Marlborough Mayoral Candidates React To Homeless, Migrant Arrivals

MARLBOROUGH, MA — As sitting Marlborough officials react to the placement of homeless families in two local hotels, several candidates vying to become the next mayor are weighing in on the situation.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant and Superintendent Mary Murphy initially revealed the state's plan to shelter homeless and migrant families in Marlborough at a June school committee meeting, saying that as many as 170 families could be temporarily housed here.

In an update on Thursday, Vigeant's office said 33 families were being sheltered at two city hotels. The state's Office of Housing and Livable Communities is in charge of finding shelter space for families as required by a 1983 right-to-shelter law. As of Friday, the state was sheltering 1,240 families at hotels and motels across the state, according to the Division of Housing Stabilization.

Some families sheltering in Marlborough include refugees from Haiti, a country that is in the midst of violent turmoil following the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse and a devastating earthquake in 2021.

Murphy and Vigeant have said they are worried about the state's plan to shelter families here due to unknown ramifications on local schools. Vigeant has also said the use of hotel rooms saps local tax revenue, and reduces rooms available for people attending events in Marlborough.

Vigeant has also criticized state officials for not providing more information about the new arrivals. He said that he received a call from the state in December informing him of 40 families coming to the city, but never heard anything else.

Ahead of the start of the 2023-24 school year, Marlborough Public Schools is hiring Haitian Creole translators, and English instructors for part-time positions instructing adult and child English language learners

Last week, Marlborough Patch reached out to each of the four candidates running for mayor in 2023 to ask for their thoughts on the situation. Vigeant is stepping down at the end of his term this year, but the state's homelessness crisis will remain when Marlborough's next mayor takes over in 2024.

Here are the responses from three of the four Marlborough mayoral candidates about the situation:

Christian Dumais, Ward 3 City Councilor

I am glad that the picture is becoming more clear on how many individuals and families will be housed in the city. The more information we know, the better equipped we are to handle the situation appropriately.

It is my understanding that the mayor’s office is working cooperatively with the commonwealth, hotels, and nonprofits that are assisting these families. As both a city councilor and candidate for mayor, I am glad that the administration’s response has been proactive and cooperative. Regardless of one's view on the federal and state government’s decision, we must act compassionately toward our fellow human beings. Marlborough is my home and I know it to be a place of compassion and support for those in need.

I do share in the mayor’s concern regarding the lack of information from the commonwealth. While the city always stands ready to help those in need, we must know the number of individuals and families that will be housed in Marlborough and their length of stay. This temporary placement impacts how we deliver our city services, including additional children in our school system, human services, public safety, transportation and more.

I am grateful to all those involved in a compassionate response, and trust that the Mayor will advocate on our behalf to the Commonwealth to find a permanent solution.

Mike Baker

Let me start by saying I am empathetic to the plight of these homeless and migrant families. This is a complex problem for both the state but federal government. Marlborough has always been a city that has come together and helped its neighbors.

As the mayor, my concern is how this will affect the city and services and the economic impact. I have been researching this issue, and it appears the average stay for these families is 14 months. The state has renewable multi-year contracts with some of the hotel chains that can be quite lengthy. This indicates we will need long term solutions and there is likely no quick fix.

My administration would study the effects of placing these families in town on the school system, police department, fire department and DPW. We need to hold the state accountable to provide the needed assistance so that the taxpayers are not overburdened. As mayor, I would work tirelessly with Gov. Maura Healey to develop a strategy that will serve the city for years to come.

Samantha Perlman, At-Large City Councilor

As a diverse community in the heart of the commonwealth, Marlborough has always been a welcoming place for immigrants. Now is the time to continue that tradition of helping and including others, many of whom are fleeing violence we can only imagine.

These newcomers deserve the dignity of a roof over their head and a safe place for their families to live in. We welcome these new residents to our city and will do what we can to support them and ensure the children and families have a place to call home.

Within the state’s supplemental budget in March, the legislature set aside $85 million for the emergency assistance program, $22 million of which will help communities such as Marlborough cover expenses related to providing for new families in the schools.

As a city councilor and if elected mayor, I will work in tandem with our state legislators and the Healey administration to make sure Marlborough accesses all resources to properly care for these new families and support our schools.

I will also work with state and local elected officials to address the larger housing crisis through passing local ordinances, seeking state and federal grants and identifying other resources to increase our affordable housing stock.

Patrick Hogan

Let me first say, immigrants are the cornerstone of this country. Immigrants will always be welcomed in Marlborough under my administration. But immigration as we know does not happen with buses dropping dozens of people off at a hotel. That is not fair to the immigrants or to the citizens of Marlborough.

I recently discussed this issue with Mayor Vigeant. Thirty-three families dropped off in Marlboro so far and the state wants to occupy the entire Holiday Inn: 117 rooms. That is a problem. Basically dropping the equivalent of an entire new neighborhood onto the city. It will undoubtedly put a tremendous strain on the schools and services like police, fire and emergency room. Besides the fact that a hotel is not meant for longtime residential living. I know the mayor has been in touch with the powers that be at the state level trying to identify who was dropped off and stem the tide of arrivals. I think he is doing the right thing.

This is a big issue and, until now, largely ignored by local media. The issue is Marlborough and the other selected communities have no control over how many families they receive due to the emergency family shelter order in Massachusetts. Only the hotels themselves can refuse them. I believe it may be worthwhile to approach the hotels with the cooperation of the MEDC to try and strike a compromise where they agree to, at very least, limit the amount of rooms allocated to housing immigrants.

Based on my past experience as a police officer, I know dropping the equivalent of a new neighborhood onto a city creates a myriad of issues that affect everybody. The ripple effect will be substantial. The state needs to proved ESL classes at the hotel. As well as classes to help the children learn to assimilate into our schools. Have all these children been in a school setting before? My experience would tell me that some have not. That can be very disruptive to a classroom.

I have already reached out to my connections in the Haitian community in an effort to help secure translators. The MPD is fortunate to have one Haitian officer. I have been working with him to find more qualified translators.

In the end, we need to be patient, empathetic and live up to our shared ideals as Americans. Give us your tired, your weak, your huddled masses. But please provide the proper notification and resources to allow us to receive them successfully.