Letters to the Editor: Elections
Arlington Advocate, April 9,2020
In these extraordinary times, I am grateful to our Select Board and town manager for the work they are doing to keep Arlington informed and safe, and I appreciate their decision to delay our elections. As hard as it is to keep in mind right now, at some point the virus will start to ease and all the issues that were so important a month ago will come to the forefront again. Among them, our ongoing need for affordable housing; an increased commitment to transparency in all aspects of town government; the urgent need to create climate resiliency; and the necessity to make sure all our residents have a voice, and feel respected when they use it.
I believe the best candidate for Select Board to address these issues, with the interests of all Arlington residents in mind, is Michaiah Healy. She plans to focus on low- and moderate-income residents and further support the work of our Housing Corporation and Housing Authority. She plans to develop paths for residents to more-directly communicate with our town’s elected and appointed leaders, as well as expand town efforts to reach out to residents. And of course she will also direct those efforts at enhanced communication to relations between the APD and residents, with respect for all points of view as trust is rebuilt.
Michaiah comes from a family of teachers, veterans and police officers, from whom she learned the values of lifelong learning, and respect for different points of view. I’d love to see her bring these values to Arlington as a member of the Select Board, and hope you will join me in giving her your vote.
Wynelle Evans
Orchard Place
Arlington Advocate, March 26, 2020
I am writing to recommend Michaiah Healy for Arlington Select Board. Michaiah is a leader who listens; she has an ability to bring respectful, collaborative and productive resolutions to complex problems.
Healy is from a family of Army and Navy veterans, the daughter of a public school teacher and a police sergeant. She is the mother of three young children, two of them in Arlington Public Schools. Professionally, she has served as a pastor and a counselor.
Healy has built relationships with town leaders and Arlington Public School parents as cochair of Envision Arlington’s Diversity Task Group, and as a participant in the recent candidate interviews for the chief of police position. She has a substantial professional network in federal, state and neighboring government municipalities through her professional work and civic engagement.
As a woman of color, Healy’s election to the Select Board would be an important step in our town government’s development into a more representative system. If you’re curious to know more about her and what she stands for, visit healyforselectboard.com.
Please join me in voting for Michaiah Healy for Arlington Select Board on April 4.
— Kate Tranquada, Park Avenue Extension
Arlington Advocate, March 26, 2020
We write in support of three candidates in the upcoming election for town offices.
Michaiah Healy for Select Board
These are times of change in Arllngton and around the world. Directions we take locally and decisions we make in the coming years will shape the town in decades ahead. We need forward-thinking, respectful leadership on the Select Board, and Michaiah Healy can provide those talents. She listens carefully, analyzes problems thoughtfully, and will help us build consensus that will serve our needs not only now but for years to come. We urge you to support Michaiah Healy for Select Board.
Lynette Martyn for School Committee
Today’s students are tomorrow’s citizens and community leaders. Lynette Martyn is a forward-thinking advocate for the kinds of programs and schools that will help today’s students become those leaders. Her leadership experience on the Diversity and Inclusion Group positions will enable her to make important contributions and provide guidance to programs that embrace the increasing multicultural diversity all around us and build on it in the years ahead.
Jo Anne Preston for Housing Commission
Jo Anne knows and cares about housing in Arlington. As prices soar and teardowns increase, where will longtime residents live, and more important, how will they live? Joanne understands publicly supported housing. She knows that buildings must be maintained, but she places equal emphasis on quality of life for citizens aging in place. She will help Arlington access programs for residents to help them cope with mobility challenges and increasing isolation. For the benefit of our seniors, please support Jo Anne Preston for Housing Commission.
— Nancy Stevenson and Neil Clark, Beverly Road
Arlington Advocate, March 19, 2020
I am writing to express my enthusiastic endorsement for Michaiah Healy for Select Board.
While I appreciate the decades-long service of incumbent Diane Mahon, I do believe it is time to elect fresh faces — and perspectives — to our board in order to reflect Arlington’s changing demographics and its evolving needs as a municipality.
It is time to have more elected officials who are widely available and open to listening to Arlington’s residents. Healy has demonstrated this quality in her work with the Diversity Taskforce Group and in her willingness to meet with and promote residents’ efforts towards increasing inclusivity in Arlington. Healy’s reputation as someone who is open to meeting with people one-on-one and learning about them and their needs and concerns is well-known to those who work on diversity issues in Arlington.
As the chair of Arlington’s Diversity Taskforce Group, Healy has brought an even-tempered mindfulness to her role. She has been proactive in recruiting new members and in ensuring the task force functions as a group that concretely advocates for more equitable policies here in Arlington. Under her tenure, the task force has promoted solid efforts to make Arlington a more inclusive town for its residents. In addition to this work, Healy brings to the table her experience as a mother of young children, as a pastor, and as a disability advocate with the Disability Policy Consortium.
Accessibility is a critical quality for any elected representative in earning my vote. If Michaiah Healy is elected, I have no doubt that Arlington will benefit greatly from this and other qualities she has already demonstrated in her endeavors to further the quality of life for all Arlington residents.
— Montserrat Zuckerman, Gay Street