MASTER PLAN

This should be the top priority of the City Council. It should present a vision of what we want our city to look like in the future and what we need to do to get there. Unfortunately, the master plan recently passed by the City Council does not do that.

At the Master Plan Committee meetings everyone seemed to agree that traffic and transportation studies are needed to understand how proposed developments would affect any given area. In spite of that belief, the Master Plan was passed and those studies were not done.

The price of not doing the necessary traffic studies is just too high. An estimated 15,000 new homes and 42 million square feet of commercial space can be built under the current zoning in Waltham. Even a fraction of this amount of development would overwhelm our existing road network. Development of that magnitude is not my vision of Waltham’s future.

DEVELOPMENT

The city seems to have a reputation of "anything goes". That would explain why virtually every developer comes in looking to build more than they are allowed by right. They wouldn't waste their time and money presenting plans that didn't meet the zoning code if they didn't think they would pass. We need to elect councillors who are not afraid to say "no" to developers.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

There are two parts to this issue. The first relates to land use and development. We must ensure that all new developments leave enough pervious area for proper storm water management. The city must also continue to acquire land to be kept as open space for both active and passive recreation.

The second part of the environmental issue regards preserving our earth. It means we need to find ways to recycle more of our trash. We must also find ways to lower our energy consumption. The City Council voted to become part of the Mass Climate Action Network. We should now see that we give this issue the attention and leadership it deserves. Doing this will help the City save money as well as help ensure the future of our planet.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable housing is not just subsidized rental units. It is also entry level homes that people can buy to get into the real estate market. We must increase the number of affordable units for two reasons. The first is that it's morally the right thing to do. The second is we need to stay above the 40B threshold so we are not forced to accept more developments that make developers rich, but drain the resources of the City.

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT (CPA)

Whether you voted for the CPA or not, it will be with us for at least three more years. To ensure that the money is spent wisely on projects that will benefit the whole city, the CPA Committee should be expanded to 9 members. The current statutory members are all part of other Waltham boards and commissions. If there were additional members from the community, it would make for a more diverse body and allow more options for allocating funds to be explored.

PARKING

We can no longer sit on our hands and talk about the success story of the redevelopment of Moody Street. An appliance store becoming a second dollar-store and an empty framing store is NOT the direction our downtown should be heading. If we hope to build on what we already have, a solution to the parking problem must be found.

TRAFFIC

A top priority for the city at this time should be a comprehensive traffic plan. How new development affects traffic is a major concern. The maximum hourly traffic flow at every major intersection should be determined by an independent traffic study. If traffic studies brought to the City Council by a new development show an exceedance of this maximum flow, the new development should not be allowed. This should have been a key part of the master plan, but was completely ignored by the current council.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Our fire and police departments must be adequately staffed and trained to respond to all the potential problems of a modern world. They must have the expertise not only to respond to a terrorist incident, but also to an emergency at a biotech laboratory.

In addition, we need to have a long term capital outlay plan in place. We need to ensure that our public safety personnel have the apparatus and equipment to do their jobs.

LIBRARY

We are lucky in Waltham to have a beautiful library with a great staff. There are always interesting activities taking place. Success, however, has its' problems. The first is the lack of adequate parking. I wonder how many more people would take advantage of this city treasure if they didn't have to park two blocks away. The library must have sufficient funding to fulfill its' mission.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

The City Council, along with the Mayor, should be actively pursuing all options regarding a new hospital with a full service Emergency Room. The current urgent care facility is insufficient to take care of the medical needs of our aging population.

In the meantime, we should be taking a close look at the ambulance service in the City. It seems there is still a problem getting back up ambulance coverage when the dedicated trucks are committed to another call.