BEVERLY — Mayor Mike Cahill and City Councilor at-Large Brendan Sweeney met Friday for a candidate forum hosted by the Beverly Chamber of Commerce, during which both mayoral candidates shared their visions for the city’s growth.
Cahill and Sweeney are facing off in the Nov. 4 election for the city’s first four-year term for mayor, versus the two-year term that was changed after the city recently revised its charter.
Cahill, 63, who previously served as the City Council president and five terms as Beverly’s state representative, is currently in his sixth term as mayor.
Sweeney, 30, has been a councilor-at-large for four years. He also serves as Boxford’s assistant administrator and finance director, and previously worked in the state’s Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
Friday morning’s forum at A&B Burger on Cabot Street gave each candidate the opportunity to answer questions on pressing city issues that focused on business-related concerns such as the city’s higher commercial-industrial tax rate, workforce housing, and tangible ways in which local businesses can be supported.
Cahill used his time to reflect on his tenure as mayor, and how his experience and relationships with the community and different levels of government will be essential as the city works to facilitate local investment.
“… Beverly itself as a municipal government is in the best financial condition it has been in many decades, but we have challenging times coming budgetarily,” he said. “It’s time for our state-level leaders and representatives to help us with what we need here.”
Sweeney outlined the five key points of his “blueprint” for Beverly that includes responsive and transparent government, improving road, sidewalk infrastructure, strengthening schools, implementing smart financial management practices, and protecting the city’s quality of life.
“I’ve managed multi-million dollar budgets, negotiated with units, and negotiated for other big contracts like Boxford’s trash and recycling, and obviously that’s a big one we’ll need to negotiate here in Beverly,” he said. “And throughout these projects, I have delivered results and I’ve saved residents money. I believe it’s time for change, because Beverly deserves a mayor who communicates clearly, plans ahead, and is responsive to residents.”
Both candidates were asked about steps the mayor’s office could take to address the growing concerns around Beverly’s housing affordability, especially as it relates to workforce housing.
Cahill said he would continue to chase opportunities for subsidized housing, especially opportunities for home ownership to allow people to build equity. He also emphasized the importance of improving transportation through projects like the electrification of the Newburyport-Rockport line.
“It’s so challenging if you are working hard and bringing home money to try and meet the cost of living while putting some aside to get ready to buy a home,” Cahill said. “So the subsidized opportunities, as hard as they are to come by, we’ve got to chase those. In order for the housing to be built in the quantity that we need it regionally, we need our transportation system to improve, and that goes back to the modernization of our rail.”
Sweeney said the city should encourage development of smaller, multifamily units, and caution away from sweeping actions, such as the adoption of the specialized stretch energy code, that may jeopardize opportunities to bring in more affordable housing.
“I think city government definitely has a role in making sure that we are creating the environment necessary for housing growth that meets the gaps in our current housing market, but I also want to make sure that city government is not too heavy-handed,” he said. “This was a concern I had as city councilor when the council ultimately decided to adopt the specialized stretch energy code, which I voted against. While I think the intention of trying to make buildings more green and energy efficient is a good thing, we added a standard that I believe compromised the ability for us as a city to bring in more affordable housing.”
Erin Truex, executive director of Beverly Main Streets, asked the two candidates about tangible ways the mayor’s office could work quickly to help local small businesses stay afloat.
Cahill spoke of his work building communication between landlords and tenants of local businesses, the pressing need to promote local businesses during the upcoming holiday season, and the need to pursue grant funding opportunities for direct funding for business owners.
“I know we have retailers right here downtown who are really counting on this holiday season in hopes that it’s going to tide them through and help them survive,” he said. “I have been working on trying to get together with some landlords and tenants, particularly in this neighborhood, to work together through this.
“… We became eligible as a community for Community Development Block Grant funds, qualifying us for roughly $850,000 a year for the next three to four years from the state. We have to look at how some of that money can be put to helping our local small business community.”
Sweeney emphasized the importance of making sure organizations like Beverly Main Streets, the city’s downtown business organization, is funded and able to directly support small businesses.
“Obviously, we have financial constraints, but I do want to make sure that we are finding a way, whether it’s an increased financial contribution or otherwise, to make sure that we are leveraging the organizations that exist currently to support small businesses like Beverly Main Streets,” he said.
“If there’s a way that the city can be a conduit to bring in state or other private foundation funding specific for the small business community, I think that’d be a great tangible step for us to play a role in making sure we are facilitating resources coming into Beverly directly to small businesses.”
The full mayoral forum is available to view on the BevCam government YouTube page.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202