10 Questions For Maydee Morales, 2023 Worcester Council Candidate

WORCESTER, MA — For the first time in years, every single city council election in Worcester this year is competitive, meaning every incumbent (or multiple incumbents in the case of the at-large race) is facing a challenger in 2023.

Voters in Worcester will go to the polls Nov. 7 to elect the next slate of councilors for the coming two-year term. To help voters make their decisions, Worcester Patch sent 10 questions to each candidate running for city council this year, including both incumbents and challengers. We'll publish them ahead of Election Day as candidates return them.

At-large candidate Maydee Morales is running in her first race for a city council seat in 2023. Morales is well known in Worcester for her work in social services around Worcester, including at the Worcester Community Action Council Morales and Friendly House. Here's how she answered our questionnaire:

What is the main job of a city councilor in Worcester?

The main job of a city councilor is to represent the interest of the people and the community as a whole. To me this means making decisions and votes after having done my research and listening to the experts on a given topic. Most importantly though, having listened to the opinions of the people in the city. The oversight of the work of the City Manager is another major part of this work. Ensuring that we are giving the CM goals and objectives to meet for our city and then holding the CM accountable to these and ensuring transparency for everyone in our city.

The council in 2022 began a national search for a new city manager, but then stopped to hire Eric Batista. What are your thoughts on the city manager hiring process both recently and in general?

I am a supporter of a national search for such a position as the city manager. We have a proven track record with the search for our Superintendent — the search firm along with our community representatives in the search committee did an amazing job. Everyone had a voice at the table, people were able to express their needs and wants and the best person was hired for the position. There were focus groups and forums held, many of which I personally attended. The process was explained, information was interpreted both for content and language and we achieved success.

If you could pick three goals for Batista to work toward in the coming council term, what would they be?

Meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work within city hall and all City departments. Taking the time to have the difficult conversations around this issue and then making meaningful change so that all in our city feel included and not just those who have the most access to city government.

Actively taking steps to repair the relationship of this city with its police department. We should not have to wait until the DOJ recommendations are given to us. The fact that there is an investigation of our police department is a clear sign that there are issues of oppression and racism in the department. Let’s make the right decisions about who we hire, let's support that person as they do the work, let us come together to move our city forward and out of this space which hurt so many.

Clear and concise transparency in the work we are doing at the city level. Open forums of issues that affect everyone, taking into consideration our communities rich cultural backgrounds and having accessibility to the information. There are times when we need to go where the people are and not sit around waiting for them to come to us.

This summer, Batista told councilors he was declining to act on an order they voted affirmatively on (crisis pregnancy centers). Do you think that’s an appropriate response, why or why not?

Absolutely not, the city council is the governing body over the CM and as such he needed to do what the council voted on. If we allow these acts to continue this will only prove to be harmful to our entire community.

Some city council subcommittees meet infrequently, sometimes only a few times a year. Do you think subcommittees should have a fixed schedule so they have a minimum number of meetings per year?

Yes, in my opinion the subcommittees are the space for all in our community to attend and speak their mind on many of the issues and then their voice can be shared to the entire city council and community. As city councilors we must make the space for our community, whom we represent, to be heard.

Serious allegations about the conduct of the former police chief were recently made public in news reports. Do you think councilors should have an oversight role when serious allegations are made against city employees?

I think the city council has oversight of the CM and in turn he has oversight of city employees and so indirectly we have oversight of city employees. In a perfect world, the city manager and the city councilors would have a collaborative working relationship and issues such as these allegations would be discussed in collaboration in order to reach resolutions to such serious and important cases. We should always be working towards the best interest of our city and our constituents.

Homelessness is on the rise in Worcester. The city has pursued a policy of sweeping camps, and we’re heading into the cold weather season with a shortage of temporary shelter beds. What should Worcester do about this issue in the short and long term?

For me this is not about a thing, this is about HUMAN BEINGS. Homeless people are not asking for giveaways. We, advocates, are asking for the services that unhoused families have historically paid for and continue to pay for. Some have paid with their mental health such as United States veterans, who experience homelessness at rates that exceed their representation in the general United States population. This alone should embarrass all of us because many people who are homeless put their lives at risk to make sure we kept ours intact.

• I support a housing first model with wrap around services
• I support treating people with respect and as human beings
• I don’t support sabotaging and destroying what little they may have

Councilors can use personal privilege to hold items before a meeting, delaying action for a week or longer. Do you think councilors should disclose why they’re holding items before doing so, why or why not?

If we are a working body that is to move our city forward then yes, councilors should have to explain why they are holding an item under personal privilege. I as many of us have seen — city councilors hold items for their own preference and not for those whom they represent. The reasons for holding items need to be meaningful also, like, in order to consult with constituents or hold a subcommittee meeting where the people can be heard.

There are many large, blighted parcels around Worcester, with the former Big D supermarket perhaps the most recognizable. Would you support a new tax on blighted parcels to ensure property owners don’t let them sit for long periods?

For me this is common sense. Yes, it is time that the city holds these property owners who have left these properties vacant and underdeveloped for long times accountable for them. The tax can be utilized to benefit our residents and taxpayers in so many different ways. The affordable housing trust, the conservation project and our city schools to name a few.

What’s one thing you think you want to achieve as a city councilor if elected?

There isn’t just one, if by running I am able to increase civic engagement that is something I want to achieve. I will achieve at amplifying the voices of those that I have served as a front line worker in this community, representation matters.

More profiles in this series:

• Domenica Perrone, At-Large
• Dave Peterson, District 1
• Jose Rivera, District 5
• Thu Nguyen, At-Large
• Feanna Jattan-Singh, District 3
• Etel Haxhiaj, District 5
• George Russell, District 3
• Johanna Hampton-Dance, At-Large