Meet Waltham City Council Candidate Emma Tzioumis

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 Emma Tzioumis and her reasons for seeking election:

Name

Emma Tzioumis

How old will you be as of Election Day?

41

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

https://emmaforwaltham.com

What city or town do you live in?

Waltham

What office are you seeking?

City Council At-Large

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

Please give us your party affiliation.

Education.

BS, Bioengineering; MPH, International Health; PhD, Nutrition

What is your occupation?

Epidemiologist and Program Evaluation Specialist

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

I have a husband, two kids who attend the Dual Language School, and a dog.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

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

No.

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?

In our time living here, I’ve noticed ways in which my public health background could improve the quality of life in Waltham, and often have the greatest impact on those who have been historically excluded and disadvantaged. Public health is more than COVID. What this looks like in practice is making our streets safe for all users by installing and improving sidewalks and street crossings city-wide, by designating safe zones around schools and playgrounds with lower speed limits and raised crosswalks, and by creating a bicycle lane network. It means fully funding our school budget to support a night high school program for non-traditional students, find a permanent home for our Dual Language School, expand access to our vocational programs, and restore trust and retain our educators and administrators. This means addressing climate resilience, especially in our environmental justice neighborhoods, by reducing the urban heat island effect and stormwater run-off through increasing the urban tree canopy, and adopting the Specialized Stretch Code to improve energy efficiency of new construction and major renovations. This means tackling the housing crisis, by complying with the MBTA Communities Act to allow for greater density around public transit and protect tenant rights by passing the Housing Notification Ordinance. This means reducing the rat infestation by providing trash bins to all residents, installing properly sealed bins on public property and public ways, increasing Consolidated Public Works capacity for trash pick up at public spaces, facilitating collaboration between the city departments. I am committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all residents.

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

Planning. As I’ve knocked on doors and listened to residents all over the city, I’ve heard about a lot of different issues and all of them are important to the residents they affect. A common theme I’ve noticed is that many of the issues could have been addressed by systematic and comprehensive planning. Lack of planning undermines our city’s ability to provide a safe, affordable, and connected community. Residents across the city attended meetings last year to share their vision for Waltham, and that rich data sits untouched. We must create a Master Plan to lay out the goals and priorities for the next decade, and then fund and staff our municipal departments to execute the plan. Waltham deserves a robust planning department with experts in housing, transportation, climate and energy, urban design, and economic development.

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

I’ve heard from many residents that you need a personal connection to get city hall to listen to you. I am not a politician, I am a public health professional and I am trained to think about populations, not individuals. This means I am constantly assessing the balance between maximizing benefits and minimizing harms, while respecting our right to self-determination and equity. I understand the impact of broad societal issues impacting people’s quality of life and wellbeing. I am highly trained at finding and interpreting evidence. This allows me to shape evidence-based and promising policies, as well challenge those who may not have the public interest in mind. I can use this to guide policy decisions by developing structural solutions that address the root causes of an issue.

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

I am grateful to the current officeholders for their service that made Waltham a place in which we wanted to raise our family. And at the same time, I don’t think they have acted with the same sense of energy and urgency that I feel when I think about the world we are leaving behind for our youth. They face a housing crisis, climate crisis, and mental health crisis. Our youth do not yet have the opportunity to vote, yet our actions shape their opportunities and their opportunities look very different from the ones we had at their age. We have a responsibility to them. I will use my education, my privilege, my experiences to make sure they have a bright future.

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

Good communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship, and I’ve heard across the city that residents want more and better communication from their city. People want to know what decisions are being made and want their voices reflected in that process. We need to staff city hall with a team of communications experts who can assess the needs of our community and develop a comprehensive communication strategy. We need to think creatively about the use of technology in our communications, use plain language in communications, and ensure that communications are translated into multiple languages. Our communications team should include a Community Engagement Team, to proactively reach out and build relationships with our many diverse communities, connecting them with resources, activities, and foster leadership opportunities within them.

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

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

A rising tide lifts all boats