Candidate Profile: Amanda Linehan, Ward 3 City Council

MALDEN, MA — Amanda Linehan is running for re-election to the city council in Ward 3 in the Nov. 2 municipal election. She faces a challenger in Glen Curtis. There will also be a citywide election for councillor at-large, as well as elections for city council and school committee in certain wards.

Malden Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Linehan, currently serving her first term on the council, is a former member of the Malden Redevelopment Authority's board of directors. She is an appointed member of the mayor's advisory group on community policing, the Wellington Circle study group and the Malden Courthouse Arts and Culture Center steering committee.

Linehan chairs the committee on housing for federal ARPA funding.

Are you running for office in Malden? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Malden Patch.

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Position Sought

City Councillor, Ward 3

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Husband Mark and daughter Georgia, 8

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

Bachelor's in Jazz Music & Journalism from George Washington University

Occupation

Communications Director for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) since 2008 (13 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I'm serving my first term on the Malden City Council representing Ward 3. Prior to that, I served on the Malden Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors. I am also appointed to Mayor Christenson's advisory group on community policing and the Wellington Circle study group, and the Malden Courthouse Arts and Culture Center Steering Committee. I'm also appointed to Chair the committee on Housing for our federal recovery effort (ARPA).

Campaign website

AmandaLinehan.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I'm seeking re-election because I love Malden, I love serving as a Councillor, and we are getting so many exciting projects done as a neighborhood that I would be honored to continue. We have major investments coming to Fellsmere Pond, Patchell Park, the historic stone wall at Wallace Park, and will be turning the Malden Courthouse into a Community Arts & Culture center this year; we've improved safety for people walking, biking and driving across Ward 3, we've also brought playground upgrades and a new energy-efficient HVAC system to Beebe School, and paved miles of roadway this year, with more to come.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Citywide the biggest upcoming issue will be our pandemic recovery, but the key challenge for Ward 3 will be bringing the Malden Hospital blight to a resolution, and we are very, very close. Working with Melrose-Wakefield this year I have secured a commitment to add several acres of new open space to the site, as well as a promise to preserve the tree line. We know that the old buildings will be getting torn down and a new use coming in that is expected to generate less traffic. Melrose-Wakefield and I share a commitment to conducting a robust community engagement effort on the parcel's future, and I hope we can bring a plan for the site's future to the public in the coming weeks and months.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I ran in 2019 on a pledge to be responsive, to communicate well even with constituents who share a differing viewpoint, and to be open and transparent about my votes, and I have lived up to that in my first term. I am the most active Councillor on social media and have launched a quarterly newsletter, and I practice inclusive outreach when it comes to multiple languages, ADA accessibility, and hybrid meeting technology. I have deep relationships and experience in Ward 3, and I bring significant grant money and state earmarks to Malden so we get excellent projects and infrastructure upgrades without costing taxpayers.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Local elected officials were on the front lines of COVID response, often with mixed messages from the state level. I think all Councillors used our unique skills and talents to help the community, from making masks, calling hundreds of seniors, and delivering groceries and prescriptions, to organizing holiday drives and helping residents get testing then vaccine appointments. I'm proud to have organized a weekly regional conference call for public health officials North of Boston that still meets to this day, and to have spearheaded TWO citywide mailers about testing and later on vaccines, in multiple languages. I was part of Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors as they first organized, and worked with them throughout 2020 and 2021 on pandemic response to our most vulnerable residents. Looking ahead I am in charge of the $4 million+ in ARPA money designated to help our housing market, and we are focusing on affordable homeownership and long-term homelessness prevention. I was in the minority who voted for our City Council to begin meeting a bit sooner during the state of emergency instead of being in recess for a month, but ultimately it did not change how hard I was working for my constituents even while meetings were on hiatus, so I am proud of my individual reputation and track record during that difficult period.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My key campaign issues are the same as when I first ran: climate resilience, housing stability, and equitable, safe transportation. We have made great strides in these areas, from adopting LED street lights to adding electric vehicles to our municipal fleet and creating an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, but we need to start working much faster and much more aggressively for the health of our environment, and to prevent displacement of longtime residents. It's currently almost impossible for young adults who grew up here to find a way to put down roots in their community, and seniors face similar challenges when looking to downsize. We need more affordable options for working families and folks of all ages, and we need to make sure our streets are safe for ALL users, whether they are walking, waiting for the bus, pushing a stroller, riding a bike to school, using a cane to cross the street, or driving to work. I've made it a priority to add safer crosswalks and bike lanes around the neighborhood, and I'm proud to be helping bring Blue Bikes to Malden in 2022. I'd like to see us hire an energy coordinator in our Planning office to help push us harder on clean energy and climate planning.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am great at balancing constituent services with legislative work and community events. As Ward Councillors, we are residents' key liaison between daily life and city government, so we need to call people back promptly, address their questions, and unblock their challenges, whether that's wanting a tree planted, a pothole paved, or helping them pay a city bill online. Residents also look to us for inclusive, fun events to foster community, and I'm proud that we created so many new traditions in my first term: the first ever Fall lantern walk, the Spring art walk, the now-annual Pumpkin Fest in the Beebe Plaza, our summer movie night which we hope to bring back again, and our Merry Malden holiday drive which gave thousands of residents toys, gifts and winter clothing in a challenging year. I am proud to have a perfect attendance record at all of my Council and Committee meetings, and it's evident each week that I do the research to understand what's on our agenda, have an intelligent discussion, and vote based on my well-researched opinion alongside my constituents' feedback and input. City Council done well is much more than a part-time job, and I want my constituents to know I take the job seriously and will work hard to fight for them.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

A former Councillor in a nearby community told me that it's never a good idea to make assumptions about others' motivations or intent, and that has proven to be deeply wise advice. Time spent wondering "why" someone is proposing a certain policy or voting a certain way isn't productive or helpful, and you must always assume a good intent on the part of those you work with. We all weigh many considerations carefully before deciding our votes, and at the end of the day we must each stand by our own reputations. We each get one vote and have to stand by our own integrity.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I take pride in representing all constituents regardless of where we stand as individuals on issues. I am very proud to be a Democrat, to be endorsed by Labor including the building trades, to be a public school parent and a working mom. I have the support of the Sierra Club and Our Revolution, both of which stand up for environmental issues and working people, and I am also proud to be endorsed by outgoing Councillor at Large Debbie DeMaria as well as State Rep. Paul Donato and our State Senator Jason Lewis. A vote for me is a vote for the hardest-working Councillor who will also listen well and treat your concerns equally no matter what side of the political spectrum we each sit on. A good Ward Councillor is a non-partisan, welcoming representative who sticks up for our neighborhood and believes in our city's future! I do, and I ask for Ward 3's vote on November 2nd.