Alderman at Large Questionnaire: Dennis Sullivan

  1. What political or community activism accomplishments are you most proud of during your last term in office (or the last two years if you have not previously served)? What specific things do you want to accomplish during the coming term?

    I am most proud of the continued accessibility I provide as an elected official. I have held more than 70 neighborhood office hours where I set up a table in each ward to hear residents concerns. Many of the office hours have included Spanish, Haitian-Creole, and Portuguese interpreters so that residents who do not speak English have access. In the winter months, I have held office hours at the central library and in the produce center of Super Stop & Shop. This outreach is not new for me, as a School Committee member from 1998 to 2004 I held regular office hours at the East Somerville School to hear parents concerns.

    Another accomplishment I am proud of is along with my colleagues, the Board of Alderman Senior Service Committee has held committee meetings at senior buildings. I plan on continuing to take office hours and committee meetings on the road for improved accessibility and to better serve all residents.

  2. How will you balance business development with the needs of low-income residents as the Green Line comes to Somerville?

    We need to ensure sound business development through sound zoning which encourages good mix-used development. In the past, I was proud to support increased linkage fees and higher affordable housing percentages for developers for the purpose of increasing affordable housing. As a City, we need to continue to review these items and encourage Somerville businesses to hire Somerville residents.

  3. Would you support instant runoff voting (or similar voting reforms) for city elections? Why or why not?

    No; I believe our current system works.

  4. Why is the gang ordinance not enforced, and what do you plan to do about it?

    I will forward this question to the Chief of Police to have an answer by the meeting in which you invite me to.

  5. What specific steps will you take to strengthen the community policing program? Note: Due to a cut and paste error, on the original questionnaire questions 5 (community policing) and question 6 (immigrants) ran together. This was not noticed by the endorsement committee until after the responses all came back. Most candidates responded as though it was a two part question. Dennis Sullivan however answered them as one questions so see Question 6 for his response. This was an error on the part of the committee, not his.

  6. What specific steps will you take to increase the civic involvement of immigrants?

    I believe more police officers with diverse backgrounds and the ability to speak a foreign language need to be hired. The City has made strides in this area but we need to do more. Regular community meetings which encourage immigrant involvement with interpreters need to happen to on a regular basis.

  7. What specific steps will you take to promote pay equity in Somerville? (see http://www.mass.gov/women/payequity/payequity.htm#legislation)

    One step is to propose a Board of Alderman resolution to support Senator Jehlen’s Bill and to undertake the same measures at the municipal level.

  8. What will you do about Somerville's budget crunch?

    As a member of the finance committee, I will continue to scrutinize the budget to ensure taxpayers’ dollars are spent wisely and in a productive manner.

  9. How will you create a town-gown relationship with Tufts comparable to that of Cambridge and Boston with their universities?

    We have made strides with our relationship with Tufts. We must keep the lines of communication open through regular meetings so that Tufts and Somerville understands each other’s needs. I believe needs such as: public safety, public transportation, traffic and parking are common goals which can be improved by working together.