I am running for Mayor of Taunton.
Taunton has been my home since my family immigrated from the Azores when I was a young girl and my parents worked through the legal process to achieve American citizenship in 1974. My father and mother, a police officer and a seamstress from Santa Maria island, instilled in me the values that hard work, education, playing by the rules, looking out for your neighbors, and always treating people with dignity and respect are the building blocks of a great life and limitless opportunity.
These are the values that have guided me throughout my time living, working, and serving in Taunton. From assisting aging neighbors as a health care worker, helping hundreds of people buy their first home, and standing up for residents as a City Councilor, I am committed to a city that listens to and delivers for its people.
As Mayor, I will restore responsible fiscal management to City Hall and demand the highest level of integrity and accountability in government. My leadership will be driven by community input, common sense and facts, not political partisanship, extremism and self-interest.
Just as I have done as a City Councilor, I will listen and learn from you and your neighbors when making decisions that affect your quality of life – from our schools to our public safety to development projects. I will continue to be transparent and candid about the issues our community faces. You deserve that respect.
My record of fighting for Taunton’s residents is clear and contrasts with the current administration, including:
Insisting that the Mayor publicly explain the unprecedented increases in residential tax bills. this year, increases that followed big salary increases that the Mayor gave to City Hall executives.
Pushing back on the Mayor’s attempts to quietly – and without adequate citizen input – sell off valuable city-owned open space and threaten the character of neighborhoods.
Demanding a full impact analysis of the 400-apartment project at Whittenton Mills – the largest proposed housing development in the history of the city –on city schools and other services.
Launching Citizens to Protect Taxpayers Rights when this Mayor tried to change our city charter to centralize more power in the executive branch of the City, and why I will oppose efforts to resurrect that plan now.
The citizens of Taunton deserve better. That is why I’m running for Mayor.