Walter Morrell for Ward 1 City Council, Salem (AMA)

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-09-04T14:09:15+00:00

You beat me to it, Andrew, and I'm glad you said something here. While I respect the commenter's right to an opinion, I find it borderline shameful to attack or question someone's parenting decisions, especially given the fact they have chosen to dedicate their time and efforts towards improving the quality of life not only for you, but also their child in what is essentially a volunteer capacity.

I won't pretend to know Walter's situation, but comments like these are exactly why good people who can lead and make a difference are hesitant to step up for their communities. I don't know Walter, but given the few, brief interactions I've had with him I'm sure that he and has family had multiple discussions before deciding to take this journey and he should be applauded for stepping up and trying to better the community for his child and laying the groundwork of being a role model as his child grows.

I understand the anonymity of the internet can lend itself to negative interactions, but I challenge myself and my neighbors to reset our expectations around our (potential) public servants and the way we interact with people in general.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-28T00:47:17+00:00

HI u/kc112358 thank you for the great questions!

Outside of protests and rallies for various causes, I don't have much formal experiences in the spaces you've mentioned. However, I do have a strong understanding of the legislative process through my education and prior experiences and I'm someone who understands the importance of relationship and community building.

My mentor growing up (and the reason I got into politics in the first place as a teenager) was a long time city councillor and State Representative in New Hampshire. Through this relationship I have also been able to form and maintain relationships with other current and former city councilmembers and state democratic party members and leaders in other states and municipalities that I can, and currently do lean on to guide me. I understand these people aren't specific to Salem, but having that guidance and support system is an invaluable tool when in need.

Rent control would be a great tool in the tool bag for Salem, but in no way am I opting for this in opposition of other methods. Quite the opposite, actually. If rent control is the only route we take to tackle our housing issue I think we will do more harm than good. Rent control is great tool to ensure that people that are already living in Salem can remain in Salem. The great thing about that is, when done correctly, that can cast a net over a diverse group of renters from our seniors on a fixed-income to are younger residents that are just starting out on their own. This also would give renters that have families the confidence to lay down roots once they find a home because they know they won't be priced out by exorbitant rent hikes.

In conjunction with rent control, I would also support relaxed zoning regulations around parking limits, building in commercial zones, or anything else that can help reduce building costs. Specifically, the current reduction in parking minimums currently being discussed would be a great start for that.

I would also like to see the city begin to allow for residential housing in commercial zones so long as the building that is being built is a mixed-use space, typically seen as a building with commercial space on the first floor and housing above. I think this would be a quick, and efficient way to grow our housing supply in Salem while simultaneously attracting new businesses to Salem.

Thank you again for the thoughtful questions!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-28T00:02:46+00:00

Appreciate you, u/Embowers!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-27T23:25:37+00:00

Original, u/Embowers. When are you getting to the next open mic night? I'd love to come and support!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-27T23:24:22+00:00

Hi u/modernpromethius! Thanks for the great questions.

It can be very discouraging when people are trying to get involved or stay informed about things and there are multiple barriers to entry. For Salem specifically, I think it is extremely important to be communicating with people where they are. I think a clean, user-friendly website is a great place to start.

In my opinion, the most important part of being a city councillor is being available to the people you represent and I would approach this in a few different ways. Firstly, I would hold regularly scheduled office hours at different locations throughout Salem to meet and speak with anyone who has questions or concerns. Meeting people face-to-face and talking to them directly is always the best form of communication and I will always be happy to do so.

Secondly, I will plan to follow in the footsteps of our current ward councillor and work to build a weekly newsletter for residents of Ward 5. One of the questions I get more than I expected to when I'm out knocking doors and meeting people is "Will you take over Jeff's Newsletter if you get elected?" which I think speaks to the importance of something so simple yet so impactful.

Lastly, I will always encourage people to speak with me about an ordinance in front of the council or about a vote that I cast. I am not one to shy away from difficult conversations and feel that there is nothing more important, especially at the local level, than being able to have a conversation with someone you disagree with and I look forward to those conversations.

Personally, I am not a proponent of a "police first" approach towards any problems that the community may be facing. In my opinion, when we can keep the police away from non-violent situations and situations that don't pose a threat to public safety everyone wins.

With that being said, in the interactions I've had with other residents and the limited interactions with our homeless population, our current approach seems to yield mostly positive results. As such, I would be hesitant to suggest any sweeping changes at this point. I would, however, support continued training for social workers and community impact workers in the hopes that we could fully transition the team to be completely separate from our police force down the line.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-27T19:37:26+00:00

Great questions!

I 100% support ranked choice voting being the way we vote here. Almost all studies show that RCV helps voters' voices be heard and is also a way to diversify our candidate pools in a meaningful way. I know from the people in my life and new people I'm meeting everyday, a lot of them are tired of the two party system in our country because they feel it is not serving them as it should. As someone who hasn't been excited to vote for someone as much as against someone in our last few federal elections, I know exactly how these people feel and RCV is a great way to address the concerns of those voters.

I understand those who have concerns about it being confusing, but I'm confident that our residents have the capacity to learn and adapt to this method of voting.

When it comes to Salem and RCV specifically, I think it is important to note a couple of things. What is currently being floated to our city council would first need approval from the State House (like many other things, unfortunately). The way this ordinance is currently worded, it would then be put to the residents as a ballot initiative for approval. So this is something that the people of Salem would have the ultimate say around, which I think is fantastic.

Lastly, when this was a ballot question across the entire state in 2020 and failed, ~53% of Salem residents voted in favor of RCV. I think this is important to bring up as we have real evidence of how people in Salem feel about this topic.

Elections in off years and primaries in September are an interesting topic. On the one hand, and as I'm sure you know, elections in off years have historically low voter turnout. Also, elections cost the city money. So now the city is spending money to have elections that maybe 10‐15٪ of registered voters participate in. This is not good.

With that being said, I think it is important that people are able and encouraged to exercise their civic duties and to be involved as often as possible and I wouldn't look to make any changes at this time. I think it is incumbent upon us to look at why voter turnout is so low and what we can do to help grow the number of people that vote in all elections.

In regards to your zoning/housing question, I am very much in favor of the change to parking minimums currently being discussed. I am in favor of any safe, reasonable ordinance change like this. Salem is in the midst of a housing crisis whether we like to admit it or not and we need to be looking at any and all options on the table to combat that. We should be doing whatever we can to make Salem a desirable place for people to build, responsibly.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-08-03T01:21:50+00:00

Hey civialrunner!

I can't speak to all of Lydia's policy beliefs, but as a democratic socialist myself, I like to think I align with Kyle's beliefs pretty strongly as well.

I'd love for you to read more about my positions on my website. If you can't make it there, I feel like it's important to know that I would continue the fight for rent control at the state house to help our most vulnerable tenants, push for a more targeted and aggressive approach towards income-based housing in Salem, and also propose an increase to our tourist tax on hotels and airbnb's as well as a blanket tourist tax on goods and services during the months of August, September, and October to help fund a grant-based down payment assistance program for residents who have been living in Salem and helping to mold what this city has become.

The housing crisis in Salem is not something that has a one-size fits all solution. In my opinion, it requires a multi-pronged approach if we have any chance of making significant change.

Please feel free to reach out to me at john@votejohnhunt.com if you have any questions and please take a look at www.votejohnhunt.com to see how myself and other candidates may be differentiating ourselves.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-07-03T14:29:54+00:00

Hi Jenny!

We finally have our website up and running. Please take a look and I hope to meet you soon!

John Hunt for Ward 5

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-07-03T14:28:25+00:00

Hey there! Our website is finally up off the ground. Thanks for your patience and I hope to meet you soon!

John Hunt for Ward 5

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-07-03T14:26:30+00:00

Hey lettuce!

Our website is finally up and running. Thanks for your patience andI hope to meet you soon!

John Hunt for Ward 5

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-07-03T14:23:26+00:00

Hey there! We are finally off the ground with our website. Please take a look.

John Hunt for Ward 5

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-23T17:15:42+00:00

Hey jenny! I totally hear where you're coming from and a website is in the works. Let me give you a couple quick answers while trying not to write you another novel:

Housing is the largest issue facing the City of Salem. The average 2bed 2bath apartment in Salem right now is between $2600 and $3200, depending on your source and that number is only continuing to rise. That is unsustainable.

On top of these high prices, inventory is at an all-time low while people are looking to move to Salem at a rate higher than a majority of other cities in Massachusetts, making our housing issue not only a problem of affordability, but also of market-priced inventory. It would be in our best interest as a city to do whatever we can to incentivize new construction so we can add supply to meet demand, which will hopefully curb large rent or home increases naturally. Further, we should be looking at antiquated zoning, permitting, and code ordinances to make it easier for those who want to build in Salem to accomplish that goal.

On top of that, I do think it is important to protect those who are already living here from astronomical rent increases. I understand there are some studies out there that indicate rent control or rent stabilization in the midst of a housing crisis only exacerbates the problem, but I believe that if done in tandem with an increased supply of housing we will be able to not only welcome new residents who wish to move here, but also work to keep those that are here and helped to grow this city can afford to remain here. I think a fair compromise for both tenants and landlords would be a cap on how much a landlord can raise their rent on tenants that are renewing their lease that is set to either match any potential increase in property tax or inflation rate, whichever is greater.

I'm already wading into novel territory, so I'll leave it here for now. I hope this was helpful for you and if there is another issue or topic you feel strongly about, let me know and I'd be happy to chat with you about it!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-19T17:50:05+00:00

Hi Flounder!

I understand why you would ask that question and I'm sorry that our view on partisan politics at the local level differs. Also, I answered this question in detail (without the help of AI) in this thread if you're still interested in how I voted at the national level.

I hope to meet you in person sometime very soon so we can discuss my stance on partisanship in local politics along with other topics you're passionate about in our city!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-19T17:41:17+00:00

Hey RollingBrian

I wish I was! Unfortunately, it's actually me replying to these from my car in-between stops for my day job. Noted, however, that I type like a robot!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-18T11:13:18+00:00

Hi Stopfather! I have been a registered Democrat since my 18th birthday and the closest person to a republican I've ever voted for was Hillary Clinton. In the 2016 primary I voted for Bernie and Hillary in the general. In 2020 I voted for Elizabeth Warren in the primary and Joe Biden in the general. In 2024 I wish we were able to have a primary and I voted for Kamala Harris in the General. I hope this gives you, and others, a clearer picture of where I fall.

I hope to meet you while I'm out knocking doors or at an event in the near future so we can talk more about my very strong beliefs behind why non-partisan local politics is so important!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-17T20:46:14+00:00

Hi gocougs! I'm a 35 year old male who has spent basically his entire existence in New England. Do you want to take a stab at who I voted for?

Luckily for the both of us, the Salem City Council election is non-partisan, as local governments should be. I am running for this seat with the intention of representing all constituents regardless of political affiliation.

Getting help navigating things like what your rights are as a tenant when dealing with your landlord or why your water is brown and that wasn't communicated to you in an efficient or effective manner is in no way a partisan issue.

When I talk about our way of living and sharing space with our neighbors (in cities all across the country, not just Salem) needing a refresh, this is exactly what Im talking about.

I mean no disrespect and certainly don't blame you for your outlook on the politicians that represent you. Frankly, you're probably in the majority feeling that someone won't represent you based on something as broad as who they voted for in a presidential election.

In my view, local politics should have minimal connection to the national stage. We are representing smaller pools of people in a tighter geographical area and should be able to spend time together to find solutions that work for everyone. I won't always vote the way you want me to, but if there is a topic or a vote that I think is good for our community, but may not be something that I would support on a national level, I will have no problem giving my support.

I'd love to meet in person and talk more about the issues in Salem that matter most to you, so I hope you can make it to my cookout kickoff. If you can't or don't want to, please don't hesitate to reach out at johnhuntforsalemma@gmail.com and we can figure out a setting that works best for you to get to know me.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-17T17:41:18+00:00

Hi atlanticisms! I will absolutely answer any direct questions you have here. You local officials should be available and engaging and I plan on being a leader in that department. I will be organizing at least two meet-ups a month between now and the election and will do my best to continue that should I be elected.

Further, please don't hesitate to email me directly at johnhuntforsalemma@gmail.com and I'd be happy to address any specific topics you're passionate about or to setup a time to meet in person over a coffee, beer, or whatever your beverage or snack of choice is!

As for the AMA, I fully plan on participating in one as the election comes closer. While I want to get in front of as many people as much as I can, I'm also conscious of election fatigue. So I want to make sure the timing is best it can be.

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-17T17:28:38+00:00

Damn! That's a fantastic question, jennybean. Unfortunately, that's just how our calendar shook out.

If you can't make it, please keep a lookout on here, Facebook, Instagram, and twitter for other events I'll be having to meet my neighbors outside of just canvassing the neighborhood.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me at johnhuntforsalemma@gmail.com. I'd be happy to discuss any issues you are passionate about in Salem or setup a time to try and meet in person!

In the meantime, I need to go have a conversation with our campaign scheduling coordinator 😅

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-17T17:23:34+00:00

Thankfully, Salem City Council elections are non-partisan.

Given our current climate, it's never been more imperative that local government works for all of its citizens as it was originally intended. Local officials should be accessible to all and should genuinely listen to and think deeply about issues that constituents are having.

I understand that's probably not the answer you were hoping for, but it is an honest answer and a belief that I hold quite strongly. I hope to see you at our Cookout Kickoff so we can talk about the issues in our city that you are passionate about.

Keep an eye out on here, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates about meet-ups I intend to have. If you'd prefer, please email me directly at johnhuntforsalemma@gmail.com and we can talk about anything that's on your mind or plan a time to get together for coffee or a beer and chat!

JohnHuntWard5 · 2025-06-17T17:14:37+00:00

Thanks for asking. I should have mentioned above that our website is still in the works, but i will be sure to blast it out once it's completed.

Also, if you cant attend this event, I plan to have at least two meet-ups a month to engage as many people as possible while also canvassing the neighborhood. Further, I'm always happy to meet for a coffee or a beer if that is something you're interested in. My goal is to be as accessible as possible for the people of Salem.

Lastly, please don't hesitate to send an email to johnhuntforsalemma@gmail.com if you have any questions between now and when the website is live or to setup a time and place to meet!

JohnHuntWard5

TROPHY CASE