It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to serve my New North End neighborhood in my capacity as City Councilor. I would be honored to continue in this role and thus am seeking your vote as I run for re-election in Ward 7. With your continued trust and support, I will serve you to the best of my ability while trying to balance the needs of all my constituents.
Since 2017, I have changed the way in which a leader should conduct business by extending the role of City Councilor beyond votes in City Hall to real action in the community. I have worked tirelessly to strengthen the ties in our neighborhood and city by connecting and engaging with my neighbors frequently and regularly about city issues. I am truly an Independent, with a record that clearly reflects my ability to make decisions based on evidence. At this time, I am also the only New American on the council, and the only councilor with young children in our school district.
Below is a snapshot of my accomplishments fulfilling several campaign promises and specific issues I would like to focus on during my next term.
Securing Needed City Services for Residents of the NNE
The New North End of Burlington is finally getting well deserved attention from the city with two recent investments to bring much needed services to the NNE. We now have a fully staffed New North End Ambulance and a pilot branch of Fletcher Free Library in our neighborhood. These achievements are the result of constant advocacy, patience and rigor in the face of pushback. The residents of the North District of Burlington will no longer have to wait over seven minutes to have an ambulance respond nor will they have to drive all the way downtown to return books or access library services.
Understanding Systems to Create Equitable Change
My time as a city councilor has helped solidify my understanding of how local government works or how it should work for the people. With a strong focus on disparities and injustices in our community, I worked in collaboration with local social justice organizations to secure the creation of the Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (REIB) Department and a standing Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee for the City of Burlington as well as a refocusing on the development of a Language Access Plan for community members whose primary language is not English.
Public Safety
Public safety is everyone’s responsibility. We know that police reform is needed, and as a public servant I feel it is my duty to oppose reactionary measures that lack diligence and process, such as the motion of defunding the police without adequate research and input from the community. In the face of setbacks, I chose pragmatism. I am proud of my consistency in the police reform debate (more details in my commentary here: The Burlington Police Issue is Too Important to Be Reactionary). I will continue to strive for common sense
Supporting Vulnerable Neighborhoods such as Franklin Square
Being your city councilor means being a leader in support of all people who call the NNE home. There is no doubt that our neighborhoods are different and face different issues. I was able to address a long standing issue dated from 1975 that prevented Franklin Square from being designated as a city street. With persistent advocacy, I was able to bring the right people to the table for the city to accept Franklin Square as a city street. This has led to a plan for much needed infrastructure updates (lighting, paving, etc.). While our neighborhoods are different, I strongly believe that they all deserve equitable treatment and care from the city departments.
Strengthening my Neighborhood and Sense of Community
In my neighborhood, I have used restorative justice practices to solve neighborhood issues between renters and homeowners and quickly deployed city resources to ensure a clean and safe neighborhood to prevent the degradation of quality of life for both property tax payers and renters. This type of public servant leadership requires the passion and energy to bring people together and solve their immediate needs while strengthening the sense of community and neighborhood.
Engaging Youth
In my work with kids and families, I see the power that positive activities and opportunities have in supporting healthy choices. Our children face multiple pressures and challenges in the 21st century, especially during these times of uncertainty with the Covid-19 pandemic and it is our responsibility as a community to support them in making good decisions and learning from mistakes. For example, when I learned of an incident last summer involving youth in our NNE community disparaging community members with disabilities, I connected with the city’s restorative justice branch and helped bring everyone involved together. We have accomplished this without needing police involvement, and these approaches are critical to building a brighter future for our youth.
Action Oriented Leadership Style
Monitoring the issues of my constituents and convening the appropriate stakeholders to take action is my leadership style. In other words, for me, being a city councilor is not just about taking votes in City Hall, but being responsive to my community’s needs every single day. Another example of this was my work to create the Dog Task Force. During the State of Emergency, there were several NNE social media posts about issues involving dogs and dog owners. The incidents were similar in nature but some were unique and resulted in a decreased quality of life in the neighborhood, causing tension between neighbors. I quickly convened stakeholders via Zoom meetings and crafted the Dog Task Force Resolution.The task force recommendations are expected to be presented to the City Council in June 2022.
What’s Next?
Affordability in the City of Burlington
I have continually heard from Burlington residents that the cost of living here is too high. We have lost countless families who have left for more affordable places. As a homeowner and taxpayer, I too understand the economic challenges we together face – rising costs for individuals trying to make ends meet and for providing key city services at the same time. Keeping taxes manageable while maintaining basic services is key; this is why I have been fiscally conservative in my votes about taxes and bonds. As we move forward, with additional focus on building a new high school, I will continue to strive to balance the city’s needs with keeping Burlington affordable.
North Avenue Revitalization
North Avenue is one of the major arteries in Burlington. It has received some upgrades such as better lighting, sidewalk crossing beacon lights and some other improvements in the work such as the redesign of the intersection of Ethan Allen parkway and North Avenue. Without raising property taxes but rather tapping into the federal infrastructure funding coming to Vermont, North Avenue must receive a comprehensive redesign to reflect the concept of great streets (this could include accessibility for all modes of transportation, roundabouts, trees, benches, the arts, burying utilities underground, and much more).
Additional initiatives I will focus on:
- Strengthening the NNE Business Association to support our small businesses
- More opportunities for community connection and celebration – music, arts, etc. in our parks
- More opportunities for NNE residents to serve on boards and commissions, including New Americans and people of color
- Combating climate change from our own backyards – seeking ways to incentivize and reward positive neighborhood actions that make a difference
- Ensuring residents have access to high quality child care and elder care
The New North End of Burlington is a great place to live, work and raise a family, a unique part of Burlington in many ways. I am so proud to be your city councilor as an active listener for my community, uninterested in partisan politics but in service for the greater good. My independence brings balance to a divided city council, and I look forward to continuing to being that independent voice on your behalf.
Please vote on or before March 1st.
Please donate to my campaign here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/teamali