Marlborough Mayoral Race: 8 Questions For Michael Baker

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

For the first time in 12 years, Marlborough voters are getting the chance to elect a new mayor. Mayor Arthur Vigeant is retiring at the end of his term this year, capping more than a decade in office that followed 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.

First-time mayoral candidate Michael Baker is one of four hoping to take over for Vigeant. That field of four will be pared down to two following the preliminary coming up on Oct. 10.

Baker, a Marlborough High School graduate, works at a local print shop, and says he would focus on items like road paving, education and what he calls responsible growth — a nod toward the multiple apartment development projects underway or planned across the city, downtown in particular.

"I grew up in an era that we went to the festival and watched fireworks with all our friends. There was a sense of coming together as a community. Through growth we have lost a little of that and I intend to bring that neighborhood pride back," Baker says on his campaign website.

To help voters prepare to make a choice in the preliminary, 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 Baker answered.

What experience do you have that makes you feel prepared to become mayor?

The experience that I have is that I am a citizen and taxpayer of Marlborough. Too often politicians act like we work for them. Well, I will be a representative of all of the people and their voice when it comes to decisions for the city.

What drove you to run for mayor?

I think most people are not happy with the way things are going politically. It is time for a change and it is time the people take back their government. Are we not sick of the divisiveness that is going on today ? Marlborough needs someone who can bring everyone together and I am that person because I am one of them.

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

I was definitely thinking of running regardless of who it was against.

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

The next phase for Marlborough is to keep our identity as a city while growing responsibly. It is definitely possible to keep bringing in modern businesses while maintaining that neighborhood feel that we all love about Marlborough. Let's revitalize Main Street and make people proud to be from Marlborough.

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

Immediate priorities would be to fix the roads. Identify which of the roads are in the worst shape and satrt there. Also get the state to fix the roads that they are responsible for. I also would be against approval of any new apartment complexes being approved until we can catch up. We as a city need to make sure we can handle this growth. What are the impacts on traffic and our infrastructure ? Let is make sure we have enough Police, Fire, DPW workers and teachers. These essential workers should make enough money that they can afford to live in the city they care so much about.

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

Overcrowding is a huge problem. Our schools are full and more children are coming. It will take at least four years to get the funding for a new school so we should be looking at a new high school with enough space to provide the future of this city a chance to get a great education and develop life skills. There is also a flooding problem in a lot of neighborhoods that seems to have developed so we need to fix that. With the tearing down of old buildings the French Hill area has had a rat infestation that should be dealt with by the city.

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?

The neo-Nazi groups have no place in Marlborough. No matter your stance on the migrant situation, certainly there is no room for hate.

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

There is nothing better than a good walk around Marlborough and seeing all it has to offer. I remember as a kid watching Jimmy Holt run all around Marlborough. He combined his love for running with his love for the city and saw so much on a daily basis. So I try and emulate Jimmy, without the running. I walk and remember some of the old building and neighborhood friends. I also love seeing some of the improvements that have been made. It sounds corny but I love Marlborough.