In full transparency, and per the SOURCE election guide, the following press release was submitted to SOURCE media.
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By Noval Alexander
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Dear Residents and Neighbors,
FRAMINGHAM – Today, Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance and reflection for the Men and Women of our Armed Forces; who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield to defend and uphold the democratic values we all cherish and enjoy every day. With that ever present in mind and as a wartime serving Veteran, born and raised in Framingham, a proud son of Framingham, I humbly announce my candidacy for District 5 City Councilor.
Almost three and a half years ago the people of Framingham decided to embark on a different course. We chose a different form of local government to become a City. I believed then as I more strongly believe now the basic tenets of our new government have been met. A
government that is more representative of our diverse population and more responsive to the needs and desires of our residents.
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As much as we’ve made many positive strides in short time, our road as a City has been quite bumpy and arduous. Any organization transitioning while confronting a multitude of expected and unexpected challenges to include our personal and family life are bound to
happen. As tumultuous and nerve wracking that can be, I’ve learned from my parents and my maternal grandmother that our reaction to adversity and how we overcome challenges displays your true hallmark.
Our fledgling City government is at a critical junction in the road, a crossroads if you will. As we emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of Framingham and more specific residents of District 5 need and deserve a Councilor who has a proven track record of
delivering tangible results, has a post pandemic plan to assist our businesses recovery and more importantly thrive in Framingham.
As your former School Committee member one of my core beliefs was and still remains that the adequate and appropriate support of our public schools is directly tied to our economic development. Maintaining support and making sound and targeted investments in our schools is paramount.
We need a fiscally adept Councilor who firmly believes that the budget process and the City’s coffers belong to the people and reflects our values. In our current environment and poor fiscal state of affairs, an increase of residential property taxes should be the absolute last resort, instead your Councilor should first adopt a “leave no stone unturned” approach to find cost savings and redundancies in every department. The coming fiscal years will be very challenging to say the least but you deserve a Councilor that will demand fiscal responsibility and accountability.
We need a visionary councilor that will respectfully collaborate with other stakeholders to devise an appropriate capital plan to deal with our municipal buildings and structures such as the Danforth Building adjacent to the Library, the Pearl St parking garage and address substantial repairs to the Memorial building and a number of our schools.
A Councilor who will passionately advocate for environmental and climate change initiatives to get us to meet the State net zero carbon emission standards.
A Councilor who understands and will vigorously promote and integrate smart growth initiatives in City government.
Finally, I believe we need and deserve an activist Councilor who will have a vested interest in your neighborhood concerns like traffic, speeding and overall public safety.
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Folks, there’s no time to waste in tackling these herculean challenges. I believe I’m the candidate that is uniquely qualified and suited to represent you on the Framingham City Council.
I can assure you that I won’t be an active bystander that has never been my style of leadership or pedigree; a Councilor with a clipboard just checking off the proverbial list and doing the bare minimum. I believe being a public servant is the opposite of that, selfless service while
promoting individual and group responsibility, responsive to residents needs and delivering tangible results.
My decorated 25 year military career, my tenure as a former School Committee member and current member of the school building committee overseeing the Fuller School project illustrates my hard work, tenacity, commitment and passion to and for Framingham.
I look forward to discussing and debating the future of our City with residents of District 5 in the weeks and months to come.
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Town of Ashland