Meet Waltham City Council Candidate Eamon Dawes

WALTHAM, MA — Local elections in Waltham are less than a month away, and Patch is determined to help residents get to know their candidates for council, mayor and school committee.

Patch has sent candidate questionnaires to each of the candidates that will appear on the ballot in a contested race for each of those three positions.

In this candidate profile, learn more about City Council candidate Eamon Dawes and his reasons for seeking election:

Name

Eamon Dawes

How old will you be as of Election Day?

29

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://eamon4waltham.com

What city or town do you live in?

Waltham

What office are you seeking?

City Council

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

Ward Nine

Education.

B.A. From Saint Anselm College

What is your occupation?

Application Security Engineer - 8 Years

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

None

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

None

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I want to fight for a vibrant neighborhood that is affordable to live in and safe to travel through.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Absolutely the cost of housing. I will work to change our zoning laws so new development is building modest family homes instead of what it does at the moment, only make luxury condos. We also need to lower income thresholds for the affordable units that we set aside.

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

I bring a background of long-term and low-risk planning from my job in cybersecurity, these are the skills absent in City Hall. Waltham and City Council needs to modernize to be able to fit the needs of our neighbors and I have the skill set to deliver that. As I look to purchase a home and start a family in the upcoming years, Waltham’s future is something I have a great personal stake in.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

We have a serious problem in the neighborhood with rats. I will work to ensure that the city, residents, and businesses are all following best practices with waste management and rodent control. I will increase transparency in City Council. So many documents are digital nowadays, there is no reason to not make them easily available. Pedestrian, cyclist, and transit rider needs are often forgotten during traffic planning and street work. I will work to give my neighbors multiple options of high quality transportation.

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

I have been actively involved in the community learning and advocating for a number of the issues that are critical to folks in Ward Nine. This includes ensuring trees and shade in public parks, investigating if our bridges and dams are in a good state of repair, communicating changes as a result of the MBTA Communities Act, working with the traffic commission to install new bike lanes, creating plans to improve Moody St pedestrianization, learning and listening from members of our unhoused community, and many more. I have helped connect my neighbors with the issues that they care about and I will continue to do so as your Ward Councillor.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

A college professor taught me to always include the day of the week along with the date. As in, the election is on Tuesday, November 7th. It provides two layers of context which is more accessible, helps prevent errors, and makes plans less likely to fall through due to unrealized conflicts. I use it daily.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As your Ward Councillor, I take transparency very seriously. I will have weekly office hours at a variety of regular times so we can discuss any issue face-to-face. All back issues of my newsletter are available on my website and I will continue that trend. You shouldn’t need to sign up for a newsletter to get access to what work I’m doing for you. I am also looking into project management software so that you can track and follow requests and my work just like you might in your day job or track your child’s school progress through the portal. Being able to give my neighbors access to meaningful information helps keep us more informed and more connected.