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City Council Newsletter
Summer, 2018

Please note office hours with Councilor George King tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10 am at B Sisters Cafe – all are welcome!

Welcome to my summer City Council newsletter!

It has been two months since my last council newsletter and there has been so much going on in Framingham. Summer has also been an opportunity for me to take stock after my first six months as a councilor and to think about my goals for the next six months and beyond.

My ongoing goal is to assert my own voice in council meetings and to avoid deferring to more experienced councilors. This is going to require focused preparation on the topics that come before us and improving my ability to express my viewpoint in a more efficient and straight-forward manner.

I am also going to continue to help bridge the administrative and philosophical gap between the council and Mayor Spicer whenever possible by being more proactive in approaching issues that arise between us. The pace of change in Framingham is fast and furious, mostly for the better, but it will require that every councilor bring all that they offer to the table. For me, that means representing the needs of District 3 and also reflecting my experience as a parent, as an educator, and as a lifelong resident of Framingham.

In addition, the council subcommittees on which I serve point to three broad areas where I am going to try to take my work as councilor to the next level:

Finance: Serving on the finance subcommittee has been a valuable education in Framingham municipal budgeting as well as an opportunity to have my voice heard on several key issues. I have benefited from the leadership of Councilor King as well the broad experience of the other members of the committee, Councilors Sisitsky, Rossi, and Grove. Taking a deep dive into our various departmental budgets has provided me with a unique insight into the level of granular detail that will be required to constrain spending while maintaining the excellent services that we all appreciate in Framingham. For the next six months, I am going to look to assert my own unique perspective more frequently in finance committee meetings in particular in relation to education, technology, and administrative efficiency.

Rules: The Rules subcommittee has focused on establishing guidelines for council meeting business. This is still a work in progress and the Rules Committee will also need to address broader questions related to council business including our relationship with municipal departments, the process of developing proposed ordinances, decorum with guests including the Mayor, members of her administration, and outside speakers, and how we can most appropriately insert the council into matters already being addressed by the city.

Education: The Education subcommittee continues to focus on improving public Internet access in Framingham. My plan as chair of this committee is to take a more proactive approach in collaborating with the City IT department to make improvements to access.

Other areas of emphasis over the next six months and beyond:

• Helping to guide the Nobscot project to a successful conclusion. Even though the plaza lies outside the district, the people of District 3 have a significant interest in having the best project possible
• Representing the city in our efforts to develop the Framingham leg of the Bruce Freeman rail trail, which would run parallel to Edgell Road from
• Framingham Centre to the Sudbury line. The state has provided funding to help make this happen and it is now time for the council and the Mayor to run with the ball. We need alternatives to our clogged North/South roadways and this would be a great option for those who bike, walk, and run.
• Finding creative ways to empower seniors to stay in Framingham – by keeping downward pressure on our taxes and by being creative in the type of housing options that we offer
• Continuing to promote Framingham as a destination for emerging industries and families – and by exploring ways that our businesses can collaborate with our city government to benefit all of Framingham
• Working with Parks and Rec and private groups to bring a public dog park to Farm Pond

Upcoming events/meetings I will attend:

August 14 at 10 am office hours with Councilor King at B Sisters Cafe – all are welcome!

August 16 Framingham Farmers Market

August 18 Helping at Dunning Playground Construction

August 21 City Council

August 22 Finance Committee

August 26 Framingham Democratic Committee State Rep. Debate at the Heritage

I hope that this newsletter was helpful. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.

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–Adam

asteiner@framinghamma.gov