Meet Waltham City Council Candidate John Tracy

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 John Tracy's reasons for seeking election:

Name

John Tracy

How old will you be as of Election Day?

42

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

https://johntracy4waltham.com

What city or town do you live in?

Waltham, MA

What office are you seeking?

City Councilor - Ward 4

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

Ward 4

Please give us your party affiliation.

Education.

Masters in Predictive Analytics (Northwestern University), Bachelors in Finance (Bentley University)

What is your occupation?

Operations

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

My wife, Liz, is an active member of the community. She is the first female member of the Waltham Lions club (serving as Club President during COVID), as well as giving her time and energy to organizations like Healthy Waltham, the Boys and Girls Club, and works with our Therapy Dog, Clover, at various locations around the city.

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?

While I believe Waltham is a fantastic city, it can be better, and the best path to a better future starts with civic engagement and citizens that are willing to do the things themselves that they would ask others to do. Given this, I’m running because I want to bring Transparency, Inclusion and Accountability to everything the City does. We don’t all need to agree about everything, but everyone should be able to know what is going on and why we’re doing what we’re doing.

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

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is City Planning. We need open and honest dialogue about the future of our city and I will bring that to bear. Our planning processes have been under-publicized and under-prioritized - it has been a start/stop process for far too long and without a proper Master Plan, it is near impossible to make progress on policies related to housing, transit, traffic management, economic development, environmental sustainability and land use. I will champion bringing together input from all residents to make a plan that can work for everyone.

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

The major difference between us is that I have not spent a decade on the Council, allowing it to make repeated promises for progress that have not been delivered, and not holding the body accountable. I would like to drive real plans for the Fernald property, Arrigo Farm and the former UMass Field Station to completion. I would like to make a master plan that can drive an overall strategy for the city for the coming years, and I would like to ensure every resident knows why things are, or are not, included in those plans.

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

I disagree with the use of the term “failed”. I don’t think the current Ward 4 Councilor has “failed” the community so much as he has just not succeeded in driving real, tangible outcomes for some key issues. I cannot attribute that to him alone, but I do not think he has done enough to push the Council to make more progress.

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

I’m going to address any and every issue that the residents of Ward 4 call on me to address (most discussions have focused on transparent planning for Fernald, upgrading infrastructure and city planning). My goal through this campaign season has been to engage with citizens, hear their priorities and points of view, and better understand what issues they want to see the City resolve. I intend to do that until Election Day, and if elected, every day thereafter.

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

I’ve navigated a successful career across industries while consistently finding time, energy and resources to give back to our community as a volunteer (I serve on the Board of Directors of Waltham Fields Community Farm, I’m a Waltham Lion, a rider/fundraiser for the Pan Mass Challenge and a former “puppy-raiser” for Leader Dogs for the Blind, while also spending time working with Healthy Waltham and the Boys and Girls Club on various projects). Through those efforts, I’ve worked with the City and State, as well as various community organizations to make tangible progress on their missions. As a City Councilor, I would step back from, or adjust my commitments to some of these projects and dedicate that energy and time to serving the City and its residents.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The best advice I’ve ever received was to remember that I don’t know anyone’s story. What this means is that everyone comes to a situation with their own experiences and points of view and it’s important to recognize that. We need to listen to each other, ask questions and try to understand points of view that are not our own so that we can find the best solutions to complicated problems.

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

Only that I choose to live in the new Waltham and plan to stay for years to come. Waltham will continue to grow, and I intend to be part of the change vs. the status quo. It’s imperative that voters remember that City Councilors are accountable to you - if you have a question, ask it and demand answers with explanations. If you don’t like the answers, talk about it. If they won’t answer you, replace them with someone that will.