Medford Candidate Profile: Patrick Clerkin 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.

Patrick Clerkin is running for a City Councilor at-large seat in Medford.

Age

32

Position Sought

City Councilor At Large

Party Affiliation

Independent/Unaffiliated

Family

Jill (mother), Charlie (father), Tory (older sister), no family of my own

Education

North Reading High School diploma, Northeastern BS Mechanical Engineering

Occupation

mechanical engineer, technical writer, project manager, entrepreneur, handyman, civic organizer

Previous or Current Elected Office

no public office, only private offices -- president and trustee of alpha kappa sigma fraternity and chair of house ministry at North Reading Union Congregational Church

Campaign Website

clerkin4medford.com

Why are you seeking elected office?

Our development, financial and communications processes are unclear or broken, making it difficult to inform residents and coordinate resources. I'm capable of understanding and organizing various people, ideas and technologies to better manage complex, dynamic issues -- the type you see in a city. I care about Medford as a whole and would like to see its needs balanced with those of its neighborhoods. That way the sense of neighborliness that underlies community civics can take root. I have the patience, competence and work ethic for this role. But don't take my word for it alone -- check out the 40+ character references on my website from managers, colleagues, clients, mentors, neighbors and friends.

The single most pressing issue facing our council is

The inability to finance the city's development needs and what I plan to do about it is:
1) connect relevant top-down and bottom-up leaders to establish enticement packages for businesses and developers which expand commercial revenues
2) structure and implement a communication plan with the residents about optimal balance between overall city modernization efforts and impacts on their neighborhoods while preserving their character and needs
3) support the passage and transition to the new city charter on the ballot, paving the way for the infrastructure and culture critical for functional, thoughtful mixed at-large and ward-based representation

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

I believe the current council views issues too much through ideological, partisan and narrow demographic lenses which makes finding compromises more difficult by focusing less on local, practical and reasonably balanced approaches. The time is ripe for a disciplined, orderly and focused council which sets and maintains healthy policy and discourse boundaries. I'm reasonable and determined to work with others across all dividing lines. This can already be seen in my campaign where I personally canvassed 7500 residences door-to-door across all 16 precincts from late May through early August. I scrubbed my registered voter data of any party affiliation status and went to all doors regardless of what flag was on the lawn or sticker on the car. I don't preach democracy, I practice it. I also respect the federal principle that underlies layers of governance with distinct functions at different scales of operation. In practice that means that in my view Medford's city council is not responsible for managing the relations between nations, between states, between municipalities or the emotional relations of individuals -- those should be left to the UN, US federal government, MA state government and social services, therapists or friends, respectively. Our Council must only manage the relations within Medford -- the wards and neighborhoods relative to each other and relative to our city at large.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Street and sidewalk maintenance, respect and support for public safety officials and educators, a thorough public education campaign on the new high school's financing and the pros/cons of renovations vs building new, how to proceed with the plan for a new fire station headquarters and how our arts and civic culture can be best organized

The best advice ever shared with me was

Know thyself

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

I'm approachable and have a long attention span. I care about what others can contribute and seek the good in them so I listen. I'm a cautious optimist -- not naive nor cynical. Old soul but young spirit. Curious and calm by nature -- not a fanatic. I think it's important to have a brain, a heart and guts. No, I don't compose my written responses with A.I. My positions on issues are my own and they evolve over time as I do. As an independent I'm not beholden to any political party or politician, only my conscience, received wisdom and hard-won lessons. I'd like to have a family someday and Medford is where I intend to settle down. I'd like to see it flourish and entice others to invest in making it their home too.

See Also:

Medford Candidate Profile: Nicholas Giurleo For City Council

Medford Candidate Profile: Emily Lazzaro For City Council