Waltham's Biggest Issue, According To City Council Candidates

Waltham, MA — With days until Waltham's municipal election, which features contested races for at-large city council seats and in every ward except for Wards 4, 5 and 8. Patch has been asking incumbents and challengers in contested races for their thoughts on a wide range of issues. And perhaps the most telling answers have been when we asked candidates what they think is the biggest issue facing the city.

Although there are 20 candidates for city council in contested elections, not everyone responded. However, we've published each candidate's unedited response below to help voters make decisions between the different candidates in each race for those who did participate. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*). Clicking on a candidate's name will take you to their previously-published candidate profile on Waltham Patch, where you can read more about their candidacy.

Councilors at large:

• Steve Lydon:The development of apartment complexes being built in our neighborhoods have taxed our traffic issues and utilities. I don't know what the immediate answer is; but would like to be involved with the planning and management of the growth of our city.
• Tom Stanley*: Waltham needs to think seriously about transportation and infrastructure impacts as part of local land use and sustainability efforts. Sitting in traffic wastes time, fuel, and money, while needlessly harming the environment.
  As City Councillor, I will work to fund the Master Traffic Plan which will improve signalizations and out of date intersections, make the city more bike and pedestrian friendly, and press state officials for improved public transportation access. Traffic conditions in Waltham are unacceptable. Kids no longer safely play along neighborhood streets or walk themselves to neighborhood schools because of excessive and reckless cut-through traffic. Residents feel trapped in their homes because pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles cannot safely traverse our city streets and the local transit infrastructure is inadequate. Moreover, too many residents are forced to pay for repairs to their vehicles from damages due to the poor condition of many Waltham roads. As City Councillor, I will work hard to help reduce traffic congestion, improve walkability, make our streets safer for cyclists, make neighborhoods safer for children and lessen the stress of daily commutes.
• Colleen Bradley-MacArthur: How this community develops and adapts as the city continues to grow. We need to face the reality that our city is changing demographically and geographically. There are ways to build consensus among ALL residents whether you've been here for generations or you just arrived. We are a well resourced city and we need to be leveraging our resources better. I would like to see a city planner work with city government and residents (even students!) to get input on smart development. I know we can come up with and implement new ideas. We should be looking to our own people for ideas and talents to accomplish smart development. Currently developers plan our city. This city has been innovative since its founding and we should be a leader in technology, so that surrounding towns look to us for inspiration.
• Randy LeBlanc*: Increased traffic issues. We need to say no and stop overriding our zoning with special permits for these oversized developments.

NOTE: There are six seats and eight running, including Kathleen McMenimen,* Paul Brasco,* Patrick O'Brien and Carlos Vidal*

City Council, by Ward

In Ward 1:

• Anthony LaFauci
• Lizzie Gelles: 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.

Note: Councilor Dan Romard is stepping down.

Ward 2:

• Caren Dunn: The most pressing issue is the construction of a new Waltham High School. If elected, my job will be to serve as a resource and protector of the ward residents. We will need to inform each abutter at every stage of development, to record current conditions in their homes, and to respond quickly to requests for assistance. There will be noise, vibrations, dust, dislodging of the underground rat population and trespassing issues. It’s imperative that we manage the extra traffic that is going to choke off Lexington Street and the surrounding side roads that will become cut-throughs. And we’ll need to ensure that there is ample green space set aside for the education and enjoyment of both the students and the citizens of Waltham.We cannot forget the folks who will be personally dealing with the disruptions for the next 5 years. I’ll fight for the respect our neighborhoods deserve.
• William Hanley: Upcoming construction and development. As the next Ward 2 Councillor, I will focus time and energy on protecting our property and getting us through this storm. Waltham High, 317 apartments on Winter Street and the Piety Corner intersection will all disrupt our lives and impact our property. I will make sure everyone in the Ward is protected and prepared. I’ve already developed a plan and playbook for when these projects begin. Ward 2 residents will be able to use this lean on me for help, solutions and access to information for pre-blast inspections and see schedules of work. Large construction projects cannot be allowed to impact our quality of life and infringe on our property. To be better prepared for these projects, I will implement a simple way to report issues and get assistance and information. Communication and transparency will be the key to get us through the next few years. I humbly ask for your vote on November 5th.

Note: Councilor Bill Fowler is stepping down.

Ward 3:

• George Darcy III *: Traffic. I will advocate to install adaptive traffic signals for the 4 major intersections along Trapelo Road (Smith, Lexington, Forest, Waverley Oaks). I also wish to restore 4 full vehicular lanes on Lexington Street by creating dedicated bike lanes adjacent to the roadway.
• Paul Tracey

Ward 6:

• Sean Durkee: Keeping the residential exemption in place and the $2,400/year property tax savings that goes along with it is the most pressing issue facing Ward 6 constituents. The City of Waltham is one of a dozen or so MA communities that allows for higher commercial/industrial zoned property taxes to help offset residential owner-occupied homes. The council voted 8-5 in keeping the exemption in place. My opponent voted AGAINST keeping the exemption where I would have voted in favor of keeping it. The economic impact on seniors who want to stay in their own homes and those on fixed-incomes would be devastating. I intend to vote in favor of the exemption whenever it comes to a vote.
• Sharline Nabulime*

Ward 7:

• Gregory DeMeo
• Kristine Mackin*

Ward 8:

• Cathyann Harris*: I feel the most pressing issue this year is to bring the city together around the Waltham High School Project at 554 Lexington Street. In my role as City Councilor I will listen to concerns, work to advocate for ways where middle ground can be found and build consensus where possible around the most pressing issues/concerns of this project. This project in many ways has divided the city and this concerns me. As leaders, we need to set the tone to come together to listen and problem solve on behalf of our constituents. This would be true for any project and this definitely applies to our most strategic projects including the Waltham High School. Abutters have special concerns as well as all Waltham residents of this great city. These concerns/issues need to be understood and worked to a compromise so that when the Waltham High School is built all issues and concerns have been addressed and all can come together around this project. I will support listening to concerns, good communication, teamwork and getting issues clearly defined to find common ground for residents and this project. We will need to work together to bring this project to fruition for future generations of Waltham.

Ward 9:

• Jonathan Paz: Ward 9 residents keep telling me that our city's growth is unbalanced and not transparent. They feel they don't know what the city's priorities are anymore. They feel disconnected from the developments in their own backyards, which interrupt their daily lives. Growing traffic, rising rents, inaccessible sidewalks, and deteriorating streets are symptoms of this larger issue. We are not growing in a way that prioritizes our working families, our seniors and our youth.
  For example, Waltham recently had the largest fire in its history, right in Ward 9. Five luxury apartment towers on Cooper and Elm Streets were quickly developed without the i
• Robert Logan *:It's always hard to pick one issue as the most important. One thing that I think is important, and that I work very hard to promote, is the health of our Downtown located in the heart of Ward 9. I work closely with the Waltham Downtown Partnership (DWP) on a wide range of issues affecting our Downtown. Most recently I wrote and sponsored two amendments that led directly to the opening of two new business on Moody Street – FireCycle Studio and Game Underground – by eliminating technical obstacles to their permitting.

Mayor:

• Jeannette McCarthy*: The single most pressing issue facing the City of Waltham is over development and its impact on our infrastructure and traffic. With regard to infrastructure, we will continue to do DEP mandated sewer projects throughout the City and implement recommendations from the City's Traffic Master Plan. With regard to over development, I will continue to testify before appropriate boards concerning the detrimental impact of these projects and veto them when able to.
• Diane LeBlanc: There are many pressing issues and we need to address them all; problems in our school system, traffic, our aging infrastructure (water, sewer and drainage) and the condition of our roads and sidewalks, are just a few of them. As Mayor I will provide leadership that brings people together from diverse backgrounds to find new and innovative solutions to addressing these issues.

Every two years the entire 15-member council is up for reelection. This year, three school committee seats are open and five candidates are vying for them, as well. The school committee's term is four years.

School Committee candidates:

• Edmund Tarallo*
• Margy Donnelly*
• Marisa Diamond
• Jane Gately
• John Graceffa*