REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley Questionnaire

The REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley (RAPV) reached out to me to offer endorsement and funding. I plan to decline any offer of funds, but felt it worth my time to answer their questions. Given the REALTOR® Association's role in fighting laws that aid in making housing more affordable, I am unsure if I will accept any endorsement offered.

1. Please tell us why you are running for your desired position:

I am running for Ward 3 City Council because my ward deserves affordable housing, repaired sidewalks, and transparent government. I entered city government through my work on Northampton's Housing Partnership, penning a bill protecting renters from broker's fees. I’ve held careers as a computer programmer, a teacher, and a retail worker, and understand first-hand how perspectives and needs change based on income level. 

2. Tell us about any previous experience with the REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley and/or the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®.

When working on the Northampton Housing Partnership, I wrote and fought for a bill banning broker’s fees from tenants. At both the local and state level, I listened to the arguments against this bill brought by REALTOR® Association of Pioneer Valley and the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®.

3. Please name REALTORS® supportive of your candidacy in your network. If an official role is held by a REALTOR® in your campaign, please list their name and the position held.

Not applicable

4. What types of housing (single family, mixed use, multi-family, etc.) do you want to see in your district and how is that different than what you have now?

Northampton needs more housing at all levels, including Affordable (subsidized by state or federal funds), workforce (priced so that those who work here can afford to live here), and market rate (priced based on what the market can bear), and including rental and ownership. Right now, the largest growth of housing is at the luxury level, which has not provided improved housing stock at any other level. My priority is finding ways to encourage growth at all other levels, balancing regulations and incentives to meet needs. I am also prioritizing maintenance and improvement of existing housing, especially rentals, as the majority of housing stock needs critical improvements, including removing and remediating lead paint, replacing knob-and-tube wiring, repairing foundations, and making housing wheelchair- and walker-accessable

5. What zoning changes, if any, would you like implemented to foster housing and economic development within your community?

I need to do more research on this.

6. How would you utilize the Housing Choice legislation passed in 2020 and the Accessory Dwelling Units legislation passed in 2024 to enhance housing and economic development?

I don’t know if there has been enough time since this legislation passed to be able to tell if it has improved housing development. I think they were well-intentioned, and I think that real estate developers currently take advantage of them to build luxury units. I need to look more deeply at housing numbers to give an accurate answer to this. I think it is worth seeing if these reforms are serving their state purpose, and how well they are doing so.

7. What will your administration do to enhance the following issues related to the housing needs of the Pioneer Valley?

A. Community Preservation Act Funds

I would continue to provide and advocate for funding here, and find ways to incentivize affordable housing projects to apply to this fund (currently, there are not a lot of projects that apply). If successful, I would look at other ways to fund housing, as CPA funds are currently split between multiple uses, and ideally I would like to keep things like green space and historic preservation while also increasing housing.

B. Affordable Housing

I would love to reactivate the Housing Trust Fund to have a pool of money to go directly to affordable housing. I would pair this with enacting a Transfer Fee on real estate above the median sale threshold, to both generate money for affordable housing and incentivize prices to lower.

8. REALTORS® do not just sell homes they sell communities. How would you partner with REALTORS® and the REALTOR Association of Pioneer Valley to continue this mission?

I would be overjoyed if your association advocated for changes that improve our community, like increasing public transit and renovating our downtown. One of my goals is to create a municipal listing of rental units, to enable everyone to easily view and apply for places to live. Given the data you have, I think you could be very helpful in getting that off the ground.