Mutual aid networks and pothole repairs aren’t so different.

They stem from the simple need for dignity and a quality of life. From walkable neighborhoods and community gardens, to housing, retail, and sustainable infrastructure, we need to build stability that will keep us strong when times are hard. Our government and our citizens must fight for one another, and I will work with you to make that happen.

Actionable change means supporting what works and fixing what doesn’t. This is my way of showing love for my hometown, in a way not dissimilar to the love of an old house. Repairing a leaking roof is an act of love in the same way refining our Charter and repairing our roads, and our future is a story I am confident we can write together.

In practice, that requires a multifaceted approach:

• 

  We all have a responsibility to our community, and by far, the most common question asked after a crisis is, “How can I help?” We are our best advocates, and creating a more responsible, educated, and involved Greenfield will empower us to stand up for our neighborhoods.

• 

  Greenfield is a strange, special mix of town and city; part urban, and part rural. We are a living juxtaposition of so many contradictory qualities and ideals, and if you study our history it’s clear that it’s always been that way. Change is the water we swim in, and our story is one of constant flux. And it means that we face hard choices about the kind of community we want to be.

  As our city continues to grow, our expansion challenges us to find creative ways to squeeze resources we’ve already overworked. Sustainable practices like furthering Greenfield’s net zero energy goals and developing smarter zoning and housing regulations go hand in hand with strong, focused support to our local economy.

  Our downtown needs our help as much as our infrastructure, our farms, our protected lands, and our schools. Through supporting the relationships between our city government and our citizens we can more efficiently utilize our resources and generate positive change that makes sense for everyone.

• 

  Let’s say it: national politics affects local politics. Whether we like it or not, we all feel the strain of the moment. In many cases, we’re facing the collapse of our frameworks and the restructuring of our moral scaffolding. And any changes we make for the better we must not make through fear-based divisiveness, because asking people to risk what little they have on hope alone is no longer enough.

  We need to tackle the most significant problems through the prism of hard facts and real results. As a city councilor and a member of the LGBT+ community, I plan to support efforts to protect our vulnerable populations, ensure a welcoming, safe place for immigrants, and work to defend and create the laws necessary for the defense of our city.

• 

  But that doesn’t mean neglecting Greenfield, either. Just as on the national scale, we here in Greenfield face food insecurity, housing insecurity, and the growing disparity of the working class. I have been on SNAP benefits before, and I know they are not enough. I have been in a union job, and I appreciate now what I have lost. By developing robust programs at the local level, we can not only rise to any occasion but grow to face new challenges. I will support climate resiliency projects, seek additional sources of funding for the community, and work to grow mutual aid networks that seek to tackle the very real problems of our daily lives.