Ari on the Issues
Accessibility & Accountability
Ari believes strongly that, in order to be an effective representative, she will need to be in close and frequent contact with residents. Ari will use various methods of communication to ensure that constituents can easily communicate with her, including pop-up office hours around the ward, meeting people where they gather in the community, social media, and family-friendly, fun events in the neighborhood.
Ari will be an accessible and responsive City Councillor for Ward 5. She will ensure that Ward 5 residents’ voices are heard on the issues that matter. Ari will notify Ward 5 residents routinely about important announcements and news, safety alerts, and events. She will distribute an email newsletter on a set schedule to keep all residents informed, and will always answer residents’ phone calls.
Ari will stand up for transparent, respectful and informative City Council proceedings. She is a trained facilitator and mediator who will put these skills to work helping to ensure strong decorum, healthy debates, and easy to understand meeting agendas.
Activities & Events
Ward 5 is a vibrant and strong community, thanks to the work that residents put in every day to improve and build on what we all love about living here. Ari will work alongside residents to ensure we continue to strengthen our community — and have fun too!
Ari will help to continue building a sense of community in Ward 5 by hosting welcoming, all-ages events in locations throughout the neighborhood — from schools to senior housing, parks and beyond. She will host regular ward meetings and office hours throughout the year so residents can conveniently reach her to ask questions, share concerns, and access resources. Ari knows that everyone communicates differently, and she is committed to serving residents in the ways that work best for their schedules and needs.
Most of all, Ari knows the best ideas arise from within the community, and she will always work hard to bring residents together, help neighbors get to know one another, elevate good ideas within City Hall, and build a strong sense of volunteerism and community in Ward 5.
Economic Development & Resources
Ari will ensure that every part of Ward 5 gets the resources it needs by working closely and cooperatively with other members of the Council and with the Mayor’s office.
Malden has been fortunate to receive significant federal and state support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we cannot rely on this support long term, and we need to start planning now, proactively, for this new economic reality.
Ari believes we need to diversify our economic development strategies to ensure that we have the necessary revenue to provide adequate services and protect the property tax exemption for residents.
Ari is committed to finding creative solutions to grow our revenue base without overly burdening our infrastructure, such as roads and schools. Ari understands that many residents may be rightly concerned about the impacts of revenue-raising strategies. She believes that a balanced approach, grounded in listening to feedback from residents, is the key to moving Malden forward.
Ari believes that we need to update our zoning rules to foster business creation. She also believes we should move forward promptly to review permits and licenses for cannabis dispensaries that have submitted applications to the City.
Environment
Ari is a strong believer in making Ward 5 and our whole City more environmentally sustainable, more resilient in the face of climate change, and a healthier place to live. The city is off to a great start, with a Climate Action Plan kicking off this summer with a community survey. Ari will be a voice for bringing an environmental lens to City decision making, and is committed to seeing through the Climate Plan’s action areas so that we can achieve a net zero City for future generations. Ari will work to set measurable goals and gather input from residents on these decisions that affect everyone’s daily lives.
Ari believes that protecting our trees and improving our air quality is critical. She will work with residents to get trees planted in areas where they are most needed, help resolve tree trimming challenges, and address the impact of tree roots on sidewalk safety.
Ari is committed to fostering equity on this issue, as well. She will work to retain and protect green space — in Forestdale, Salemwood/Roosevelt, and every corner of our neighborhood.
Ari has been a consistent advocate for natural grass at Roosevelt Park, and just as important she has been an advocate for the residents living in the area adjacent to Roosevelt to be heard. When Ari began her City Council campaign, she reached out to Salemwood residents and asked them what they want and need. She really listened and took their concerns to heart. She heard loud and clear that the Salemwood area feels like an afterthought on the turf issue but also trash pick up, roads, and the lack of trees.
If Ari has the opportunity to vote for grass at Roosevelt Park, she will do so. Regardless of that vote, she will work closely with our Tree Warden to plant more trees in the areas of Salemwood where there is no greenery or protection from the elements. She will explore opportunities to create pocket parks and/or additional passive green space to add to the Salemwood area. And she will host multiple listening sessions on this topic so that residents can be heard and contribute their ideas.
Housing
Ari will always prioritize improving the stability of our community and the health of our residents. She firmly believes that housing is the foundation for creating a sustainable, safe, and healthy community. At the same time, affording quality housing is a challenge for many families in Malden. Ari will bring her significant expertise and fresh perspective to this issue. She will work with her colleagues to investigate new and creative ideas for boosting affordable housing and home ownership opportunities, and to help resolve problem properties.
Based on feedback she’s heard from residents during this campaign, Ari will work with City staff to develop informational resources for homeowners and renters to help them avoid scams, know their rights when taking on home improvements, and understand what to do in case of a fire or other emergency situation.
Parks & Recreation
Ari will work with residents to help improve our parks and recreation facilities. Protecting our open spaces is critical to maintaining quality of life for residents of all ages.
Ari is committed to fostering equity on this issue, as well. She will work to retain and protect green space — in Forestdale, Salemwood/Roosevelt, and every corner of our neighborhood.
Ari has been a consistent advocate for natural grass at Roosevelt Park, and just as important she has been an advocate for the residents living in the area adjacent to Roosevelt to be heard. When Ari began her City Council campaign, she reached out to Salemwood residents and asked them what they want and need. She really listened and took their concerns to heart. She heard loud and clear that the Salemwood area feels like an afterthought on the turf issue but also trash pick up, roads, and the lack of trees.
If Ari has the opportunity to vote for grass at Roosevelt Park, she will do so. Regardless of that vote, she will work closely with our Tree Warden to plant more trees in the areas of Salemwood where there is no greenery or protection from the elements. She will explore opportunities to create pocket parks and/or additional passive green space to add to the Salemwood area. And she will host multiple listening sessions on this topic so that residents can be heard and contribute their ideas.
Pests & Animals
Ari will work closely with our City wildlife and conservation staff, as well as community activists, to investigate shifting to a more eco-friendly and natural animal control system, to help reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides in Malden.
Transportation & Road Safety
Ari will work with staff in the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, as well as the Department of Public Works, to conduct a comprehensive review of roadway and pedestrian safety issues in every corner of Ward 5. Concerns about road and pedestrian safety have been a top concern she has heard from residents in this campaign. Identifying the “pain points” throughout the neighborhood—such as speeding concerns, consistent parking violations, dangerous pedestrian and bike path crossings—and working closely with the relevant City departments to identify solutions and prioritize addressing these safety concerns will be a high priority.
Ari will also work closely with state and city leaders to make sure MBTA bus and train service is maintained for residents of Ward 5.
Trash
Ari has heard from residents loud and clear that trash concerns are top of mind throughout the ward. She will work closely with City staff to resolve trash problems, especially on neighborhood streets, near liquor stores and other shops, and along the bike path.
Ari will work with the Mayor’s office and other members of the City Council to address residents’ concerns about trash bins, especially for larger households. In addition, she believes we need to start planning now for our next trash vendor contract, which will be decided in just a few short years, by gathering feedback from residents about their concerns and preferences.
Welcoming Community
Ari will be a strong and consistent voice standing up for our diverse community so that all Maldonians feel safe, heard, and treated with dignity. Ari has proven over the years that she will be a reliable advocate for these principles. Just this year, Ari led an effort to secure grant funding to have three sidewalks in high traffic areas of Malden painted with rainbow colors for Pride month.
Ari will advocate for respectful and thoughtful City services to help all Malden residents including seniors, people with disabilities and special needs, non-English speakers, and the LGBTQ+ community.
In light of the rise in hate crimes here in Massachusetts and throughout the country, Ari believes that elected leaders are responsible for speaking up on behalf of all our residents, especially those who are vulnerable, and working to make sure Malden strives to be a welcoming community.
Finally, Ari believes we need to reach people where they are and be more proactive to build community. She would work to develop a user-friendly “how to get things done” information guide for new residents, which would also be very helpful for existing residents.
Bike and Bus Lanes
It is absolutely understandable that people are concerned about increasing traffic congestion. It has become a big problem for all of us. I share the frustration about traffic backups as well as road safety—whenever I see a car running a red light, a pedestrian crossing without looking first, a cyclist not waiting for a traffic light to turn, mopeds/motorcycles weaving in traffic and so on. During this campaign, as I've reached out to voters in Ward 5, I've heard loud and clear that traffic congestion and road/pedestrian safety are top concerns in every part of our neighborhood. If I am elected, this issue will definitely be on my to do list.
I believe that to address our traffic congestion and road safety problems effectively, we need to look at our entire transportation system, not just one aspect of it.
Thankfully, there are a variety of tools we can use to help address this problem, the cost of which can be covered by Complete Streets grant money so we don't add to the City budget, which is critical.
For example, I believe we need a robust community education campaign to all residents, translated into multiple languages and distributed through our community groups and schools as well as social media, so that everyone understands the rules of the road and how to navigate our new street layout safely. We also need much more robust enforcement of our existing car traffic, cycling and pedestrian laws that are on the books. Truthfully, these measures should have been part of the initial rollout of new bus and bike lanes, in the same way that we thoroughly educated all our residents several years ago about the new trash and recycling bins and the enforcement of new rules for trash and recycling. Finally, we need to review usage patterns during peak traffic hours and adjust traffic signal timing where needed to improve traffic flow. I believe these strategies could go a long way toward alleviating our traffic congestion and improving safety for all residents.
I am in favor of establishing sufficient designated bike and bus lanes to improve safety and efficiency for everyone: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and people using transit. I say this as someone who does not ride a bike or take public transit because I recognize that not everyone enjoys or is able to drive. Keeping bikes out of car traffic and off of sidewalks keeps drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists safe. Keeping bikes and buses in designated lanes also keeps car traffic flowing more efficiently rather than causing further congestion when everyone is in the same lane jockeying for space.
The decision making process about changes to our transportation system needs to be conducted in a way that ensures that all voices are heard and that the needs of all residents and all modes of transportation are met. I would very much like to see all sides on this topic come to the table in person to look at the data and have a detailed conversation about what is causing congestion in specific areas of the City and what solutions are available to improve the situation for all of us. I appreciate being asked to weigh in on this page and to be able to start this discussion so we can work toward solutions together.
I wholeheartedly believe that the job of our City Councillors is to be representatives of the people and to bring their collective voice to government decisions. The recent pattern of low voter turnout in Malden has me concerned that we are not engaging our residents enough so that they feel that their voices are heard. If this question about bike and bus lanes went to the ballot, I would want to ensure that all residents' voices are heard effectively, regardless of their opinion on the topic.
Maplewood Square
Ari values Malden being a place where families have multiple school options for their children so close by — because she knows that every child has different education needs and it's important for parents to be able to choose the right fit for their child.
That said, Ari is concerned that MVRCS continues to buy up properties in Malden, taking viable small businesses out of commission at a time when we need to be supporting our commercial tax base, all while paying no property taxes and shifting the tax burden to our residents and small businesses.
Ari would work with other City leaders and our state legislative delegation to request that the MVRCS funding formula be changed at the State level to prevent MVRCS from being able to purchase additional properties in Malden. Ari would be an advocate for greater transparency such as requiring MVRCS to open their records to the public, respond to FOIA requests, and operate as a good faith partner with the City.