Salem Candidate Profile: Arthur Sargent For City Council

SALEM, MA — Salem will have several contested races in this fall's election, including a 11-way race for four at-large seats on City Council. The preliminary election on Sept. 17 will thin the field of at-large city councilor candidates to eight and the field of school committee candidates to six. Salem Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Arthur Sargent, 62, is running for re-election to City Council as an at-large candidate. Sargent, who was first elected to city Council in 2000, is an Instrumentation Technician, for The Massachusetts Water Resource Authority. He and his wife Kathleen have a grown son and daughter.

Are you running for office in Salem? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Salem Patch.

Previously on Patch: Salem Election 2019: Here's Who's Running

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

The most important issue facing Salem is our Zoning Laws and proposed changes to them. Our Zoning Laws are important because they bring order to Our City. They also have the largest impact on our quality of life. They decide what can be built, how it can be built, where it can be located, and what affect it will have on our neighborhoods our residents and their families. Zoning changes can affect parking, traffic, congestion, property values and city services. They can also affect our infrastructure, add traffic lights and create new traffic patterns. Overdevelopment puts more pressure on our aging water and sewer system, resulting in more breaks and more repairs for ratepayers and taxpayers to pay for. I've been researching zoning issues for twenty five years.

During this time I've gained a lot of respect for the city leaders who put our zoning rules in place. (Many of them also stepped forward to stop The Urban Renewal Program that was tearing down historic buildings during the late 1960's. They saved the character of our City) For example; our traffic can be difficult but it's better than it could have been; because they planned our road system without any railroad crossings. They planned The Castle Hill Bridge, The North Street Overpass, and the Train Tunnel under Washington Street so we would not have a railroad crossing in Salem.

Imagine how bad traffic would be today if we had three railroad crossings. They also planned for larger house lots as you moved away from the downtown area. A water and sewer system that allowed for expansion with a large reservoir at Wenham Lake, and an Industrial Park to help move Industrial uses out of our neighborhoods. Their changes increased the quality of life of the residents of Salem then and now. They planned well for Salem's future and they were careful about making changes. That's how I have felt about proposed zoning changes in the past and it's how I intend to look at them in the future.

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

Many candidates see an issue as it is when it's presented to them and they work on it from there. I see that too, but I also research the history of an issue to find out more about it. Depending on the issue; I'll research the Deed to a property, past decisions by our Planning and Zoning Boards as well as the other Boards and Commissions. Or I'll review past and present Zoning Rules, Massachusetts General Laws, City Ordinances, Health Codes and Land Court decisions.

If you know the history of an issue you'll be more able to serve your constituents. I also ask for as much input as possible from The People of Salem. They are experts at knowing the neighborhoods they live in, the roads they drive on, the intersections they drive through, the schools their children attend and the parks their families use. I like to combine my research with their input, to represent them and their Families on The City Council. I believe this approach is the difference you're asking about.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I believe in supporting; Public Safety by providing the proper staffing and equipment to our Police and Fire Departments, School building, education and youth programs to provide our young people with a bright future, Scheduled maintenance programs for our buildings, services, equipment and vehicles because It's less expensive and more reliable than breakdown maintenance, Senior programs and services for our Senior Citizens because they worked hard for us for many years. It's our turn to help them, Veterans Services that work as hard for them as they did for our Country, Housing programs that include every sector of Salem's diverse community and Labor agreements that provide fair wages, proper health coverage and safe working conditions.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I've been a member of The City Council for the last twenty years. I was elected Council President in 2015. During that time I have been a member of The Ordinance License and Legal Affairs, Government Services, Community and Economic Development, Public Health and Safety and Finance Committees.

I also spent ten years on The Zoning Review Committee working to bring our Zoning laws up to date and in line with current State Law. I've also worked on committees for our Drive Through Restaurant Ordinance, The North River Canal Corridor Zoning Ordinance, Rules for Home Rule Petition Liquor Licenses, and Affordable Housing. I've also spent thousands of hours representing our residents and their families before the various City Boards and Commissions. I. believe this experience will help me to continue serving on The City Council if I'm fortunate enough to be re-elected.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Practice The Golden Rule

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

I would like the voters to know that I don't see issues as large or small. If they have an issue that's affecting their life it's a large issue to them and I'll treat it that way. I'll work on resolving the issue the same way I would if it were affecting my family.

Previously Published Salem Candidate Profiles:

Candidates for reelection are marked with an asterisk (*).

City Council, At Large

Domingo J. Dominguez *

Ty Hapworth

George McCabe

Alice Merkl

Conrad J. Prosniewski

Maribel Steadman

City Council, Ward 4

Timothy Flynn *

City Council, Ward 6

Megan Riccardi

School Committee

Beth Anne Cornell

Jim Fleming *

Donna Fritz

Kristin Pangallo