Meet Waltham City Council Candidate Lizzie Gelles

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 Lizzie Gelles and her reasons for seeking election:

Name

Lizzie Gelles

How old will you be as of Election Day?

58

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

https://lizziegelles.com

What city or town do you live in?

Waltham

What office are you seeking?

City Council Ward 1

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

Ward 1

Please give us your party affiliation.

Democrat

Education.

BA - Boston College

What is your occupation?

IT Manager

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

Wife, Nina together for 25 years.

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?

I would like to be a councilor that is out and about in all of Ward 1's neighborhoods. Some issues that I feel I can impact in both the ward, and in the city as a whole are: (a) pedestrian safety, (b) ensuring that the brand new high school is fully funded and attracts and retains the best faculty, (c) engaging the council to have serious discussions leading to a greater degree of carbon neutrality in new construction.

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

The lack of communication regarding the impact of 3 capital projects in the Lexington Street area. I plan to hold regular meetings with residents of Ward 1 that are affected, listen to their issues, and work to resolve what I can. The construction projects are in Ward 1 and 2 although the impact is felt by people trying to get across the city.

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

Government is about checks and balances; I am willing to ask serious questions as part of oversight rather than rubber stamping. I believe we need to work on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, my opponent thinks this is impossible. I wouldn't vote to end the residential tax exemption that benefits so many Ward 1 families.

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

Scheduling a daytime emergency meeting for the community following the Eversource surge in October 2022 impacting many Ward 1-1 residents failed to take into account working hours.

Many in the community have commented that he is unresponsive to emails or phone calls. Being a ward councilor is about being present and accessible to those you represent.

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

I have been speaking about the problem of rats which is more prevalent in the Moody Street area. There are solutions that would help mitigate the problem, such as installing Big Belly Solar trash compactors in public areas. I would like to see a study conducted regarding providing transportation such as the intercity bus to alleviate some of the traffic.

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

I lead large projects which are national and international in nature. This requires me to work with colleagues in multiple countries, multiple cultures, and with multiple personalities. I am able to form partnerships to complete complex operations that have hard deadlines.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Step outside your comfort zone at least once a day.

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

I love Waltham and to quote the play Hamilton, "I want to be in the room where it happens," because I have had a love of and fascination with politics my whole life. I believe politics is a tool to make people's lives better and I want to do that for Waltham.