For a Better Salem.

Salem is facing several important challenges. Affordable housing is difficult to find. The direction of the economy is uncertain. 

I have over 25 years of management experience at leading private sector institutions like PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Boston Childrens Hospital. The lessons I have learned from that experience can help Salem confront the challenges it faces. Three lessons are particularly relevant from that experience:

1. Transparency is everything.  Without it, there is no way to know if money is being used wisely, and there is no way to hold people accountable.

2. Deferring investment does NOT save money.  Far too often Salem leadership has chosen to “kick the can forward” and has avoided making decisions because our leaders thought they were too hard.  The best example is the Police Station, which badly needs updating.  That project will be far more expensive to build than it would have been when the need was first identified over 20 years ago.

3. Innovate.  Our town should always be looking for ways to be more efficient.  Community Power, for example, can save homeowners hundreds of dollars a year in their electric bills.

I am also the only former prosecutor running.  I know first-hand how important it is for us to support our police.

Because I believe my experience is unique, and because I believe Salem needs new leadership and new ideas, I humbly ask Salem voters for their support.