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This past Thursday, Mayor Burke’s campaign distributed the Mayor first campaign mailing soliciting support for her reelection. With deep pockets from outside interests, she’s trying to shape a narrative of her record that differs from the experiences I hear from Medford residents every day. I need your help to make sure we can spread our message that embraces transparency and community.
Both the mailing and this week’s action at the City Council highlight why our campaign is so important. Among her priorities, Mayor Burke listed ‘Work with the City Council to re-define our zoning practices, specifically focused on the Mystic Avenue Corridor’. However, there has been no collaborative process and no public vetting of the proposal.
On Tuesday, just 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 zoning consideration 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 to change Mystic Ave. Zoning. Without any members of the public or media present, the Council voted 4-2 to send the zoning change to the Community Development Board, which starts the timeline for the proposed change. This zoning change will alter the face of Mystic Avenue and this step means it could happen without being vetted thoroughly and without explaining to voters how it impacts a vision for what should take place within our committees.
Whether we are making a minor or major change, the decision shouldn’t be decided without the public’s involvement, or in this case, knowledge. The City needs development, but it needs to be thoughtfully designed and located and we haven’t adequately vetted what these changes mean. 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴.
I’ve recommended a path forward to ensure adequate input, vetting and analysis to determine the next steps for changes to Mystic Ave. zoning.
At the same time, its clearer than ever that we need to share our message with voters and put an end to this brand of politics.
We need your donation today so we can plan for a full array of mailings and media over the course of the campaign. Can you donate $50 now if you agree?
Thank you
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