City Council Candidate: Lisa M. Blackmer
I am asking for your vote in my run for re-election to the North Adams City Council. I am married to William "Bill" Blackmer, have two grown stepchildren, Jennifer and Bill, one granddaughter, Lena, and another on the way. I was born in Pittsfield and grew up in Williamsburg, a small town in Hampshire County. We moved to North Adams 29 years ago and raised our family.
When I first ran in 2007, there were no open seats. All of the incumbents were running for re-election. I decided that I wanted to serve the city by being on the council and jumped in. I worked hard to get elected and that work paid off, both for me and for the residents of the city when I was elected.
I have a bachelor of science degree in business administration from MCLA with a concentration in management and economics/finance and a certificate in nonprofit management from BCC. My private sector work includes management, human resources, event planning, state and federal compliance, accounting, finance, budgeting, tourism and hospitality.
I was a founding member of the Northern Berkshire Food Festival committee and served on the Open Studios committee. In May 2001, I had the privilege of representing Rotary International as team member of a Group Study Exchange program to Belgium and Luxembourg, a four-week vocational and cultural exchange for young professionals. This gave me the opportunity to examine and discuss the issues of health care, education, energy and cultural resources at the international level. Currently, I serve on the boards of the Alumni Association of MCLA, the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Mass., and the North Adams SteepleCats.
Why are you running for City Council?
I am running for council because I want to continue to use my skills to work with the other council members to continue to move our city forward. I use my experience and education to research issues that come before the council to make the best decisions possible. I listen to residents and industry professionals when evaluating matters on the agenda and work toward a compromise when necessary. I am enthusiastic about the city and promote it wherever I go. I continue every day to work on your behalf to make this a great place to live and work. It truly is a labor of love. I have the experience, education and enthusiasm to serve the residents of North Adams.
As an MCLA graduate, Alumni Board member, and former assistant downtown manager, I understand and appreciate the role the college plays in the community. I would like to continue the partnerships between the city, college, and private sector. A new plan for the Heritage State Park will combine public and private efforts to better integrate Mass MoCA, the downtown, and other stakeholders.
If elected, what issue in particular would you push the council to address?
I would like to see more ordinance review. Some of that could originate in the committees affected instead of always starting with General Government. I think the councilors could interact with others in different cities to see how they address issues and bring some ideas back. The financial situation in the city will present challenges for many years.
What experience or perspective would you bring to the council?
During eight years on the council, i have served as the president, vice president and chair of the Public Safety and Community Development committees. I currently sit on the Finance Committee and previously worked on the General Government committee. Since being elected, I have participated in most of the meetings of council committees, in addition to the committees to which I'm assigned. My Finance Committee work has included budget oversight and policy review. As chair of the Public Safety committee, some of the issues we addressed are the role of the commissioner of public safety, diagonal parking and mediating between the Traffic Commission and the Commission on Disabilities regarding parking in the downtown. I was appointed to the search committee for a new commissioner of public safety. Additional work I have done includes evaluating and researching ordinances, looking at the event planning process for the city and more. As a town administrator, my "day job" had significant overlap with my council responsibilities. Additionally that town just received an almost million-dollar MassWorks grant to repair a bridge.
My work on the council has expanded to the state level, where I am a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association policy committee on Regional and Municipal Administration. This committee addresses issues such as veterans affairs, planning and zoning, housing authorities, the medical marijuana regulations, unfunded mandates and public safety, to name a few. We advocate to the Legislature and administration on behalf of cities and towns. There are few issues that come before the MMA that do not impact North Adams in one way or another. Examples include the charter school funding mechanism, the Special Education Circuit Breaker, and infrastructure funding. As part of the council, I am the District 1, Western Massachusetts, representative to the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Councilors Association and serve as the vice president of the MMA (and incoming president.) I have spoken to the governors, lieutenant governor, and various department secretaries regarding issues important to the City. One of the results of these monthly conversations was the release of the "pothole money," the Winter Recovery Assistance Program, the past two years.
North Adams has a "strong mayor" form of government. How do you see the council's role in governing?
I think the council should question agenda items that come before us, as we do. I would like to see us be more proactive, which can be done through the committees. I think we should be advisory also. We also have the power of the purse — if we are unhappy with something, we can chose not to fund it. This council has been pro-active in writing legislation. We have adopted a Right to Farm ordinance, established an Arts Commission, and changed some zoning. Not too bad for a "new council."
The current commercial tax at $36.07 per thousand is more than double the residential rate. Should the city rethink the current tax rate shift? Why or why not?
I do not think we should lower the commercial rate at this time, I also don't think we should raise it back up either. Again, we need to grow the tax base, so the pie is bigger and then everyone’s share is smaller.
There have been claims that blight — abandoned or unkempt properties — is increasing. Do you agree? How do you think the council can be more proactive in addressing this issue?
I think that more code enforcement of buildings would help. If there are issues with a property, it is easier to remediate in the early stages, and there is sometimes even grant money available for that. Code enforcement also helps keep the criminal element at bay. Living-wage jobs that support your family would help people ward off the demons that lead to criminal activity. I think this is more of an executive branch issue.
The proposed bike path, skate park and Hoosic River Revival have been touted as community development projects. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Yes, they are community development projects. I sometimes think we forget the "community" part of community development. These types of projects are also attractive to funders. They meet a local need but also are appealing to outsiders and can be a draw for people to come visit. When I worked for the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce in the North Adams office, the second most asked question (after "when does Mount Greylock open or close,") was "what is there to do with my kids?" These projects answer that question.
Should the city continue to try to resurrect the Mohawk Theater or is it time to turn the project over to a private or nonprofit venture?
I never thought the city should own and run a theater to begin with. I would like to see it open and operating, but am not sure what the model would be. The Colonial with all of its support and closer proximity to a larger population and more affluent residents had to merge and still struggles to meet operating costs.
Plans for the private redevelopment of Western Gateway Heritage State Park have recently fallen through. Would you support another attempt at privatization?
Yes, I would support another attempt. Failure and waiting sometimes creates a better project in the long run. For example, Mass MoCA is not in its first draft form.
How have you personally supported the community?
I consciously support the community with my time and money. I was a founding member of the Northern Berkshire Food Festival committee and served on the Open Studios committee. I was a volunteer with the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and the North Adams Office of Tourism. Additionally, I served on the board of the Berkshire Food Project. Currently, I serve on the boards of the Alumni Association of MCLA, the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Mass., and the North Adams SteepleCats.
I make an effort to attend as many community events as my schedule allows, including those in the downtown and throughout the city — fundraisers, football games and more. I shop and eat locally. If we want stores and restaurants in the city, we need to support them.
How would you reach out to constituents? Do you use Facebook or other methods?
My cell phone and email are posted on the city website and I also provide it to anyone who asks. I have a facebook page and people have reached out to me there. I also attend local events and shop and eat locally. Many people talk to me when they see me out and about. I have joked that a shopping cart at the supermarket is my office.
Should the city hire more police? If so, how would you support funding that increase?
Yes, we need more officers and we need to make some adjustments in the scheduling which may be subject to the collective bargaining agreement. I think hiring more officers would reduce overtime and I have been asking for them to run the numbers on that for a while now.
The public safety building is known to have a number of deficiencies, including violations of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Can the city afford to push for a new facility or should it try to "Band-Aid" the current structure?
I think that the state and federal delegation should be working on funding. We are under a consent decree, and identified this before other communities. North Adams should move to the top of any list. I would hope to get state and federal funding and then bonding the rest.
Heroin and opiate addiction have been related to increasing crime. Should North Adams focus on more policing, on getting addicts help or a combination of the two?
Both. (I addressed police earlier) Patients need more than a couple of days of de-tox. We need a re-hab center. Franklin County is farther along in this than we are. They have good examples to follow.
Do you think city government is transparent enough in its processes? Could it be better? Would you support an Open Checkbook system?
I think that we need to have integrated financial systems to make this work and that would be costly at this time. Open checkbook is just that, a copy of the check register. It does not tell you where revenues and expenses are trending versus the budget. We get a monthly report of revenue and spending. Putting this document online would be more helpful in determining the financial position of the city.
A thriving community requires a diverse population, yet the city and Berkshires overall are seeing a decline in its younger population. What initiatives might the council be able to support to attract young people?
Present a community that is welcoming, that has things for them to do, jobs, and cares what they think.
Adams and Williamstown recently developed economic development committees. Should North Adams do so as well?
I would like to see the existing departments and committees work on this. The Office of Community Development, Community Development Advisory Committee, and the council's Community Development Committee should work together to further our economic development goals.
Tags: candidates, election 2015, NorthAdamsElection,
