It is a simple but powerful lesson for a would-be city councilor: People want to be heard.
As I’ve walked the more than 60 streets in Ward 1 and knocked on doors during the past two months, I’ve heard from plenty of people with concerns about global issues like the pandemic and the climate emergency.
Others have wanted to make sure I’ll be there when they call about quality-of-life issues in their neighborhoods: affordable housing, dangerous intersections, snow removal and new sidewalks.
Northampton faces many, often overlapping, challenges as we cope with lasting effects of the pandemic, continue reimagining public safety, care for people without homes, develop strategies to free us from fossil fuels, and redesign Main Street.
Challenging times require experienced, compassionate leaders with a passion for public service and an openness to new ideas. That’s why I want to be a city councilor — to show up, listen to all points of view, communicate clearly, and work collaboratively.
Two years ago, I listened to high school students and non-citizens advocate for their voting rights in municipal elections. I was proud in 2019 to chair the Charter Review Committee that made hearing from traditionally marginalized communities a priority, and produced far-ranging recommendations to expand the electorate and make it easier to vote in Northampton. The City Council last year unanimously endorsed those reforms. That’s not settling for the status quo — that’s working together for progressive change.
My 44-year career as a journalist — the last 42 at the Daily Hampshire Gazette — gave me not only a deep knowledge of Northampton, but also an understanding about how local government, at its best, helps lift all members of the community, including the most vulnerable.
That’s why I’ll advocate for spending federal COVID relief funds on aid to individuals and families, essential workers and businesses most affected by the pandemic. This is a unique opportunity to help people of color, other underserved communities and workers who have been on the front lines during the past 19 months, and should be a top priority as the city determines how to spend $21.7 million from the American Rescue Plan. My priorities are assisting unemployed workers, including job training; improving access to health and social services; addressing housing insecurity and homelessness; and paying premiums to lower-income, front-line workers, including those in public health and safety, child care, farmworkers, truck drivers, and employees at grocery stores and restaurants.
I believe there’s a connection between the city’s climate emergency response and racial equity. As Northampton moves toward its goal of carbon neutrality no later than 2050, we cannot create new burdens for people of color who already are disproportionately affected by climate change. The city must ensure that increasing energy efficiency in residential buildings does not decrease affordable housing, and that public transportation is equitably available to all.
I want the new Department of Community Care to have sufficient resources — money and staff — to operate around the clock so trained, unarmed civilians are always available to respond to calls for help from people experiencing homelessness, mental health crises and problems arising from substance use.
And as Main Street is redesigned, I’ll work to make it safe and welcoming for everyone, including people who use wheelchairs or are visually impaired.
Teamwork is needed to address these challenges, and I’ll be guided by what I’ve heard from people across the political spectrum in Ward 1 — it’s time to turn down the heat that fuels divisiveness and focus on finding common ground.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue walking and biking through Ward 1, listening to my constituents talk about their neighborhoods. That’s the job of a city councilor.
Retired journalist Stanley Moulton, a City Council candidate in Ward 1 of Northampton, lives at 34 Perkins Ave. and has a website at stanmoultonward1.com.