Plan for Taunton

1. Re-organize and restore fiscal responsibility to the Office of the Mayor where salaries have more than doubled -- from $347,000 to $725,000 -- under the current administration;

2. Bring together the City Council and other stakeholders to stabilize costs for hundreds of manufactured home residents, most of whom are seniors living on fixed incomes;

3. Launch a professional, independent audit of city finances so that we have an unvarnished view of how taxpayer money is spent;

4. Establish an Economic Development Council made up of business, non-profit, education, and government leaders to advise the city on how to accelerate safe, clean commercial and industrial growth;

5. Conduct a full assessment of how the city used tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID funds;

6. Begin a comprehensive land use analysis to identify legitimate opportunities for commercial and industrial development;

7. Launch an update of the city’s outdated master plan, last done in 2018 before the Silver City Galleria closed, when a major casino was anticipated, and before commuter rail began. A top priority will be measuring the financial impacts of residential development on city services, public safety, and schools;

8. Make neighborhood outreach the number one responsibility of her Chief of Staff so every neighborhood is heard, valued, and empowered;

9. Convene education leaders, employers, unions, and others to build a workforce development plan that creates a path to good jobs in Taunton;

10. Accelerate efforts to expand veteran housing, including a strategy I have previously proposed, which the current administration has ignored.

11. Establish a professional Code of Conduct for all City employees (including the Mayor) to increase accountability and prevent future scandals at City Hall.