Why Christian Dumais Is Running For Marlborough Mayor: Q&A

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough's 2023 mayoral election will be one of the most pivitol in more than a decade.

Marlborough voters in 2023 will get the chance to elect a new mayor for the first time in more than a decade. Mayor Arthur Vigeant is retiring at the end of 2023, capping six terms that followed his two decades as a city councilor.

Vigeant first won the mayoral seat in 2011 in an open race against Matthew Jones by just 42 votes after former mayor Nancy Stevens left for a job with the state Department of Public Utilities. Vigeant has breezed through each election since: he went unchallenged in 2013, and won by about 1,500 votes or better against Edward Bigelow in 2015 and 2017, and former police officer David Garceau in 2019 and 2021.

With an incumbent out of the race, four Marlborough residents have stepped up to run for mayor, including Ward 3 Councilor Christian Dumais. A local business owner, Dumais has the most electoral experience of any candidate in the running after beating incumbent Matthew Elder in the 2017 general election for the Ward 3 seat (Dumais lost to Elder in the 2015 race for the same seat).

Dumais was also the first declared candidate, stepping up to challenge Vigeant before the sitting mayor decided not to run for reelection. Dumais and Vigeant have clashed on issues at city council — over a proposed new west side fire station in paricular — and Dumais says it's time for the city to have new leadership on top.

To help voters prepare to make a choice in the preliminary election on Tuesday, we asked each candidate to answer eight questions about why they're running for mayor, and what they would do in office. Here's how Dumais answered:

What have you achieved as a councilor that you’re proud of?

I have been proudly representing Ward 3 on the City Council for the past six years. Over that time, I voted to keep taxes low for residents and passed fiscally responsible budgets each and every year. I sat on the West Side Fire Station Committee for two years and commissioned a 171-page report that was turned over to the Mayor for action. I helped negotiate for, and allocate, $7 million dollars for the West Side Fire Station. In 2019, I proudly voted to fund the new Marlborough Public Library Project, which secured $10 million in state grants. This past year, I voted to increase the amount of the Senior Tax Work Off Program from a $1,000 discount for our seniors, to $1,500. This program allows seniors to receive that discount on their property taxes in return for working within a city department.

Most importantly, I have been an active representative for my Ward 3 constituents responding to a variety of issues. Whether it be pothole requests, development questions, trash pick-up, or streetlights, I have always made myself available to fix issues that land on my desk. Working with residents to help solve their neighborhood issues is one of the most rewarding parts of this job. I look forward to doing that on a larger scale as Mayor.

What drove you to run for mayor?

I was the first candidate to announce my campaign for Mayor back in March, prior to Mayor Vigeant’s retirement announcement. I was the only candidate who planned on running regardless of the Mayor seeking re-election. I mention that because I believed then, what I believe now: Marlborough needs new, experienced leadership to steer it into the future. While we have made tremendous progress over the past several years, Marlborough finds itself at a crossroads. We have dozens of streets in disrepair, overdevelopment, a main street in need of revitalization, overcrowding in our schools, and an overdue west side fire station to build. We need experienced leadership to take on and solve these issues for our residents. I am a 5th generation resident, small business owner, and City Councilor. Marlborough runs in my veins. I am deeply committed to Marlborough and invested in its future. I know I am ready to be the leader our city needs.

Were you considering a run against Vigeant, or did his retirement motivate you to run?

As mentioned, I was the only candidate to announce prior to (and regardless of) Mayor Vigeant’s retirement. I think that point really matters. It is my hope that it shows the residents of Marlborough that I have been a leader since day one; not an opportunist. I have great respect for Mayor Vigeant and believe he boasts many accomplishments over his last 12 years. However, I decided to run because it was time for a new Mayor who has the experience to do the job.

A large part of my decision to run was due to the lack of action and information from the current administration on the West Side Fire Station. As the City Councilor for Ward 3 (the west side) I sat on the West Side Fire Station Committee for two years. Members of the Committee and I passed on to the Mayor a 171-page report detailing what needed to be done. Negotiations of contracts, and purchase of land can only be done by the Mayor. I ran because I believe that the station had a better chance at getting done by a new Mayor who had the proper background and experience. My family has had two houses either lost or damaged by fires in the past few years alone. This issue isn’t just a political one for me-it’s personal. This is an immediate public safety issue, and we need a Mayor who can get it done.

If you become mayor, what do you think the next phase/future of Marlborough is?

Marlborough is at a crossroads. We have made great strides over the past several years in our public facilities, parks, and large-scale economic development. However, our roads and water/sewer infrastructure are in desperate need of repair, we are on the verge of over-developing, our schools find themselves at a critical juncture, we are in desperate need of a West Side Fire Station, and our main street needs revitalization. Morale within our city departments is at an all-time low, and communication to residents is lagging behind 21st century expectations.

Marlborough needs to return to being a leader. We need to lead on the West Side Fire Station by bringing in stakeholders and exploring a regional dispatch center. We need to begin using 21st century technology to communicate with our residents and keep them informed. We need to bring standards, discipline, and accountability back to our schools to make it a district that is leading, not falling behind. We need to reinvest in our city workforce in terms compensation and advancement opportunities to become competitive. We need to bring our Main Street stakeholders together to create a real plan for the future of downtown. We need to bring back the sense of community by supporting more city-wide events. We need to continue to pass fiscally responsible city budgets that keep taxes low and reflect the services our residents need.

We are far behind where we should be in terms of road repair, especially for a growing city like Marlborough. We must implement creative solutions for road repair, such as adding funding to repave the roads that we are performing water/sewer infrastructure projects on. We also need to lead with an ordinance that protects our new roads from being ripped up after being paved.

What would be your immediate priorities as mayor to accomplish in a first term?

As Mayor, I will act immediately on the West Side Fire Station by recommissioning the West Side Fire Station Committee and reopening negotiations with the property owners of Locke Drive. I will have a study commissioned to assess the conditions of all our water/sewer infrastructure and roads. This study will help determine how we prioritize and fix this critical infrastructure. I will review all the bonds authorized for water/sewer projects and include additional funding to repave the road after every project possible.

The Rowe Project showed us that we need to take an immediate deep dive into our zoning code. Within my first 100 days I will work with the City Council to bring in a specialist to assess our current zoning code and provide recommendations. Richer school is in the process of being reviewed by Massachusetts School Building Authority for funding. On day one, I will start working with the Superintendent and the School Committee on a plan for a new school or renovations. Overcrowding in our schools is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. We will begin by looking at temporary solutions (such as realigning district boundaries and consolidating Kindergarten into other un-utilized buildings) to address this while we wait for the decision on Richer.

The current administration conducted a city-wide employee survey and commissioned a study for succession planning. Both identified that our competitiveness as an employer is falling behind due to stagnant salaries and lack of advancement opportunity. This will be addressed within the first year of my administration so we can fill vacant positions, provide opportunity for existing employees, and deliver proper services to our residents.

Our city government’s communication and connection with residents is severely behind other communities and 21st century expectations. That is why I have laid out a bold Constituent Services Plan that will bring city government to you. To do this, I will hold at least four in-person “Town Halls” throughout the city, giving residents and business owners the opportunity to share their concerns and ideas. My office will be initiating a complete redesign of the city website to make it more user-friendly. We will be starting a city-wide, monthly newsletter and alert system to provide accurate, detailed information on city affairs. I will be creating a Constituent Services Manager within the existing Executive Administrator position for residents to work with personally. Lastly, I will be creating a “Mobile Mayor’s Office” that will be present at events, senior housing meetings, and more.

What are the threats or problems facing Marlborough that you would focus on?

I think that I’ve made mention of many of issues facing Marlborough’s future in other questions here. What I would like to stress in the answer to this question is preventative measures. Preventative measures in terms of our roads means assessing our road and water/sewer infrastructure so we can plan work in an informed manner-not continuously respond to water main breaks that destroy our roads (look at what happened on Farm Road). In terms of our Main Street, it means having existing relationships with business owners and property owners before you are reacting to a Rowe Project situation. It means putting money aside for the West Side Fire Station to lower the burden on taxpayers, like we did to the tune of $7 million dollars. It means finding creative solutions to our public safety staffing issues like we did with the Special Traffic Constables program, getting our patrol officers off details and back on the street.

In order for Marlborough to lead, we must find solutions to issues before they happen, not simple respond to them when they do. Leadership takes experience. I have the proper experience and proven record to be that leader for our city on day one.

The state’s refugee/homeless crisis has come to Marlborough, and that even attracted a neo-Nazi demonstration. How would you handle this situation while also defending people who are vulnerable to attack?

Let me first say that the anti-immigrant demonstration that took place several weeks ago was abhorrent and not representative of Marlborough. These individuals are cowards who hid their hate behind masks. I commend the swift and professional response from our Police Department. As Mayor, I will work closely with our Police Chief and the entire department to ensure the safety of these individuals for as long as they are a part of our community.

In response to the humanitarian situation as a whole, the first thing I would do as Mayor is bring in a specialist who is Haitian, to be the coordinator for the administration. We need a central point of contact with the administration who is coordinating social services, transportation, medical needs, and educational needs.

I have been moved by the compassionate and supportive response by our community since these families arrived. Many individuals and groups throughout the community have donated clothing, food, supplies, and more. Based on similar situations, and what is being shared with cities and towns, these individuals and families will most likely be with us for the coming year. It is imperative that a medium-term plan is put in place that both meets the needs of these families and assists them with gaining employment. My administration will be keeping all records of costs inferred to the city to forward to the state. I have many contacts within the Healy-Driscoll Administration and will be utilizing them to advocate for reimbursement, funding, and on the ground support. If the state would like communities to assist these families, they must also show a humanitarian response by providing us with the resources to do so.

In the meantime, my administration will continue to be on the ground working with these families. We will work with social service agencies to provide English classes, job training, and other assimilation efforts so they can become familiar with Marlborough and America. Our schools have already worked out a program with teachers who speak Haitian Creole. They are assisting teaching the children English and catching them up to speed so they can be placed in everyday classrooms.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Marlborough in your free time?

I am blessed to have many friends and family right here in Marlborough and love supporting local restaurants with them. Being a downtown small business owner myself, most of my time is spent in Marlborough. I belong to the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce and enjoy attending their social events, some of which are hosted at my business. In an attempt to unplug when I get home, I recently took up knitting. I put those skills to the test a few weeks ago and joined residents at The Villages at their knitting group. Otherwise, I am checking out a new book at the Marlborough Public Library or binging the latest episodes of a new series (I recently finished Ted Lasso – don’t worry, I won’t write any spoilers).

Related Marlborough mayoral preliminary profiles:

• Marlborough 2023 Mayoral Profile: Patrick Hogan
• Marlborough 2023 Mayoral Profile: Michael Baker