The Haverhill Preliminary Mayoral Election is Tuesday September 12, 2023
Next, we examine how each of the candidates stands on the issues of the campaign. For Part 3 of this review, we will start with
Melinda Barrett
Background
Ms. Barrett is a current City Councilor for the City of Haverhill. She was first elected to the Haverhill City Council in 2013. In the last election in 2021, she received 5221 votes, the third-highest total. A lifelong resident of Haverhill, she graduated from Haverhill public schools and then from UMass-Amherst with a degree in Political Science. She ran a family clothing business and a restaurant until 2022.
Public safety: As a City Councilor, Barrett fought for additional police positions, two new fire engines, and generators for fire stations. Related to crime prevention, she worked with the mayor to carve out additional funding for mental health programs.
Economic development: Barrett has been working with the leaders of Haverhill’s Smart Manufacturing Initiative to bring more businesses and jobs to the city and to broaden the city’s tax base. She acknowledges that the city lacks a facility for cultural events, but providing one is not a priority over other issues.
Education: Barrett will work with federal and state delegations to find more school funding. She believes that teachers, administrators, and school committee members must show students they are accepted for who they are and will be supported in learning and growing. She wants teachers, students, and parents to be a team and to foster collaboration between the home and the school. She believes staff diversity is essential and advocates for hiring a diversity officer.
Infrastructure: Barrett maintains that street repair and paving plans should be made public so people can know when their street will be done. She also advocates for making the city’s capital spending plans public. She recommends using building and “stretch” codes to address environmental concerns. The city is under court order to improve water and sewer overflow into the Merrimac River, and she recommends that the city be mindful of that project’s cost burden.
Housing: Citing her experience with the City Council, Barret was disappointed in how long it took to initiate a 55 and over community development. She also thinks that 55 and over housing needs to be a priority and that the city’s Inclusionary Housing Plan should include condos and apartments.
Read more about the Haverhill Mayoral Candidates on our MA1st 2023 Mayoral Candidates page
by Citizen for Truth Contributor
Sources:
www.facebook.com/melindabarrettformayor
HC Media productions “Greater Haverhill Clergy Association Mayoral Forum” – June 20, 2023; https://whav.net/2023/06/21/different-lived-experiences-shape-views-of-haverhill-mayoral-candidates-at-first-forum/
Haverhill Mayoral Candidate Interviews August 2023; http://haverhillcommunitytv.org/video/haverhill-mayoral-candidate-interviews-august-2023
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