Great cities have great infrastructure. And great infrastructure needs to be maintained and upgraded. 

We save money when we invest the time and resources into small repairs, instead of deferring maintenance until we suffer major damage and disruption. We make our city more livable and sustainable when we take every opportunity to modernize our infrastructure.

During my tenure on the City Council, I have been a consistent supporter of infrastructure investment. I have long supported the Capital Improvement Plan and the city’s fiscal plans that have earned us the highest bond rating, enabling us to invest in capital infrastructure at significantly lower borrowing costs.

I also believe our city’s infrastructure should be expanded to include municipal broadband. Internet access is as important as water, electricity and heat. If that wasn't clear before the pandemic, it is crystal clear now that it is a basic utility and we need to make sure that every single person has affordable access to it. Leaving internet access to the decisions of a corporate monopoly is not good enough. I am already exploring the possibility of working collaboratively with officials in neighboring cities and towns. 

I co-hosted a forum in the spring with other area councilors and a panel of experts in local municipal internet networks about the future of internet access in Western Massachusetts. I also enthusiastically voted two years in a row to approve the creation of a Municipal Light Plant -- a required step under Massachusetts General Law to the implementation of municipal broadband. I am very excited that we have moved to the feasibility study phase of our exploration, and are doing so knowing that 98% of respondents to the city’s broadband survey support the city creating better and more affordable municipal internet service. I relish the opportunity to continue my work on municipal broadband as mayor, and would make moving the project forward a priority in my first term.