Medford Candidate Profile: Anna Callahan For Medford City Council

MEDFORD, MA — The municipal election is fast approaching in Medford, and the city council race is highly contested.

Medford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles leading up to November.

Incumbent Anna Callahan is running again for a City Councilor at-large seat in Medford.

Age

56

Position sought

City Council at-large

Party affiliation

Democrat

Family

My son just turned 11 years old. I have two older brothers and a younger sister

Education

I have a Bachelors of Science from the University of Michigan

Occupation

I worked as a software engineer for over ten years (working in both iOS/Objective-C and web development/Django). After my son was born I worked part-time as a community organizer training people across the country in local electoral politics. For the last year+ I have gone back into the tech industry, this time as a manager. I currently manage a software/hardware engineering team using the scrum framework.

Previous or Current Elected Office

City Councilor at-large

Campaign Website

annacallahan.com

Why are you seeking elected office?

You can count on me to vote for the values we share:

• A democracy where everyone is heard and co-creates our future.
• A caring, vibrant community where everyone feels safe and you meet friends and neighbors on a walk to a local shop.
• A sustainable, beautiful city with safe, tree-lined streets and bold climate action.

But what makes me unique is how I engage people. With the help of volunteers, I set up neighborhood listening sessions and build teams that turn community ideas into action. My work is about making sure Medford’s future is shaped by all of us, together.

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

Affordability. The speed at which our community is becoming more expensive is a challenge for so many. Not only does it affect our finances, it also makes our community unstable as more people leave and new people arrive. Housing is the main driver of this pain point.

I support changes we can make as a city council as well as community-driven change. Creating an Office of Housing Stability will help the 45% of our residents who are renters. Funding our Affordable Housing Trust will allow us to build or support more affordable housing.

As far as community ideas, two of my volunteer teams are working on housing affordability projects. One team is helping bring Home Sharing to Medford, which will allow our seniors to age in place while offering affordable housing to younger folk able to help around the house. Another is a group of seniors who want to bring co-housing to our city as an option to downsize and live in community.

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

I take very seriously the fact that over 90% of the residents of our city will never come to a city council meeting or reach out to their city councilor. I prioritize engaging people in the political process. I have two teams of volunteers who help me with my city councilorship, and three volunteer teams working on specific policy ideas. One of my volunteer teams helps me set up listening sessions in our community. These listening sessions often lead to concrete ideas of how to improve our city – I then connect these residents with the people and resources they need to make their vision a reality.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Trees: In addition to championing our three tree ordinances and pushing to include Green Score incentives in our zoning, I’m working with the city & volunteers to coordinate tree planting events where neighbors will re-tree our most barren blocks.

Roads & sidewalks: Roads cost more to repair the more dilapidated they are, so our decades of spending so little have been penny-wise and pound-foolish. Ramping up engineering to handle much more spending on roads for a few years to get them into good condition is best for our residents and financially responsible.

Squares: Medford Square was once a vibrant hub that brought people in from all over Medford. We need all our squares to not only be amazing places that are fun and make our lives better, but also help us bring in revenue to the city. Re-zoning our squares and places like Mystic Ave to include mixed-use will make our city more vibrant and walkable. And one of my favorite projects in zoning so far has been “Neighborhood nodes.” The dream is that every home in Medford would be a five-minute walk from locally-owned ice cream, co-working, child care, coffee shop, and/or bookstore.

The best advice ever shared with me was __________

When you look back at your life, you won’t regret work you didn’t do. You’ll regret not spending more time with those you love. Let’s create a loving community together.

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

I was talking to one of the other parents at the Missituk about some of my initiatives like ice cream socials, tree planting parties, lemonade stand day, a corner shop close to every home, or the song I wrote for the overrides, and she said: “Oh, I get it – you’re the fun city councilor.” Guilty as charged.

I believe politics should be fun. So many people here have great ideas on how we can work together to make Medford a more vibrant and tight-knit community. I look forward to working with you and your neighbors!

See Also:

Medford Candidate Profile: Emily Lazzaro For City Council

Medford Candidate Profile: Nicholas Giurleo For City Council

Medford Candidate Profile: Patrick Clerkin For City Council

Medford Candidate Profile: Matt Leming For City Council

Medford Candidate Profile: Zac Bears For City Council