Mayor Questionnaire: Suzanne Bremer

  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?

    Two years ago, I did the single most important thing anyone can do to engage in the democratic process. I organized a voter registration drive. Using my church, the Cathedral Church of St.Paul, as a base, Mass Votes trained us, and members of 15 other downtown churches and civic organizations to register voters. Then, for three Sundays in a row, after the church service, we set up tables out on Tremont Street, across from Park Street station, and registered voters. In all, we registered close to 100 voters. The other churches and organizations reported similar results, so, all in, my idea of doing voter registration drive resulted in 1,500 voters being registered.

    As mayor, I will lead us away from 'politics as usual'. Politics as usual is driving us apart, holding us back and costing us money. City government must be open, accessible and fair. Under my administration seats on boards and commissions will be filled, drawing on the talents of all the people of Somerville. We will work closely with our state and Congressional representatives to bring Somerville the services that we need. In my administration, all business will be conducted out in the open. We will develop a comprehensive, rational approach to development ' one that balances our need for affordable housing, with the need to expand our tax base through light and clean industry, with our need for open space. We will aggressively pursue educational excellence, giving our teachers and parents the tools that they need so that our children receive a world-class education.

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

    To answer this question, it is important to understand that low-income residents are not all the same. Low-income elderly, low-income youth, low-income 'I'm working two, three jobs trying to make ends meet', low-income people with disabilities, low-income immigrants; low-income residents become very granule, very quickly.

    Businesses need employees - smart, educated, motivated employees. And the best way to create smart, educated, motivated people is by sending people to the best possible schools, as early as possible, for as long as possible. For those who are too old for school and balancing jobs just to keep up, we must create holistic job-training programs, so they can develop the skills these new businesses that we will attract need. And for those too old to work, we must maintain a safety net of social services and affordable housing options so that people aren't forced out of Somerville.

    The Green Line expansion is one of many projects proposed by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. While I understand that the Commonwealth is bound by legal commitments to expand the Green Line to Somerville, I am concerned about the overall fiscal health of the MBTA and it's ability to undertake any of the ambitious projects that are currently on the drawing board. Therefore, to insure that Somerville gets the long promised, much needed Green Line extension, I will have the city's planning department develop a comprehensive public transit plan and then call on the people of Somerville to mobilize and lobby on Beacon Hill and Capital Hill, demanding that Somerville get the public transportation services that we deserve.

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

    I don't know enough about instant runoff voting to have a position on this issue. I welcome the views of the Progressive Democrats of Somerville on this.

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

    The city's Anti-Gang Ordinance is very difficult to enforce because of people's First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. Unless or until they do something illegal, the police can't stop people from hanging out together. Now, what we can do, and what I propose doing, is to get at the root cause of why young people join gangs in the first place. My understanding is that people join gangs because they feel disenfranchised, that they don't have a place in civil society. Without strong family support, without educational, occupational and recreational opportunities, young people drift into gangs in an attempt to fill in the missing pieces in their lives. We must provide alternatives. Prevention is the key to ending gang violence. And prevention means working with those in the community to identify and provide educational, training, employment and recreational opportunities to at-risk youth. It also means supporting the families and linking parents into services that they need to steer their kids away from gangs, violence and drugs.

  5. What specific steps will you take to strengthen the community policing program?

    I will work with the new police chief to find the funding needed to get cops out of cars and on to bikes, and walking down sidewalks. The police must be seen as a part of our communities. As the recent seizure of nearly a kilo of heroin in East Somerville shows, we have a growing drug problem. And, as the recent seizure also shows, people pretty much know what's going on in their neighborhood - it was residents dropping a dime that led to the heroin bust. My questions for the candidates for police chief are what would it take to return to the cop on the beat model of policing? How can the police become more visible in our community? How can the police become positive role models for our youth?

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

    Working with existing groups, (Somerville Community Corporation, the Welcome Project, Somerville Family Network, Centro Presente, among others) I will form a mayor's commission on immigrant affairs and task them with identifying needs of the community and an action plan for filling those needs. I would have the city's communication department update the guide to community services and create and distribute multilingual editions. I would mandate that all announcements on the city's cable stations be made in languages used by Somerville's immigrant community. And, I will work with the school department to insure that parents not only have the translation services they need, but also understand the way the system works.

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

    As mayor, I will ask the city's personnel department to undertake a comprehensive analysis of all non-union municipal positions to update current job classifications to insure that employee compensation, pensions and benefits are free from gender, racial and sexual orientation bias.

    In a similar vain, I will ask the purchasing department to aggressively pursue vendors who are minority and women owned businesses.

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

    My first act as Mayor would be to turn back $25,000 of my salary. Given the size of the city's budget, I realize that this is a symbolic gesture, but it would set the tone for my administration. Then we ' that is, everyone who works for the city, start looking for ways to save money, improve efficiencies and reduce redundancies. Savings may come through large, complex ways ' such as restructuring the city's debt, and through simple, little things - like buying recycled printer cartridges. (On page 130 of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2008 Municipal Budget there is a report of a vendor show in March '07 where representatives of various manufactures discussed recycled toner cartridges. No mention is made of actually buying recycled toner cartridges. I say let's go ahead and do it.) I would also work with city employees to stop purchasing bottled water for people who have access to Somerville's high quality tap water.

    I am opposed to improving the city's financial situation by selling city property. There's an old saw about real estate being a good investment because they're not making any more of it. And this is particularly true in densely packed Somerville. The city's long-term needs for a community center, for a regulation sized soccer field, for parks and open space, must not be sacrificed for the short-term cash infusion.

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

    I must admit that I like Tufts University. Like many who live in Somerville, I am a Tufts employee. My daughter attends the Tufts Educational Day Care Center, and my son, and hundreds of Somerville and Medford public school students, participates in the annual Jumbo Day (a program of the Leonard Carmichael Society at Tufts). A Tufts student taught a science unit in his kindergarten class and Tufts students ran activities in his after school program. Tufts lends it's soccer field to Somerville's youth league, provides financial support for local children at the Eliot Pearson School and the day care center and needs based assistance for local students at the university. In addition to the $1.25 million donation to Somerville and Medford in 2004, Tufts allows free use of university building and reduced rates for local residents to audit classes. With its focus on citizenship and public service, Tufts is an excellent neighbor. In my administration, I will draw on the talent found at the university's Urban Planning and Environment Institute for advice on development in Somerville, and I will look for ways that the university can help us improve our schools, attract economic development and create affordable housing. I will also work with the university to minimize the impact of their expanding real estate needs on the city's tax roll.

  10. What else should we know about your candidacy?

    While I am a newcomer to public life, I have a great deal of experience that can be brought to bear on the issues that Somerville currently faces. I started and ran my own business. I have worked in government at both the state and municipal level. I genuinely enjoying working with people, finding creative solutions to old problems and, above all else, getting things done.

    My partner Jane and I have been together for 25 years. We've lived in our house in Union Square for the last 16 years. We have adopted two children ' our son Jamie is 7, and our daughter Lola is 3. We've been active in the arts, the gay community and at our church. It is our hope that, by example, we can teach our children to be honest, compassionate and hardworking members of the community; and that reaching out is a way to build things up.

    Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to many productive conversations.