Waltham Patch Candidate Profile: Lizzie Gelles, Ward 1 Councilor

WALTHAM, MA — There will be several contested races in this fall's election, including for at-large city council seats, which is a citywide vote. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Every two years the entire 15-member council is up for reelection. There are six at-large seats and eight running. Then there are nine ward councilor seats open and of those, there are contested races in Ward 1, where Councilor Dan Romard is not running again, and in Ward 2, as Councilor Bill Fowler steps off the council. There are also races in Ward 3, 6, 7 and 9.

Lizzie Gelles, 54, is facing off against Anthony LaFauci for the seat that Romard leaves.

Gelles moved to Waltham in 1995 from New York. She's married to Nina Udwin. She has her bachelors in English from Boston College. And more than 25 years experience as an IT support engineer.

She took some time recently to answer some Patch questions. Her answers have not been edited.

Read this, too: Waltham's Biggest Issue, According To City Council Candidates

Waltham 2019 Local Elections: Candidates, Polling Location, Hours

Are you running for office ? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

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

Bishops Forest residents are stuck with the burden of paying for their trash pickup. On Totten Pond Road, they don’t barely have a sidewalk. About ⅓ of our residents live on private roads and have to bear the cost when the road falls apart. There is no singular issue everyone is suffering from in our ward.

However, while I have been out talking with voters, there have been common themes: increasing costs are stressful, our roads and infrastructure need a clear plan for improvement, and we need a leader who is transparent and collaborative.

A voter I spoke with on Buxton Lane said that they were being footed with a huge bill to fix their road because it was a private road. We must work collaboratively and think critically at how we can help families like theirs to not be overburdened with these types of situations.

For years, our residents living off of Lexington and Bacon have been suffering through the steadily increasing traffic. As your city councilor, I will make sure your voices and concerns do not fall by the wayside by holding public town halls and sending a monthly newsletter to make sure you are updated.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
Since day 1, I have been advocating for protecting our green spaces and bringing solar to our city, increasing transparency, tackling development and housing, and developing long-term proactive plans which address our infrastructure. I haven't allowed developers nor special interests groups to influence what I stand for. Every day, I'm talking with voters about what is important to them.

In this race, our campaign has knocked on nearly 8,000 doors. This means we haven't just knocked on someone's door and left a pamphlet but we have gone back time and time again to make sure voters' voices were heard. I will put as much effort into being a city councilor as I have into this race. The job doesn't end on election day; it just begins.

I've also made a strong commitment to our hardworking union members. My signs, palm cards, and mailers are all union made. Sure, they're a little more expensive but it ensures workers are getting paid a fair wage and are getting benefits. I am committed to not cutting corners in this race.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)? If you're an incumbent, what is still on your to-do list?
N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE SMART GROWTH
We need environmentally sustainable smart growth to lower costs and to highlight our green spaces. I am committed to preserving our community by protecting our parks and community farm, developing a solar plan to decrease our energy bills, and reviewing and updating the masterplan for Prospect Hill Park. I’m also grateful for and fully supportive of the work of those organizations in the city that are focused on keeping our City's eco-systems functioning and our green spaces and environment strong.

TRANSPARENCY
Too many issues continue to fall by the wayside. We need a more transparent government. As your city councilor, I will hold at least four town halls a year and send a monthly newsletter so your concerns will be heard and you will know how your tax dollars are being spent.

PROACTIVE PLANNING
Rather than waiting until problems get out of hand, we need to be proactive versus reactive. We know patching doesn’t work. We must be proactive by developing long-term plans to repair and repave our crumbling roads and deteriorating infrastructure.

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

Two years ago, my company found itself as the unintended victim of international cyber warfare. I was part of the critical team that volunteered to work 16+ hours a day for nearly four weeks without a day off, even on July 4th. The company survived the catastrophic incident, thanks in great part, to the dedicated folks working on our team that didn’t ask, “what’s in it for me?” but just showed up and worked hard until the job was done.

I will bring this same commitment to the city. I believe we must work collaboratively, push ourselves to work harder for our neighbors, and find solutions for the issues facing our community.

I've also been talking important issues in our community for a long time. Even throughout this campaign, as neighbors have brought up issues, I've worked with them to address them. For example, in the Prospect Hill Waltham Housing Authority property, the parking lot lights were on during the daytime and a neighbor raised this to me. After reaching out to WHA, they had someone come and fix it. Not only did this address the neighbors concern but it also will help save the city money since the light isn't running during the daytime.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...
When I first pulled papers to run, I ran into one of our current city leaders who told me, "Knock on every door." I took this advice to heart because I wanted to make sure the residents of our community were given a voice and could express their concerns. Since then, I have knocked on almost every door; some several times. At the end of the day, local politics is as small government as it gets and it is important for us to be transparent with our neighbors. As your city councilor, I will continue ensuring that you know what is happening in the city and that your voice is heard.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
AN AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY FOR ALL
We expect our teachers and first responders to care for our children yet many of them cannot afford to even live in Waltham. One proposal Lizzie is focusing on is allowing people to rent in-law suites to anyone, not only in-laws, creating more available units without having to put up new developments.

HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION
As your City Councilor, Lizzie will work collaboratively with her colleagues and Waltham residents to ensure the new high school is a community effort. Lizzie supports having a strong education system in our city and she is dedicated to working together to ensure the new high school is strong.

A STRONGER, LOCAL ECONOMY
By encouraging new small business to open in Waltham, we can create more jobs and increase our local tax base. Lizzie will work with groups like the Downtown Waltham Partnership, Chamber of Commerce, and Waltham First to ensure we work collaboratively in continuing to develop a flourishing downtown. Lizzie is also interested in exploring bringing Food Truck Fridays to Waltham as well as continuing the ongoing efforts to have Moody Street closed to encourage downtown shopping.

Your public social media info (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)

Facebook: @WalthamWard1

Twitter: @GellesWard1

My favorite aspect of this city is...

I am inspired by the richness in diversity and history which make Waltham a special place to live. For example, we have fantastic food from all over the world as well as several cultural celebrations throughout the year. This richness in diversity and history bring new ideas and opportunities to our city which inspire me to work collaboratively with our community to create a culture of success in our city.

What's your take on all the development projects across the city?

As Boston's growing population continues to expand out into cities like Waltham, we've seen increasing traffic, skyrocketing rent prices, and shrinking natural green spaces. We must be smart and work collaboratively to come up with solutions to tackle the need for housing while also not giving into simply creating massive developments when they may be unnecessary. For example, one proposal I have talked about throughout my campaign has been allowing in-law suites to be rented out to non-family members. This would increase our available housing, which would decrease rent, without building new units. This would also benefit people who have in-law units but no in-laws to rent them out to by providing them with additional income.

More Patch coverage:

Waltham Mayoral Candidates McCarthy, LeBlanc Face Off In Debate

Waltham's Biggest Issue, According To City Council Candidates
Waltham 2019 Local Elections: Candidates, Polling Location, Hours

Waltham Candidate Profiles

• Heather May - Ward 2 (eliminated during preliminary)
• William Hanley - Ward 2
• George Darcy -Ward 3
• Sean Durkee - Ward 6
• Robert Logan - Ward 9
• Jonathan Paz - Ward 9
• Colleen Bradley-MacArthur - At Large City Council
• Tom Stanley, At Large City Council
• Steve Lydon - At Large
• Randy Leblanc - At Large
• Marisa Diamond - School Committee
• John Graceffa - School Committee
• Margaret Donnelly - School Committee
• Jeannette McCarthy- Mayor
• Diane LeBlanc- Mayor

League of Women's voter guide:

Waltham Voter Guide