Progressive Massachusetts Questionnaire

Progressive Massachusetts reached out to me to ask about my platform, requesting information for their voter guide on their website. Below, I have listed my answers to their questions.

(A) Your Candidacy 

What would be your top three priorities if elected to serve? 

1. Increase affordable housing with public-facing, measurable goals.

2. Fully fund and staff municipal departments, especially DPW and schools.

3. Make local government more proactive and interactive, with a focus out outreach and problem-solving

What qualifies you to hold this office?

I have lived in Northampton for most of my adult life, and in my ward for a decade, so I have on-the-ground knowledge of the priorities of residents. I have served on the Northampton Housing Partnership for four years, gaining knowledge of how municipal government works. I championed a bill banning broker’s fees from tenants from writing the first draft through feedback listening sessions to the city council’s approval, then advocating for it as a home rule petition at the state level and seeing it come to fruition through the governor’s recent budget. I know how metrics and feedback can be effective or misleading from my time as a programmer. I know how to do outreach and education from my time as a lab instructor. I know how to help residents understand confusing and counter-intuitive rules from my time as a poll worker, as well as the importance of fairness and the appearance of fairness. I have learned to work proactively to address the root cause of problems through my work in retail. I have the time to dedicate 20+ hours a week to attending meetings, helping residents, and doing research, and I have the financial stability to afford this extra work.

What is the one policy you’ve seen pioneered in another city that you’d most like to adopt locally? 

Northampton passed an ordinance to allow ranked-choice voting, but it has been caught at the state level for years. Given our neighbor Easthampton has successfully implemented this, I would like Northampton to be able to follow suit.

(B) Open-Ended Policy Questions 

Given state law, municipalities in Massachusetts are limited in their taxing power. What opportunities do you see for the city to raise revenue to support essential city services? 

Enable a transfer fee tax on expensive real estate sales (and reactivate the housing trust fund to use it). Continue the short-term rental tax. Look into a municipal taxi or transit service that can charge visitors. Improve downtown to drive up business sales.

What are your top priorities for ensuring that all students in your city can receive a high-quality public education? 

Restore recently-cut positions. Increase hours and staffing for reading and math interventionists, particularly at early education. Pass an ordinance or resolution that protects anyone in public schools from deportation, and resolve that city employees do not work with ICE or allow them entrance to schools. 

What can your city do to help protect immigrant communities under attack from ICE and ensure genuine community safety? 

Pass an ordinance or resolution that city employees do not aid or assist ICE agents. Designate public places like schools and libraries as areas where immigrants will be protected. Enact legal roadblocks and slowdowns against ICE attacks.

What are your top three policy priorities for making your city climate-resilient, and how would you ensure that equity is at the center of any such efforts? 

Continue measuring and meeting our public-facing climate resiliency goals, such as being carbon neutral by 2030. Carefully consider any exceptions asked for in new construction or renovations, to ensure we are not setting back these goals simply to save developers money. Increase resident use of MassSave initiatives, particularly by low-income areas. Prioritize repair and renovations for low-income and historically disenfranchised areas. 

What steps would you take to reduce dependence on cars and better facilitate the ability of city residents to safely get around by walking, biking, or public transit?

I would look into how the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses could have bigger and more frequent routes, particularly a Northampton circuit. I’d love to start a regional taxi service to provide residents in need free door-to-door transportation. I’d work to fully fund and staff the DPW, to provide needed repair and maintenance on public roads and sidewalks.

What policies will you advocate for to ensure that your city can be a place that is affordable for residents to live at any stage of life? 

I’d continue and expand the senior tax credit policy of abating taxes on seniors on fixed income. I’d work to build more affordable and workforce-priced housing, as well as maintain existing housing in good repair, particularly places like the Walter Salvo House (public housing for elderly and disabled residents). 

[If relevant] How would you assess your city's MBTA Communities Act rezoning efforts so far?

Because we are not connected to the MBTA, Northampton has not had to do this. I very much want the east-west rail to be built to make that connection, so we can have improved transit to the rest of the state.

What strategies would you employ to resist federal overreach from the Trump Administration while protecting critical services and funding for residents?

Create budgets with the understanding that national funds are not guaranteed, and be prepared to pull from rainy-day funds if that money dries up. Keep track of any improvements or maintenance that gets deferred due to lack of federal funding, and prioritize them in the future. Use legal strategies to fight fear and intimidation from the Trump Administration. 

How would you model transparency and accountability if elected? 

Hold regular open hours at various locations, including at public and affordable housing meeting areas. Track progress on my platform goals, publishing them on my website and talking about them to residents. Make my stance on issues clear, as well as what it would take to change my stance on a policy or plan. Apologize for mistakes and missteps, naming what went wrong,  what I plan to do differently, and how I plan to make it right. 

(C) Yes/No Policy Questions 

Do you oppose the expansion of charter schools? YES

Do you support the creation of an unarmed, community-based emergency response program, separate from the Police Department, to respond to mental and behavioral health crises?  YES

If your community has not already, do you support adopting the new specialized stretch code, which would require new construction and major renovations to be built to a very high-efficiency standard with all-electric (as opposed to fossil fuel) heating and cooling systems? YES

Do you support fare-free public transit? YES 

Do you support the expansion of the network of permanent, protected bike lanes in your city?  YES

Would you support a home rule petition to establish a small transfer fee on high-end real estate transactions to create dedicated funding for affordable housing production and preservation? YES

Would you support a home rule petition to enable the city to stabilize rents? YES

According to the American Library Association, in 2022 there were at least 45 attempts to restrict access to books in MA schools, disproportionately books that speak to the experiences of LGBTQ students and students of. Would you oppose such book-banning efforts if they occurred in your city? YES

(D)  Additional Comments 

I invite all voters to visit my website, acetayloe.com, for more details about my goals and qualifications, as well as opportunities to hear from me directly.