Medeiros Solano: My vision for a beautiful Melrose

As a City Councilor for twelve years, I helped make Melrose the beautiful city people want to move to. I supported improvements to nearly every park and playground in Melrose and was the driving force to create our first dog park at Ell Pond. I supported ordinances to protect our environment and maintain the aesthetic appeal of our city.

As we grow into the next chapter of Melrose's history, as Mayor, I will preserve our character and charm, protect our environmental integrity and maintain our infrastructure. I have a vision for a beautiful Melrose. To me, that means fixing our roads, keeping our sidewalks clear, planting more trees, preserving our open space and properly maintaining our public buildings. I will make Melrose a clean and safe place for all to live, work, recreate and enjoy.

As beautiful as we are, the fact is, much of our infrastructure is badly in need of fixing. As mayor, I will work with our DPW to objectively assess the conditions of our streets and sidewalks on an ongoing basis and prioritize their repair based on condition and use. I will do this with a focus on accessibility, especially in the areas near our senior housing, our shopping districts and our school and commuter routes.

Our public safety buildings have fallen into disrepair and do not meet the current needs of our public safety workforce. I believe the proposed public safety building debt exclusion ballot question serves a needed and worthwhile purpose which would help the City deliver public safety services to all residents.

Should the ballot question pass, I am the candidate most equipped with the experience and skills to ensure that the construction stays on track, on budget and that the money is strictly used for its intended purpose. Additionally, I will incorporate regular building maintenance into the annual budget and the five year strategic financial plan, which I will build beginning Day One.

Part of our beauty is being clean and tidy. In 2018, I partnered with a local construction and dumpster company to lead our first citywide cleanup day. Together volunteers from every corner of the city helped remove more than two tons of trash from our city streets. In recent years, I have organized large teams to help pick up trash with the Keep Melrose Beautiful group. I have also participated in clean up days with the Friends of Ell Pond and with the Conservation Commission at Flag Acres. I am grateful for these groups and the volunteers who step up to protect our environment and keep us looking good.

As mayor, I will make sure our trash gets picked up. I will work with local businesses, DPW, our Health Department, our City Councilors and our residents to ensure trash and dumpsters are well-kept and not overflowing to discourage the proliferation of pests.

Instead of waiting for complaint calls, I will work proactively with the DPW and Ward Councilors to identify trees which need trimming, street lights that are out, and sidewalk hazards. I will actively engage volunteers to help shovel snow and possibly provide gardening help to those who are not able to do it themselves, to help remove graffiti quickly and to “adopt” public spaces which need beautification.

I will preserve and protect our open spaces, plant more trees and support caring for our properties organically whenever possible to protect our pollinators, our residents – especially children, and our city employees from exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals and toxins. I will ensure our city has strict zoning which protects our environment including strong slope protection to discourage blasting, and elements which adequately address stormwater management.

I will look for opportunities to incorporate public art, including rotating art in our public buildings to make them more welcoming and to showcase our diverse local artists. I will work with DPW to plant drought tolerant, native flowering plants on city properties to beautify our city and support our pollinators. I will encourage new development to do the same. Incorporating native, seasonal flowers when space allows would make spaces, even parking lots, more inviting and welcoming.

Together these small things can have a big impact on the beauty and feel of our community. I invite you to share in this vision for a Beautiful Melrose and ask for your vote for Mayor to make this a reality on November 7 or by early vote. To learn more about my campaign or to get involved, please visit my website at www.VoteMonica.com or follow me on Facebook at "Monica Medeiros Solano for Melrose.”