Candidate Profile: Carey McDonald, Councillor At Large

MALDEN, MA — Carey McDonald is one of six candidates vying for three city councillor at large seats in the Nov. 2 municipal election. The at-large race is Malden's only citywide election this year, but there are also 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.

McDonald is the executive vice president of a national non-profit and has 14 years of experience in government and non-profit roles.

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)

36

Position Sought

City Council At Large

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Married to Sarah, two children Julian (6) and Hosea (4)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA Economics from Pomona College, MS in Nonprofit Leadership from Wheelock College

Occupation

Currently Executive Vice President of a national nonprofit, 4 years in current role. I have 14 years of experience in government and nonprofit positions.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I am a first-time candidate

Campaign website

mcdonaldformalden.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

During the pandemic, being a part of this diverse and supportive community has meant everything to me and my family. I’ve seen neighbors pull together and help each other out, and I want to see that same connection across all our neighborhoods. This election comes at a critical point coming out of the pandemic - will we continue in the spirit of innovation and compassion, like partnerships with community organizations and accessible online meetings? Can we address the crises and challenges our community faces, from mental health and substance abuse to climate change disasters? As I’ve talked with thousands of voters across the city, I’ve heard the call for better city services, more communication and access, and the courage to face issues that affect us all, like climate change and soaring housing prices. I bring the right combination of experience and creativity to make progress on these critical issues.

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

Making it through the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the daily guiding star for city leaders, as it should be. At the same time, we urgently need to address the growing threat of the climate crisis in Malden. Much of the city south of Salem St is at sea level, at risk for storm surge flooding. We’re seeing severe runoff from heavy rains, and have challenges with air quality and heat island effects. Creating a city-wide Climate Action Plan will be a priority for my first term. I’m proud to be endorsed by the Massachusetts Sierra Club and the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund.

A climate action plan would coordinate city action in three areas: natural green space, energy efficiency, and climate-focused infrastructure. First, we need to preserve our precious parks and green space, take care of our beautiful old trees and plant new ones, and look for opportunities for new natural parks and habitats like the Malden Hospital site. Second, energy efficiency projects could include more electric car charging stations, improved city-wide home energy programs, aggregate renewable energy purchasing, energy usage goals for city facilities, and energy efficient building codes. Third, climate-focused infrastructure would improve access to public transit, and invest in resilience projects to protect our community from climate disasters. The proposed Malden River Works park at the Department Public Works yard should be a high priority. Finally, all three areas need to be tied together with dedicated community and staff leadership, across the current work of the Conservation Commission and the revamped Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Commission.

Climate action can’t wait. We are years behind already and we saw just again this week how dire the threat is of storms and disasters.Our youth are the ones who will inherit this climate crisis, and we owe it to them to do our part to protect our community for generations to come.

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

We need leaders who are invested in this community and who bring a fresh perspective. In this campaign I’ve knocked on thousands of doors, I’ve canvassed in every ward and every precinct. I’ve often heard from voters in Malden that we could use “new blood” at city hall. As a councillor, I’ll ask tough questions and push for new possibilities, rather than getting stuck in what’s been done in the past.

For leadership in our diverse community, it’s essential that we put equity at the center. That means bringing people together for racial justice, economic justice, LGBTQ equity, disability, justice, and welcoming our many immigrant communities. With the mix of people here in Malden, it’s essential that equity be the foundation of our leadership in action, not just in rhetoric, and it’s at the heart of my campaign.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

I appreciate the good things that have happened in our community over the past few years, like the revitalization of Malden Center. However, I also recognize we’ve failed to make progress on urgent issues. Our neighbors in Medford passed a climate action and sustainability plan twenty years ago, and we have yet to do the same. It’s only been in the past year that the city has invested staff and resources for diversity, equity and inclusion. We need leaders who understand urgency and bring a creative approach to the problems and opportunities that our diverse community faces.

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

Overall, city leaders have worked hard to respond to the pandemic and protect our community. The City Council and other city commissions moved to virtual meetings that greatly improved access. We’ve been recognized for our support of renters and preventing evictions. The Malden Public Schools in particular did extraordinary work to keep our kids safe, and I so appreciate the teachers and administrators who continue to go above and beyond.

However, I would have liked to see city leaders respond more decisively and with better planning. For example, it took months to roll out testing, and to put vaccine clinics and public health outreach workers in place once vaccines were available. The senior center remained closed without much communication about what reopening plans would be until the last minute. Partnerships with community organizations like Neighbors Helping Neighbors and the YMCA food program were crucial, yet those partnerships didn’t always come with enough city support. With the federal CARES act money, we should have been anticipating these needs so we could roll out public health and human services outreach ASAP. We’re going to see more pandemics and disasters in the years ahead, and we need to be prepared to respond across all parts of our community.

As the pandemic fades (hopefully), it’s put the inequities in our community in neon lights. Many families and neighbors are struggling with lack of access to housing, child care, safe jobs, addiction services and health care. We need to grow the strong community partnerships we already have, and continue to focus on public health especially in our schools and senior buildings.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

First, getting the basics right is the foundation for doing any job well. This means paving our streets. The backlog of street repair is the number one thing we hear from voters, so we need a clear plan to address it systematically and consistently. It means keeping our parks in good shape, picking up trash and recycling, maintaining sidewalks and crosswalks, continuing to remove lead pipes. This really matters for safety, accessibility, and quality of life.

Second, empowering community voices means including people from every neighborhood and every background in our decisions. We need to make it easy for people from every part of our diverse community to have a seat at the table - accessible public planning, continuing virtual meetings, a city-wide standard for language interpretation and translation. Racial justice, equity and inclusion are at the heart of my campaign.

And third, we must take action on city-wide issues that affect everyone. In addition to climate action (described above), I would focus on three other key issues. 1) Addressing the skyrocketing cost of housing- grow the Affordable Housing Trust and pursue permanently affordable housing; protect renters and our invested local land owners; help older residents age in place by improving partnerships for our senior services. 2) Community safety and public health - invest in human services for addiction, food pantries, mental health, and families, and implement alternative crisis response services. 3) Education and economic opportunity - help local businesses get started with a small business “incubator,” expand library access, develop new workforce training and union partnerships for good jobs, and grow community college programs. Support Malden Public Schools with the resources they need.

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

My professional experience has prepared me to work hard for the city on Day 1. I’m currently a nonprofit executive at a national church organization called the Unitarian Universalist Association. As Executive Vice President, I oversee the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for hundreds of staff and volunteers and a $30m operating budget. We’ve completed capital campaigns, improved our staff diversity, and responded quickly to the pandemic. I started my career as a state budget and policy analyst, and helped pass a major education reform package. My degrees are in economics and management.

I am an active community volunteer. In the past year, I worked with a coalition of community groups to launch a Malden People’s Budget, a nonpartisan grassroots survey to ask how people who live and work in Malden think the city should spend its $185 million annual budget. I’ve also served on Mayor Christenson’s advisory group on policing policies which has received input from over 1000 community members. These show my commitment to involving average people in city-level decision-making, which will be a priority for me as a city councillor.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My dad once told me to “make waves where you are!” He meant to play the cards you're dealt, and work hard wherever you find yourself. There is always something positive you can do no matter the circumstance.

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

My spouse Sarah and I are raising our family in the Faulkner neighborhood. We have a first grader at Forestdale and a preschooler at My Little Best Friends Early Learning Center. We enjoy cooking, camping and travel.