Support our schools; defend public services

  • Fully fund our public schools, with a restorative strong budget along the lines proposed by the school committee for FY2026 as a starting point.
  • Opt in to Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1987 to empower our school committee and city council to act as a check on the mayor’s budget and ensure our schools receive necessary resources, especially as legal needs remain unmet.
  • Work with regional and state-level advocates against austerity and privatization, including an equitable overhaul of the Chapter 70 formula for state funding to public schools and opposition to further charter school expansions.
  • Ensure city employees are consulted and represented in decisions affecting their work.
  • Work to increase Department of Public Works staffing and fund sidewalk and road repairs.
  • Commit to the democratization of capital planning, which must take place with public oversight and articulate a clear prioritization of projects.

Stand up to corporate power

  • Advocate for a Labor Standards Commission to strengthen and ensure respect for labor laws.
  • Hold corporations, including Coca-Cola, accountable so our community, environment and public resources are respected.
  • Work toward the removal of L3Harris from Northampton in accordance with federal law and support a just transition for workers.
  • Support municipal unions and defend all workers’ rights to safe working conditions, living wages, dignity and job security, whether in or out of bargaining.
  • Envision a People’s Main Street where public input is emphasized and plans are adapted accordingly. No redesign of downtown can represent the aspirations of our community when democratic participation isn’t respected.

A voice for democracy; a voice for working people

  • Ensure transparency in government. We need to put an end to closed-door meetings, ensure timely posting of all meeting minutes and structure discussion of topics such as budgets around popular participation, not expediency for austerity.
  • Commit to accessibility. City council meetings often take several hours, with no provision of childcare or other accommodations. Working people, parents and guardians, caregivers, people with disabilities and countless other groups are often excluded and left out of the loop on the decisions that shape our lives. Meetings should start earlier, be conducted efficiently and with publicly provided childcare, and community input should be prioritized.
  • Take public input seriously. While we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, Councilor Jarrett’s commitment to responding to us as constituents is admirable. I want to build on that model of engagement with not only office hours and ward events, but budget town halls and a movement-based approach.
  • Fund the Reparations Study Commission and restructure it into a committee. The needs of Black residents in our city cannot be met with lip service – it will take tangible resources and commitments. The Reparation Reserve Account proposed by the Commission is an important component, and contributions to and from the account should be made with ongoing guidance from Black community members.
  • Expand protections for queer, trans and immigrant communities. Resolutions are an important start, but Northampton needs to be a sanctuary from dangerous and illegal ICE raids. Non-compliance is a minimum – I support know your rights trainings for community members and municipal officials. Police should be compelled to intervene to prevent these kidnappings.

For an affordable, resident-friendly Northampton

  • Support expansion of public housing and the rights of all residents to advocate for their needs and organize tenants’ unions. This includes defending rights of Section 8 residents facing Trump’s illegal cuts.
  • Pass a resolution in favor of rent control to show the city’s support in statewide legislature that would overturn a ban on rent control, much like Easthampton has done this year. I am actively involved in the effort to legalize rent stabilization by ballot measure in 2026. (Thank you to our city council for taking initiative in support of rent control!)
  • Work toward the removal of broker fees and close the loopholes left by the updated provisions in our FY2026 state budget.
  • Seriously evaluate the work of the Department of Community Care (DCC) to ensure homeless and housing-insecure residents are respected.

In the words of the Poor People’s Campaign: forward together! Not one step back!