Medford Candidate Profile: Liz Mullane For 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.

Liz Mullane is running for a City Councilor seat in Medford.

Age

44

Position sought

Medford City Council

Party affiliation

Democrat

Family

I moved to Medford in 2018 with my husband Mike and our two rescue dogs, BJ and Brody.

Education

I received my B.A. from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in English and Political Science and my MBA from Texas A&M University – College Station with a focus in fiduciary management and strategic planning.

Occupation

I am an Assistant Vice President of Advancement at Northeastern University, where I oversee several different teams tasked with raising funds for programs and operational support throughout the university. I am also an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern in their graduate nonprofit management program teaching adult learners how to build and grow successful nonprofit organizations.

Previous or Current Elected Office

None

Campaign Website

Liz4medford.com

Why are you seeking elected office?

Having lived in Medford for several years now, I have continued to see areas around our city that need to be addressed. With two dogs and no backyard, we are constantly utilizing our streets and sidewalks – and they have become harder to navigate due to their continued disrepair. Living close to the Fellsway, I have witnessed how difficult it is for pedestrians to cross our roads safely. We have watched our young neighbors move out who wanted to stay in Medford but were unable to due to housing affordability issues and have several friends share how much more is needed to support our students and to enhance our schools. Favorite shops and restaurants have left our downtown areas and many of our community services lack the funding to support their staff and programming. As all these issues continued to build up, mostly around funding needs, and I felt that I had certain skills and background that could be useful to address some of these challenges head on, which is why I decided to run for City Council.

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

We all know that there are many important and competing issues facing Medford. At the center of most of them is funding. We simply don't have enough to cover all the priorities we want to address. My background and experience uniquely qualify me in this regard. I would highlight improved budget transparency and help identify sources of funding to improve our infrastructure and community service needs. I would continue to work with the City Council to address each area of the budget and ensure that the funds are allocated and utilized effectively. I would focus on building our commercial tax base by streamlining the process for more small businesses and nonprofits to enter Medford, as well as identifying incentives that can make Medford a more affordable option for businesses.

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

I believe that I bring a unique skill set to the City Council – having spent the past 20+ years in my professional role successfully raising funds and driving revenue for programs, community needs and capital projects for a variety of organizations and issues. With my MBA, I can bring a financial lens to our budgetary process as well as an understanding of operational structure and strategy within a complex institution. Due to the different types of management roles I’ve held, I am well versed in navigating and negotiating a variety of viewpoints to find common ground. Lastly, I teach my graduate students how to build and lead nonprofit organizations – an area that I believe would be helpful as we look to expand more small businesses in Medford.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Other issues that are very important to me include: continuing to support and fund the Affordable Housing Trust and making Medford a more attainable city for people to live in and improving our streets and sidewalks for all accessibility needs. I would support a pedestrian safety audit throughout the city to identify and address the most dangerous areas for our citizens, I would stand up for our community members against ICE and ensure that all our residents feel safe and heard. Building out more revenue for important community services, like additional programming and more staffing for the Library and making it easier for seniors to age in place – to ensure that we are providing and caring for all members of Medford. I would continue to advocate for green initiatives around recycling and sustainability, and for Medford to have even more green space. Lastly, I would be a champion for our students and support initiatives to improve our schools. I believe that when we invest in our community – in our children, families and seniors – we all win.

The best advice ever shared with me was

Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.

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

I started my career at EMILY’s List, raising money for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. Since then, I have continued to work within nonprofits to improve communities, progress medical advancements, support student success and provide capital support to enhance opportunities for those in most need. I have worked within several large, complex organizations learning how to navigate and successfully maneuver among a variety of conflicting viewpoints, and in the end, helping to achieve overarching goals and initiatives. I want people to know that I am a listening ear and welcome the opportunity to hear from everyone. I would be honored to have one of your seven votes on November 4th!

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

Medford Candidate Profile: Anna Callahan For Medford City Council