PEABODY — The Salem News asked first-time candidate Neil Papamechail and incumbent Stephanie Peach, both running in the Ward 3 City Council race on Nov. 4, to answer the following questions:
What are the top issues specific to Ward 3? If elected, how would you address them?How would you support keeping housing affordable in Peabody?What approach will you take to this upcoming budget season, which is expected to be especially difficult?What response should the city take to the lack of trash and recycling service by Republic Services this summer and fall?How will you best serve Ward 3 residents and businesses as a councilor?
Their answers below have been edited for grammar and clarity.
Neil Papamechail
Age: 55
Occupation: Musician, also starting a nonprofit to support people of all abilities, especially those with Autism
Education: St. John’s Prep
Family: One child
1. Lines of communications: We need frequent neighborhood and community meetings, with translators, in safe settings where everyone feels free to speak their minds without fear of repercussions. 2. Roads and street maintenance: We must create partnerships with neighborhood organizations and groups to get cars off the streets because there is no adequate parking or access to maintaining streets when plowing, repaving etc. 3. Partnerships: We must forge relationships between neighborhoods and the institutions in them like churches, schools, etc.We need a true functioning definition of what “affordable” is and to find middle ground between the needs of the unhoused and housing challenged, and the people affluent enough to create housing. We need housing in the lesser-affluent neighborhoods. To do that, we need services there to support them.Money is about connecting people who have things with people who need things. We need to be less focused on brick and mortar and more focused on ways to reach people and get things done. Solving money problems is about building partnerships so that some services can be done less expensively (with say Salem and Peabody sharing costs on some things). Do some things virtually to save money on overhead.The municipalities are innocent victims caught between labor and management in a conversation that we shouldn’t even be a part of. We need to stay out of it as much as possible while also building up our independent “city dump” so that we are not held “hostage” to their whims.Be accessible. Be responsive. Know the systems in place to connect residents with those who can solve their problems. Don’t gatekeep. Mediate. Connect the people that have things to the people that need things. Let things develop organically, but keep communication open so everyone’s needs are getting met.
Stephanie Peach
Age: 34
Occupation: Credit analyst
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from Westfield State, master’s of public administration from UMass Boston
Family: Married, three children
Aside from the issue of traffic, Ward 3 is at a pivotal point in overall development that can either cause more issues down the road or significantly improve the city overall. Specifically, we need to approach development with a comprehensive plan. If reelected, I will continue to work with our Community Development Department on the revitalization of the Walnut Street Corridor. As with any new development (commercial or residential), I will work with the residents to make informed decisions.Addressing this issue is not a quick fix and I don’t believe that simply building more housing will solve the problem. We need to have a thought-out plan for small development. Specifically, housing for seniors to downsize will help open the single-family housing market for younger couples in Peabody.Most municipalities are facing similar financial challenges as the rising cost of healthcare consumes our budget. I would like to see our budget process begin much earlier than it does. We have been investing in much needed projects in the city, all of which I have supported. When we face fiscal challenges now, we need to look at every single spend and determine what is necessary to run the city.The city has tracked expenses brought on by the reduced services during the work stoppage at Republic. Our payment for services will be/has been reduced based on those added expenses. As we look at the next waste management contract, we will incorporate this experience into who we hire.If reelected, I will continue to communicate and advocate for the residents and businesses of Ward 3. I do not take votes or action without first talking to those involved. Working together is essential to improving Ward 3 and Peabody as a whole.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.