of the new high school.
The town of Medfield acquired a similarly sized state hospital property at the same time and immediately set to work to plan for its use. They hired planning consultants who worked with town officials and the public. The process was similar to the process the rail trail consultants have used to develop the much simpler rail trail design. Medfield is now putting its plans in place.
The City of Waltham recently put out a Request for Information (RFI) last week. The RFI is looking for people/companies to let the City know if they might like to buy or lease one or more buildings or parcels at the Fernald and what they would like to do at the properties. It says it is looking for information, but makes no assurances as to what the City will do.
The RFI is not necessary but could compliment the issuance of an RFQ as it will provide additional ideas for professional consultants to use. The RFQ requires consultants to consider the Mayor’s master plan document, the ideas that have been presented by the Council and community inputs.
Last March or April, the City of Waltham released a bid entitled Design for the Field Survey, Repairs, Rehabilitation, Renovation and Construction Administration of 6 Buildings. That bid is now closed and in checking with Purchasing, it appears nothing happened. At the site view, potential respondents were quite confused, asking about the City’s Master Plan.
Rep. Stanley requested and received approval from the City Council for an initial $250,000 to fund the implementation of an RFQ and the approval of the Fernald Working Group’s RFQ but the mayor has refused to entertain the idea.