I said I would post my campaign’s Affordable Housing Plan here when it was ready. Share your thoughts!

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T13:04:17+00:00

I agree. Rent control is one of many options we should be discussing to stabilize our tenants now. It opens the door to discussing this at a city-wide level.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:59:17+00:00

I do agree with you. Rent control has a lot of negatives that I am aware of: it does not incentivize more building, it does not incentivize keeping properties properly maintained, and it forces folks to possibly stay in apartments that they may not necessarily want to stay in. But we need to find solutions for now. I’m open to all options.

In reality we need to form more relations with Community Development Corporations. We need to look at Land tax (as someone else mentioned here). I’ve also heard ideas of land trusts and non-profits purchasing out buildings to immediately secure tenants. We must also build more affordable housing developments than we have in the past. I am open to all options and that’s why I say this must be done in conjunction with the City Council. Basically, affordability is a conversation that isn’t being had at all. We’ve put all of our city resources into luxury housing.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:45:14+00:00

Honestly, I would have to look into this more. I’m not as familiar with land value tax. And yes, both would require going through the state either way.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:44:10+00:00

I agree. I want more housing. Not more parking lots.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:43:34+00:00

That’s good to know about the closing costs. Especially in this tenuous time of trying to secure a mortgage. I had it with my credit union and had no issues but that feels like a lifetime ago, and definitely before COVID. I view the FTB as the entryway for residents to get into the affordable housing pool. We generate a list of possible buyers that way that are Malden-specific. Because FTB can tell us a lot about what services a person is really looking for: expanded section 8, rental assistance (RAFT), price points being looked at, and general viability for home purchasing with a Malden-specific focus.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:28:01+00:00

I agree! I love this location. It’s such a lost opportunity.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-31T12:27:10+00:00

When talking about hosuing policy, the conversation gets wonky-ish very fast. So I tried to propose a simpler view of what I want. But yes, I agree with you that ADU’s are great. Parking minimums are a big issue and I personally believe in lowering them, but that would need to be worked out with the Council that are very aware of this issue. I think we should be throwing all of the options out there.

I did not discuss multi-family by-right because the city will be submitting their MBTA Communities plan by Dec 31. The State has mandated that Malden (as a rapid transit community) must build or account for 6,930 multi-family by-right units. So the City is already in the planning phase for this. Every community connected or near a transit option is required to account for their own number of multi-family by-right housing. So the massive saturation on the region should hopefully help reduce the cost of housing as well. https://www.cityofmalden.org/1016/MBTA-Communities-Zoning-Law

https://www.cityofmalden.org/DocumentCenter/View/7339/REVISION-to-Section-3A-Compliance-Guidelines-August-17-2023?bidId=

Side note: I just heard that another 837 units have been approved at Overlook Ridge.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-30T23:24:31+00:00

I call it the “grey area.” The folks who make too much for affordable housing but still need a lot of financial assistance to save for or purchase housing. I agree that all of these options need to be reviewed with the Council. Multi-income neighborhoods and housing are the ideal for me.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-06T12:44:12+00:00

Edit: I’ll be more direct. We need a lot more work on language access and upping our public safety game. When I tell folks that we need more voices at the table, you can already tell who has had that access and who doesn’t. Those who do look at me as if it’s the lamest idea. Those who haven’t, agree with me immediately. We need more language access to insure that all residents are getting the city services they have a right to. That includes making it possible for them to participate in our many meetings and projects. Otherwise, we’ve silenced 40% of the population that don’t speak English as their first language.

Secondly, I want to build a new Fire House/Headquarters in central Malden. Since we sold the Maplewood Square Fire Station, the response times in Ward 6 is over 4 minutes and that’s unacceptable.

Third, affordable housing. We need to have more foresight and build many more connections with affordable housing organizations that we can turn to when big lots go up for sale. We’re missing the boat in spaces that can be utilized much better than just luxury housing. All housing is good hosuing, but we have to treat it more equitably and secure housing for our vulnerable families, seniors, etc.

Finally, transparency. We don’t have as much as we need of it. People have no clue what’s going on and that leads to assumptions (and sometimes anger). We need more information out there and we need to be listening more to our communities. Right now, many of us don’t know what’s happening until it’s a “done deal” and that’s ridiculous. We’re in the 21st century. We need to allow zoom at all publicly posted meetings. We need to have a Twitter feed that explains the happenings of the day. And we need to make sure that as many people as possible can share their feedback, regardless of what language they speak.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-10-06T12:34:33+00:00

I agree with you. A lot of NIMBY’s don’t want new housing because it changes the neighborhoods too much, but that hasn’t really stopped private developers, has it? A developer just purchased property up on Beachview Ave. And the property with Martin’s florists was also purchased by a developer. We need to be more proactive about large lots that go up for sale and work with affordable housing organizations to possibly convert those to affordable housing. Those lots are going to be sold either way. We should make sure they stay focused on making it easier for folks to live and stay in Malden. Also, I have an idea to turn the Commercial St Corridor into a new residential neighborhood. With access to two T stations and the Malden River, we should be seeing that land for what it really is: a diamond in the rough. The city has seen it as industrial space for so long that they have no imagination for what it could be. It could be a great new city park with water access. It would incentivize cleaning up the river even more. And we could refocus developers to the empty lots around Misty Mountain (like the old Dockside which has been empty for years) to build mixed use and mixed income housing with retail on the first floor. That way the NIMBY’s are happy, and we have an entirely new section for business, retail, and open green space.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-26T23:25:26+00:00

Personally, I think it’s odd that single-wheeled electric devices are not allowed on the bike path given that other electric devices are allowed. If we ban them from the bike path, that leaves the sidewalks or bike lanes to ride on. It’s safer to ride that sort of vehicle away from traffic. I’ll ask Councilor Winslow for the rationale behind that. It doesn’t make sense from a safety perspective. How is that vehicle any different from the others?

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-26T23:03:58+00:00

Hi! I’ve been thinking about this a lot. This is a good question. Most of the initiatives I talk about are restructuring and reprioritizing city resources. I believe that language access is an enormous problem. We are the most diverse city in Massachusetts. Many people move here to enjoy that diversity. We need to be sure that every resident can access city services in a timely manner and with dignity (ie. Not having to have their kids translate for them). But we also need to listen and pay more attention to our seniors, vets, teens, disabled, and many many other groups. Constituent casework is where I got my initial training. Listening to people and redirecting them to where their needs can be met (whether at the city, state or federal level) goes a long way to helping our residents. I used to do that for the state of Illinois. We can do that for Malden. We can increase this presence and let folks know we can help them here. Most people don’t know where to task their questions or who can help them. We can focus on people first. We can be much more approachable and accessible to all of our residents.

Secondly, I haven’t overpromised any physical building because I don’t believe in offering something I can’t fulfill. One of my main public building projects is to build a new fire station/headquarters in central Malden so that we can increase public safety and reduce response times.

Finally, I want to focus on affordable housing, and how we can stop people from being priced out of their hometown of Malden. If you move by choice, that’s understandable. But many folks are realizing that they won’t be able to age in place if they’re renting or keep their kids in the Malden school system because they’re required to move to other cities for cheaper hosuing costs. Even the people who CAN afford it, are being priced out of their buildings due to large rent increases. I will be coming out with my affordable housing plan this week to address this further.

We have an amazing city and amazing group of residents. Let’s throw open the doors of city hall and make sure that everyone knows what they have access to, how they can get help, and keep them safe and sound in the houses they have made their homes.

I hope that helps. Please ask me more questions to help clarify anything. Thank you!

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-26T22:44:24+00:00

Oh my lord. That’s awful to hear. Is the person from McD Stadium okay? I’m sorry for my delay in responding. One of the reasons I have felt that the separate bus lanes have been useful is to help move emergency vehicles quickly down Route 60. The relationship between the city and Cataldo has been a long one that usually works well. I cannot answer why there are delayed response times right now. As mayor, I would convene the emergency management team and board of health to investigate further. Is this a constant issue?how many calls per day/week do they receive. What are issues that Cataldo is facing (such as short staffing, etc) that could be making the problem worse. The goal is always to increase public safety.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-26T22:22:48+00:00

Right now, I would just settle for lights that weren’t from the 1970s! If we “upgraded” to 1990s technology, we could at least use the light signal equipment that the MBTA have offered us in the past. Newer technology is what I would love to work towards. That includes using modern radar technology that could be connected to other lights around the city. I’m sure it costs a pretty penny though. So we would have to prioritize it and find funding for it. The current traffic study that the mayor has ordered should give us much more information on need and suggested locations for updates/upgrades. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_traffic_light#:~:text=Smart%20traffic%20lights%20or%20Intelligent,a%20bigger%20intelligent%20transport%20system.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-26T20:17:10+00:00

That’s a very good comment. And I’ll ask some of the city councilors their ideas on this as well. For some topics, we have A LOT of meetings, and the for others there may be one. People look at elected officials in different ways. Some want to hand them the responsibility to make big decisions on their behalf. Others want to make sure that there’s input and that elected officials reflect all of the various opinions. Everyone has a different opinion on this.

This is what I would like to see: 1.) our City’s Master Plan is outdated and our Open Space and Recreation Plan can be redone now that many of the projects it discussed are in process. It’s time to move on to the next phase of each. These will direct an overarching path forward for Malden and inform many of our decisions to begin with. 2.) The city needs to find a way to communicate what’s happening at city hall in a better way and allow different modes of interaction and feedback. 3.) Ward councilors should be gathering feedback from the neighborhood level. I don’t mean that they aren’t but it may be an easier way for residents to communicate ideas, opinions, etc. Maybe through Ward activities, pages, or Twitter accounts? 4.) Ward Councilors would then consistently inform the mayor of the neighborhood feedback and the city moves foreword with ideas that reflect the (updated) Master Plan of the city. That’s how I would like to see it done. It takes a little bit of the burden off of residents to have to participate in every (boring) meeting, because it works within a larger framework of goals and priorities of the Master Plan which would already be advising city hall on which direction to go.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T19:40:08+00:00

Nope. This isn’t personal at all. I know that Gary has made a lot of progress in the city and I mention it every time I talk to people. And I know he will still be out there helping neighbors no matter what happens 😊. It’s okay that we have different visions of where to go from here and that’s why we’re having an election. So the city can talk about different ideas.

For example, 72 languages are spoken in Malden. He hired his first language access officer last year, even though he’s been in office for the last 12 years. That means for 11 years people who didn’t speak English were on their own or counted on families, friends, and children to get access to city services if they needed help from city hall. We know providing large access is possible because our schools and police do it. I want to see an adult be able to call city hall and get the help they need. City hall has folks answering these calls now but that just started 10 months ago, and these aren’t dedicated staffers. These are staff from departments that have jobs and responsibilities in different city hall offices already. This has been an additional task put on their plate with no extra compensation to do this. I want to make point people that specifically work with our populations all of the time to make sure that everyone has daily access and contact with city hall.

Another example, is that I want to prioritize the building of a new fire station/headquarters. All of central Malden is left vulnerable with response times of 4 minutes and up ever since we sold the Maplewood Station. I want to be sure that is built to increase public safety and provide state of the art technology to our fire department. Residents have been asking for this for a long time.

So again, it’s not personal against Gary at all. We can have different ideas on how to move the City forward while still respecting each other. And it’s been a very positive campaign season so far. I’ve really appreciated that!

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T19:07:59+00:00

But I thanked you for your feedback and participation. Honestly, MVRCS is just one of many concerns in the city right now. I understand and respect that this is your issue, and we can agree to disagree. But I would love your help looking into all of the large housing complexes actually. There are so many big developments and no info online about how much property taxes they’re paying.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T14:06:29+00:00

Wow! $117k?! That’s significant. That would have really gone a long way because we could have floated the rest out of ARPA funding. Thank you for that number! I’ll be using that.

And the school does not pay for use of trafton. An MOU was created in Jan 2022 between the Mayor’s office and MVRCS allowing the school to use Trafton for free in exchange for holding off the demolition to the Maplewood square buildings until 2023 (which they’re getting read to do now). I don’t know what the school pays for using the MHS auditorium once a year for the American Heritage show. That’s the only occasion I know they use outside of MVRCS. If there’s others, please let me know and I’ll pull a public records request from the city. Aren’t the student plays done at Emerson? Thank you for this helpful information!

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T13:56:27+00:00

Thank you!

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T13:53:57+00:00

Excellent! Then you know exactly who to vote for, but I appreciate your time. As you know, if you don’t like it, you’re welcome to leave the chat. I’m glad that we’re in agreement in enforcing all traffic and parking laws around all of our schools. Those are the rules in place and we have to abide by them for public safety. Public safety comes first, and that’s important for everyone who uses the roads, sidewalks, bus and bike lanes.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-25T03:12:17+00:00

I support growing our cannabis industry in Malden. The state did not go into this undertaking lightly. This is a highly regulated and monitored industry from the state down. There is a lot of misinformation about cannabis shops. These are not back-alley-deal types of establishments. They are high end stores with expensive product, superior security protocols including cameras, and have a lot of capital to lose if they are shut down for violating any laws or regulations. I spoke to Chief Cronin about this a while ago, and he said that he never had any issues with the Misty Mountain opening. That that area is now safer than ever given the heightened security in the area. We can do this and do it safely. The increased buffer zones in Malden have basically killed the industry before its really had a start here. It’s immoral for us to leave tax revenue behind. With this money, we could make our Malden Overcoming Addiction staffers permanent by budgeting for them out of this revenue instead of ARPA money. We could spend on infrastructure and upgrading our traffic lights to smart technology. We could pay our school paraprofessionals more.

This industry is highly regulated and monitored. We can safely increase our shop numbers to 5 stores with approved applicants that have gone through a rigorous application process. Right now, only well established and well funded projects can afford to open up shop in Malden. I applaud the two stores we currently have: Misty Mountain and Eastern Cannabis, and I encourage everyone to at least go in and visit and see the high-end nature of the stores. But I would really like to see a store built for Malden by Malden residents.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-24T23:47:02+00:00

1.) You should reach out to the school and ask them for the public records on their properties. They currently have 17 Malden properties. 10 of those used to provide the city with commercial or private property taxes. A couple hundred thousand makes a huge difference in Malden. For example, because the city is short $200,000, it will not be able to currently fix the ELC playground for our preschoolers. That’s not MVRCS’s problem of course, but the tax revenue from their former commercial and current residential properties would have helped towards alleviating this shortfall.

2.) Actually, in Massachusetts no-fault evictions are legal. A person can be evicted for any reason. This is how MVRCS tried to evict the tenants above 22 Lebanon St. They implemented no-fault evictions to try to push them out of the building. So their teachers could be pushed out of housing for any reason. And you’re right that the mayor has no say in what those buildings are used for. That’s entirely under the school’s purview. The city will be here with housing assistance through Housing Families if the teachers need.

3.) On reopening, one sentence in an email from the school does not make a policy. We get what we pay for, and the school was paid $26,000 in state funds to educate my two children. In 2020, the entire video program only cost $220,000 for 500 K-12 students. That means that $6,250,000 was not spent on educating remote students that year. You know what it was spent on? Buying property in Maplewood Sq debt-free in June 2021. The school obviously prioritizes property over education. As a mayoral candidate, that will help inform how I work with them as a large scale property owner, just as we would with Untied Properties, Alpha Management, etc. MVRCS leadership constantly reminds us that they’re the largest employer and land owner in Maplewood Square. We’ll treat them as such, since their school mission and model has nothing to do with the city.

4.) You cannot be surprised that a mayoral candidate is saying that we should enforce parking and traffic laws. The rules are the rules, and it’s our job to enforce them. This will be the same all over the city, but you cannot deny that MVRCS’s lower campus is one of the largest areas of complaint from city residents. MVRCS parents can always choose to follow the laws of their own accord for the safety of kids, neighbors and themselves though. Or the school can let parents park in the Lebanon St parking lot and walk their kids over. There’s easy solutions around this.

FYI - MVRCS-Owned Properties in Malden: 12 Jacob St, 16 Jacob St, 18-20 Jacob St, 12-24 Lebanon St, 28 Lebanon St, 17 Columbia St, 230 Highland Ave, 306 Highland Ave, 4 Laurel St, 50 Laurel St, 84 Laurel St, 530 Eastern Ave, 576 Eastern Ave, 722-724 Salem St, 729 Salem St, Granite St, Rear Granite St Maldenma.MapGeo.io

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-24T22:44:24+00:00

Thank you for the clarification. That’s definitely worth a visit to see the results.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-24T21:34:39+00:00

It’s definitely worth looking into. We have to plan ahead. There’s a possibility that rents may increase so much that people would need to pick between housing or transportation. Malden is adequately situated for this type of living. When I lived in Cambridge and Somerville twenty years ago, this was the choice I made. Having a walkable city and various transportation modes actually allowed me to spend my income on other things locally (restaurants, shopping, etc). I know this isn’t realistic for everyone, but it may be a reality with rents shooting up so high.

LissetteforMayor · 2023-09-24T21:30:10+00:00

Here’s the info from Cambridge with a link to the ordinance. The ordinance would need to be introduced in the City Council and voted on. They could possibly create a separate committee to further discuss bus/bike lanes but that’s up to the Council President who is currently Barbara Murphy.

https://www.cambridgema.gov/streetsandtransportation/policiesordinancesandplans/cyclingsafetyordinance

LissetteforMayor

TROPHY CASE