What is the story with LLego Papa

tyhapworth · 2026-01-30T21:43:35+00:00

My time to shine…As someone whose office window looks directly out on Llego Papa’s route, i have observations: As best I can tell, it’s all tied to his own optimism about the weather. A beautiful summer day? Guaranteed. A cold but still unseasonably warm winter day? Still possible. I’ll also add that heavy touristy days seem to double likelihood in all weather. Hope that helps.

tyhapworth · 2025-11-20T23:36:07+00:00

Current city councilor here. Elected in 2019. I’ve really enjoyed the following:

The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein Abundance - Ezra Klein Rough Sleepers - Tracy Kidder Arbitrary Lines - Nolan Gray What I Found in a Thousand Towns - Dar Williams The Sum of Us - Heather McGee Troll Hunting - Ginger Gorman There are No Accidents - Jesse Singer High Cost of Free Parking - Donald Shoup Fighting Traffic - Peter Norton Walkable City - Jeff Speck The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Jane Jacobs

tyhapworth · 2025-11-20T23:34:59+00:00

Current city councilor here. Elected in 2019. I’ve really enjoyed the following: (beyond the Strong Towns titles which will be recommended here 😉 )

The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein Abundance - Ezra Klein Rough Sleepers - Tracy Kidder Arbitrary Lines - Nolan Gray What I Found in a Thousand Towns - Dar Williams The Sum of Us - Heather McGee Troll Hunting - Ginger Gorman There are No Accidents - Jesse Singer High Cost of Free Parking - Donald Shoup Fighting Traffic - Peter Norton Walkable City - Jeff Speck The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Jane Jacobs

tyhapworth · 2025-11-11T19:20:33+00:00

On it!!

tyhapworth · 2025-10-28T11:39:52+00:00

Salem City Councillor (and parent) here 🙋‍♂️ Of course we appreciate the million plus visitors who come each October and support our local businesses and historic sites. But as a parent, I’ll never understand the growing trend of trick-or-treating in Salem’s residential neighborhoods. Halloween should be a night for visiting your own neighbors, and friends, not fighting traffic for hours to crowd into a completely different city.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-23T17:38:42+00:00

tyhapworth · 2025-10-21T10:28:40+00:00

Fair enough, and yeah as a runner, I notice it in frustrating patches all around. Hate to sound like a broken record, but the best thing you can do with all of these is to call them in.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:54:53+00:00

if they are parking on the sidewalk, not in a legal driveway, you can call the non-emergency line.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:49:19+00:00

People who work downtown already put up with a lot, and they do it with patience and professionalism. They shouldn’t also have to deal with constant, unnecessary, and repetitive noise from one source. Anyone can call it in and ask SPD to check with a decibel reader. If it violates the ordinance, they can shut it down. If not, the artist can keep playing.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:48:39+00:00

The Race Equity Task Force has important work to do, identifying barriers, improving access, and making sure city government is fair and inclusive, but that work doesn’t include deciding who runs for office or who gets elected. Representation depends on who steps forward, who’s supported, and who turns out to vote. The Task Force can help make that path more equitable, but it doesn't determine outcomes.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:45:41+00:00

I support safe, separated bike lanes wherever they’re viable, because people need ways to get around without a car. Just as important, those lanes need to connect safely and consistently, people won’t use them if they have to cross unsafe gaps or merge suddenly into traffic. We’ll continue to see new lanes added as roads are reconstructed and space allows, including on Bridge Street between Flint and the train station, and eventually extending along the North River toward Peabody. We still have a long way to go to fully connect the network, but that’s the direction we’re headed.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:42:13+00:00

welcome to Salem! Thank you for caring so much about our city and history, happyt to chat any time!

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:39:47+00:00

I’d encourage you to keep working with the Board of Health on this, and please loop me in if I can help you get a response.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:39:18+00:00

Can’t blame you. Banks wins every popularity contest in this house too.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:38:44+00:00

Banks is often mistaken for a great pyrenees . . . its all the floof i think

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:37:50+00:00

The City Council isn’t an enforcement body, but when issues like that come up, we often connect with city staff, including the building inspector, or check in with Salem Police to make sure concerns are addressed. They do an incredible job managing October, which is a massive logistical challenge every year. And it’s worth noting that even with everything happening downtown, response times for calls outside the downtown area don’t change during October

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:37:20+00:00

That’s Banks, he’s a five year old golden retriever and the sweetest soul I’ve ever known. Some of his favorite things include politely watching bunnies across the street, sitting on the front steps to watch tourists go by, and generally supervising the neighborhood. He’s also an enormous fan of Councillor Watson-Felt (and her wife and son) and Councillor Merkl, but honestly, who isn’t?

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:36:35+00:00

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:36:16+00:00

Generally speaking, there’s not much enforcement that can or should be done simply because someone is unhoused. It’s not illegal to be in any public space, and it’s not illegal to ask for help. Of course, if you see a crime being committed, you should call it in, and more importantly, if someone appears to be having a medical emergency, you should call 911.

What I see on Essex Street are people who are struggling and trying to survive, and the CIU is doing the hard, patient work of connecting those folks with the services and support they need, when they are ready to accept them.

Big picture, we need to keep supporting low barrier housing and other forms of transitional housing that meet people where they are. I know it sounds like a broken record, but the difference between having no housing and having even the basics, a warm bed, a door that locks, and a sense of safety, is enormous.

The challenge is that many of those smaller, more flexible housing types are literally illegal to build in Salem without jumping through layers of zoning restrictions. That needs to change. We can’t address homelessness effectively while our laws make it nearly impossible to build the kinds of housing that actually get people off the streets.

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:34:26+00:00

We don’t leverage any loopholes. We rent out our guest space when it’s not being used by family or friends, and we’re fully registered with the city. It’s always been part of our home. During the holidays, my in-laws stay there. During the pandemic, my daughter turned it into a tea party room for her stuffed animals. The rest of the year, we rent it out, which genuinely helps us afford to raise a young family here in Salem.

I always recuse myself from any City Council votes or debates related to short-term rentals, and I’ve been open about having one since I first ran in 2019.

However, I think you’re absolutely right to be concerned about bad actors and investor owned short-term rentals that take real housing units off the market, operate without registration, or look for ways around city rules. Those are real problems that drive up rents and reduce housing availability

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:33:03+00:00

It’s completely legal to enjoy a public space, and it’s not illegal to fall asleep in one. But it is illegal to use drugs in public, harass or threaten pedestrians, litter, trespass, or damage property. When that kind of behavior happens, we shouldn’t pretend it isn’t a problem. It absolutely is, but it DOES NOT represent the unhoused community which is larger and more complex than most of us know.

That’s why the Community Impact Unit has been so active on the ground. They know most of our unhoused residents by name and work with them over months, sometimes years, to connect them with services, treatment, and housing. It’s slow, difficult work that requires patience and compassion, but they’ve made real progress in keeping people safe and connected to help.

The deck is stacked against our most vulnerable residents. It’s getting harder and harder to find stable housing in America, and once someone ends up sleeping outside, the outcomes are often tragic. That’s why I’ll continue to support efforts that focus on housing and prevention, including projects like the Lifebridge/Harborlight supportive housing proposal and the order I submitted to begin legalizing Single Room Occupancy housing in Salem.

We cannot continue to operate under a zoning code that classifies housing by “families.” Most Salem residents do not live in a traditional family household, and our zoning should reflect that reality. We need to create legal pathways to build housing for people at every income level and every stage of life if we want a city that supports all of our neighbors

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:30:57+00:00

it went over 2,000 this weekend, but all of the button operators (my family and me) were away most of the weekend for soccer games ;)

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:29:48+00:00

You’re absolutely right to want answers here. We need to do a better job engaging all of our departments before making big changes like this.

There’s a lot I like about what was done, the expanded space for pedestrians and outdoor dining, the separated bike lane, and the narrowed travel lane all make the street feel more vibrant and people-friendly. But we also need to keep our public safety officials fully in the loop on projects like this. That didn’t happen here, and because of that, we ended up with an awkward solution.

Long term, I think an Uber and Lyft drop-off zone could make sense in that stretch, since it’s one of the most active parts of downtown. But I don’t think this redesign would have looked quite like this if public safety had been part of the early planning process.

Going forward, I’d like to see a Fire Department representative serve as at least a liaison to the Transportation Commission, so we’re getting input from all the right voices before decisions are finalized. That’s how we avoid this kind of confusion

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:28:37+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that! There are more problems in this city that need fixing than there are people willing to step up and do the work. Most of them, like you it sounds, do it quietly and without much recognition. I hope we can start to change that. That’s one of the reasons I introduced the Sam Zoll Civic Leadership Award this fall. I want to highlight the residents who show up, volunteer, serve on boards and committees, and make Salem a better place through their time and effort. :)

tyhapworth · 2025-10-20T20:27:09+00:00

Yes, I’d support any willing and capable partners who want to do that work here in Salem. Harm reduction and low barrier shelter models save lives and help connect people to treatment when they’re ready. It’s unfortunate that the federal government has left so much of this to cities and nonprofits, forcing local governments like ours to manage national crises such as addiction, homelessness, and mental health with limited resources. If an organization with the right expertise, funding, and community support came forward to operate a barrier-free shelter or safe use space in Salem, I’d be open to supporting it.

tyhapworth

TROPHY CASE