City Council Candidate: Benjamin Lamb
My name is Ben Lamb, I'm a homeowner and business owner here in North Adams. Having graduated from MCLA in 2007 I chose to stay in this amazing place, soon meeting my wife, and making my home and life here. I have never looked back. North Adams is most sincerely a part of who I am and over time I've greatly enjoyed becoming a part of it as well.
Having been engaged in many different facets in our little city has inspired me to become a representative for our citizens. There are incredible things happening here, and so much more to be done, and having now been on City Council for two years, I sincerely hope to continue that work ahead, and ask for your vote on Nov. 3.
Why are you running for City Council?
Having now been on council for two years, I have gained a lot of insight, good, bad and ugly, into the workings of municipal government. There are amazing things happening, and much more hard work to be done. These things take time, and two years is by no means enough time to engage in the meaningful game-changing work I hope to do with, and for our city. This is the place that myself and many others have chosen to call home. It has its ups and downs, successes and challenges, and I love being able to represent the community in my capacity as a councilor as we navigate our way ahead.
It's not all about the work we do in chambers on camera; it's so much more! Our work expands far beyond the boundaries of a job description as the "legislative branch of city government." We have the opportunity to be the cheerleaders, conversation starters, community outreach facilitators, and motivators for change. We get to not only listen to the concerns of citizens, but engage meaningfully with them to actually figure out the problems, and navigate through to a solution. It's by no means easy, and of course there will be times I will make my best-informed decision and not everyone will be happy with it, but I strive and hope to work for the greater good of our city going forward.
What experience or perspective would you bring to the council?
I have a number of unique experiences in a broad number of places, having worked everywhere from the arctic to the tropics, in the sciences, career counseling, high school guidance, and currently in my role at Williams College advising student groups, businesses and campus leaders. All of these jobs taught me important aspects to bring to council, including but not limited to: doing the research, listening to the needs and wants of those seeking help, developing strategies for structure and consistency, managing many different budgets both large and small, and motivating others to do great things as an adviser and mentor.
Beyond my work experience, I've been on a breadth of boards, and have held executive roles in many. I've worked with youth through the Berkshire Youth Leadership Program, higher education professionals through the Massachusetts College Personnel Association, and around community work with Northern Berkshire Community Coalition to name a few.
In all cases, the outlook I bring is one of positivity and hope, responsible dreaming, willingness to do the leg work needed, and an eye for critical analysis. These skills have served me well so far, and as I continue to develop them, I know they will serve my role as a councilor and the city of North Adams.
North Adams has a "strong mayor" form of government. How do you see the council's role in governing?
At its core, the council is meant to act as a legislative checks and balances for city government. Elected by the public rather than hired by the administration, we have the role of asking questions, using our own specialized backgrounds and skills, and listening to the concerns of the citizens to approach issues more holistically. We have a responsibility to communicate the concerns, and make final decisions on a number of things that impact the community daily and in the long term. That said, much of our work goes beyond the boundaries of city government, and ventures into the realm of community development, advocacy, and cheerleading, but it all comes as a package deal.
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 don't think we should make dramatic shifts immediately however I do believe that we need to continue to be critical of how we impact the residents of the city as well as the businesses trying to exist, or potentially planning to exist, here.
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?
My personal belief is that the observation of blight has definitely increased. This to me, is good, as it means people are paying attention and noticing things that they are concerned about. That said, that sense of "increasing blight" can become skewed a bit, as many of the abandoned buildings have been so for years and years. Subsequently concerns about the city ignoring the issue can be overly highlighted in the media.
It's definitely an issue, as it is in many areas with decreasing populations but the same housing stock, and thus it is certainly something to be addressed and planned for. Whether that is grant programs to get these buildings purchased and back on the tax role, or making the choice to tear them down. As a council, it is our job to hear the concerns of citizens and make sure they are heard. Additionally, when opportunities come through to develop and adopt a plan of reclamation and demolition, it will be our job to ask questions, make suggestions, and eventually vote to make moves occur.
The proposed bike path, skate park and Hoosic River Revival have been touted as community development projects. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I absolutely agree, and I think the level of community involvement in those projects speaks to this quite loudly. In none of these three instances was it the city outright saying "we are going to do ... ." Instead, it was members of the community and local community organizations working to develop ideas, plans, public hearings, and open forums to make them projects that could be embraced by as many people as possible. When executed well, the realization of these projects in a fashion best suited to the residents of the city could offer great opportunities for engagement with the current population, and make the city attractive for potential transplants.
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 have mixed feelings about the city being where the "buck stops" in terms of the Mohawk. It is a building with such heritage and such potential on our Main Street, that it deserves a high level of attention and investment. That said, it also carries a lot of liability and has been a target of dispute for the city for the last 25 years.
Whatever happens, it cannot fall on the taxpayers to bring dreams for the building to fruition. From that angle, I feel it is going to be key for the space to have a hybridized utility with both private and public involvement and investment. There are numerous ways that this could be done, and it's going to take getting the players around the table to make the Mohawk's future a reality.
Plans for the private redevelopment of Western Gateway Heritage State Park have recently fallen through. Would you support another attempt at privatization?
I would. I think privatizing invites new kinds of investment not only in the property itself, but in the community that surrounds it. When done well, a healthy business model in the park could lead to further economic development and opportunities that make this an attractive community to come into. The plan needs to be sound, but there is a huge amount of potential in that park for private businesses to do really interesting things.
How have you personally supported the community?
I work diligently to find any way I can engage in North Adams. That could be small things like prompting conversations with people around wish list items like dog parks and community pot lucks, helping to form collectives of community cheerleaders like the NAMAzing Initiative, become a member of the NBCC Board of Directors, or putting my money where my mouth is and actually investing time, energy, and dollars into opening a business on Main Street.
I continue to work to break down the barriers between Williamstown and North Adams by bringing my students over to North Adams to enjoy what our city has to offer, but also to engage in meaningful service activities. We buy local, both as residential consumers and also as a business dedicated to buying as much of our produce from local vendors as possible. In general, North Adams has given so much to me that I always try to find ways to give back to it.
How would you reach out to constituents? Do you use Facebook or other methods?
I'm definitely a Facebook person, but that can't be the only way you communicate with residents and concerned constituents. I approach outreach as broadly as I can. I converse with folks at our shop on main street, I read letters to the editor and reach out to folks when there is something I want to hear more about, and I put myself out there at events in order to be as approachable as possible. I always like to hear thoughts and feelings from citizens, because it means they are paying attention and care. While we may not agree on everything, it's important that as an elected representative I know the concerns of my constituents.
Should the city hire more police? If so, how would you support funding that increase?
I think there is definitely something to be said for more boots on the ground, especially when we have officers able to engage the residents of the city, youth and adults alike in non-emergency situations, such as trick or treating or the recent jogging club. These types of interactions create a culture of conscientious awareness and safety. Ultimately, crime in the city and nationwide is something that needs to be addressed by all the citizens, and not just the police. International reports suggest a 1:500 ratio of police to citizens, in which case, we are off by three officers. Growing our force as we have in recent years is something that takes immense strategic budgeting to not roll out too many tax increases, and will continue to be the case.
As a community though, we can choose to own how our city proactively prevents crime and reactively addresses issues. Knowing our neighbors, caring about those we see, keeping a watchful eye, and in generally making sure there is healthy activity for individuals of all ages can all contribute to a community based crime prevention strategy. We can not merely plan to spend more dollars on more jobs to solve all crime.
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?
While Band-Aids may get us through in the short term, long-term planning and action needs to take place as it does with a number of elements of our city infrastructure. While we do not have the finances to up and build a new facility, there are definitely opportunities for adaptive reuse of newer, more ADA compliant structures in the city that could offer a middle ground. These are approaches we need to start looking at, not just patching holes and hoping it doesn't get worse.
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?
Neither policing or getting addicts help can be the solo focus, there needs to be a combination of both, as well as a third leg, which is education and student engagement in positive reinforcement ways. There is no simple fix for issues that affect the entire nation like opiate and heroin usage. It will take multifaceted approaches by many different stakeholders.
Do you think city government is transparent enough in its processes? Could it be better? Would you support an Open Checkbook system?
There is always room for improvement, and while I think we are doing well in terms of transparency, we could certainly work on making our city's information more accessible to all the residents, through digitizing and better filing materials online. I would gladly be in support of an Open Checkbook system, however, I also believe there are more affordable and in-house options that could be utilized to make detailed information easy to find and digest.
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?
I personally believe council can help make it easy for people to move here, whether that be helping to find ways for new businesses to take root, working on community development projects and strategies that are more inviting to younger and more diverse individuals, or helping to work on how we market the city more broadly. Even simple things like engaging with the college students at MCLA and Williams to help motivate them to see this place as somewhere to make a more permanent home can help with this, and in our capacity as councils is a good fit. Otherwise, we should continue to support the community-initiated programs however possible to promote job training, employer recruitment, and improved access to opportunities that would draw in increased numbers of innovative young people to the city.
Adams and Williamstown recently developed economic development committees. Should North Adams do so as well?
I think we have some really creative folks in City Hall and in the local community, between the Chamber of Commerce, Partnership [for North Adams], and local businesses that could collectively do great work. While we have committees and departments that address economic in pieces, bringing together representatives to a more comprehensive groups could certainly offer up even more ability to do significant planning and work. That said, it is also imperative that we begin working with those neighboring economic development committees so that we can take a more unified approach to economic development in North County. What affects North Adams affects our neighbors and vice versa, we are not an island.
Tags: candidates, election 2015, NorthAdamsElection,
