Vote Medford 2005

Patricia Brady Doherty

Candidate for Medford City Council

candidate email: Doherty.council@gmail.com

View the complete City Council questionnaire.

Doherty: Q1 - Medford Square Revitalization

Ms. Doherty combined questions one through three and formed a single response to them.  Please refer to that response, which appears below under question three.

Doherty: Q2 - Social, Cultural and Historical Assets

Ms. Doherty combined questions one through three and formed a single response to them.  Please refer to that response, which appears below under question three.

Doherty: Q3 - Encouraging Small Businesses

[NOTE: Ms. Doherty combined question one, question two, and question three and provided this response to them.]

Most people would like to see the square be the hub of Medford, as it once was.  Two things helped cause the downfall of Medford Square:  removing Medford High in 1971, which removed over 2500 students, teachers, staff/consumers from the square and the advent of indoor malls. There was an attempt, with the pedestrian mall, to return customers to the square.  It resulted in empty store fronts (sixteen at one point).   So the real issue now is how to return people to the square.

The August 2005 Sasaki Medford Square Master Plan is very similar to the one issued in the early eighties. At that time, a group representing the city visited Mystic,Conn. to see how they integrated the waterfront with the town.  Although the bigger things could not be implemented at that time, a lot of smaller things were suggested and eventually over the next several years (mostly during the late eighties) under different administrations, they happened.  Stricter sign and zoning ordinances were passed, (not without a lot of resistance),  storefront facade programs were offered, billboards were removed, ( a big improvement ), streetlights were replaced, banners added, trash containers were placed in the square, and landscapers agreed to public-private partnerships to take care of the square. 

Eventually the city was able to do some of the "bigger" things.  The disastrous pedestrian mall was reopened and the streets were repaved. At the same time, Friends of Chevalier were seeking grants and funds to rehabilitate the auditorium.  These things set the stage for further advancement for the square.

The city now realizes that the more attractive a face the square puts on the more attractive it is to people and hence to businesses.  Medford has had its initial facelift.  It is now time to move to the "bigger" things that were not possible a few years ago. The city can move to open up the riverfront, fine tune the liquor regulations, continue to encourage the activities of Chevalier, Springstep, Medford Historical Society, Medford Arts Center, the Royall House Association, etc., and perfect zoning regulations to encourage "smart growth". 

Also, the City needs to build on the good relationship it currently has with Tufts University. It needs to  encourage more projects like the new  "Forever Free" Exhibit at the Tisch Library at Tufts which the Medford Historical Society had an active part in.

Several years ago the Medford Theatre on Salem Street closed down. It would be great if that space in the back of the old Chinese restaurant was available for rehabilitation akin to the old movie houses in Arlington and Lexington. Also, the 1980's plan recommended a shipbuilding museum. Although private funds would need to be raised, it is time to reconsider those plans  which could incorporate the incredible civil war pictures the Historical Society owns.  The annual Arts Council Festival used to attract crowds to the banks of the Mystic. It can once again with the proper backing of the City and the   Chamber of Commerce.

Although it sounds elementary, the city needs to ENFORCE traffic and parking regulations and keep the square clean. Also, the City Council must grant appeals from the sign ordinances RARELY. Furthermore, the Council should use its discretion in allowing certain types of businesses in the square.  A tattoo parlor may have its place in Medford but certainly not in the square.

Also, Medford has a distinct advantage of being in the top 1%, nationally, of cities with buildings listed in the National Historic Register. Only Boston and Cambridge are ahead of us.  This advantage should be the backbone of the revival.

Finally, in ten years, I would like to see  the change  be to a bustling, interesting, mixed use square where people could live in and around the square, shop at various types of places, eat and drink in a variety of restaurants, bakeries and bistros and have their choice of any number of cultural events and activities.

Doherty: Q4 - On Low- and Moderate-income Families

Medford has always taken care of its older residents who need senior housing. At the moment, my more immediate concern is for the senior citizens who want to continue to live in the homes where they raised their families. Many, with limited pensions, are facing a hard winter with the escalating energy costs. Some seniors are now paying property taxes that equal what they paid for their Medford home fifty or sixty years ago. It may be that a property tax credit could help them; with federal and state tax assistance, to install solar hot water systems, install energy saving windows, or, more likely, buy and install programmable thermostats.

In recent years, due to excellent location and good housing stock, the price of an average Medford home has skyrocketed. Consequently, many people, including people who grew up here, cannot afford to live in the city. The city needs to continue to work with developers to meet the 10% goal for affordable units. A good example of this partnership is the recent sale of school buildings with set asides for affordable units.

Doherty: Q5 - Environmental Issues

Medford is way ahead of most cities and towns with regards to environmental issues. We were the first in the state with a climate protection action plan.

The city's most pressing environmental issues are the brownfield sites remaining and the need to identify and to provide wetlands for flood storage areas and the protection of natural habitats.

Furthermore, to encourage people to use their cars less, and their bicycles more, we need to provide bicycle storage facilities near the commuter rail and express bus stops as well as dedicated bicycle travel lanes on all roadways wide enough to handle them. Also, the city should encourage the placement and use of ZIP cars throughout the city.

Doherty: Q6 - Open Spaces, Sidewalks, and Trees

Almost all of Medford's parks have been rehabilitated with modern playgound equipment. We need to now provide capital funds so that the parks may be maintained properly. The residents in the Carr Park area should not have to go to the Council to have their park cleaned and maintained.

One of the top priorities of a local government is to have safe and clean streets and sidewalks. Many of our streets have been repaved but the shape of a number of our sidewalks is not good. As I knocked doors this campaign, one of the two problems people continually raised was a long wait for a new sidewalk. It may seem trivial but, particularly to the seniors and small children, smooth, even sidewalks are important.

Trees are critical for every city. They make neighborhoods livable, provide shade to yards, streets, houses, and sidewalks, provide windbreaks and improve the value of a home. Trees also absorb the relected sunlight thus cooling the air in the neighborhood. A top priority in the city should be in replacing trees that are diseased or destroyed and in providing proper maintenance for the city's trees.

Doherty: Q7 - Street Safety

A partnership needs to be forged between the Police Department, the neighborhoods and the DPW to deal with the chronic speeding, parking violations and the upkeep of signals and signs. The process tends to fail when one or two citizens are left to address a chronic speeding problem all alone.

Full enforcement of all traffic laws and regulations should be enforced. Prior to strict enforcement, however, a public relations campaign is necessary to inform citizens that this is about to take place. This would eliminate the complaints at city hall that "all of a sudden" one is being ticketed.

Doherty: Q8 - Green Line

Maybe, no and possibly. Maybe to the Hillside if the community fully supports it. No to West Medford Square, where a true silent majority has come forward to say no. However, if the Green Line were to go through the Hillside, through West Medford and then into Winchester, Woburn and Burlington, to Route 128, we might be having a different conversation altogether.

The advantages of extending the Green Line to the Hillside are many. However the disadvantages for the Line to continue into West Medford Square are substantial. Parking, traffic, congestion, noise, and the taking of private property are only a few of the problems attendant to this proposed extension. The MBTA August 2005 Green Line plan said the trolley cars would be stopping every 10 minutes during non-peak time and every 5 minutes during peak time. Also, it would benefit our Arlington and Winchester neighbors to the detriment of our own residents due to dramatic increases in on street parking surrounding West Medford Square.

Doherty: Q9 - Rising Energy Costs

Energy costs are going to affect the city budget in a substantial way, from paying the oil and gas bills for schools and municipal buildings to filling the gas tanks of police, fire and DPW vehicles. In the long term, we need to encourage the city to use more solar energy and even look to potential sites that might accommodate wind turbines. In the short term, the state MUST release to the cities and towns some of the 1.1 billion dollars of unexpected surplus tax revenues.

On a personal note, my husband and I installed a solar hot water system in our first home on Lincoln Road in 1980. (The system appears to still be in place.) As new homeowners, we were overwhelmed with the high cost of home heating oil that winter. A federal tax credit and south facing exposure made it possible for us to install the system. It cut our oil bill by 30%.