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Date: 10/31/2023
NORTHAMPTON — With the biennial municipal election fast approaching, Reminder Publishing finishes its preview coverage with At-Large City Council.
This year, there are four candidates vying for two seats: Marissa Elkins, David Murphy, Roy Martin and Garrick Perry.
As preparation for the race, Reminder Publishing chatted with each candidate about the upcoming term and why they are running.
The candidates’, along with their views and goals, are listed below in alphabetical order.
Elkins
After serving in the at-large role over the past two years, Elkins said she is running again because she has enjoyed the work and service that comes with being a city councilor.
“I’ve enjoyed being able to pursue the things that I campaigned on, which struck my interest in running the first time,” Elkins said. “It’s really exciting to be able to say you’re interested in working on things in service to the community, and then to actually get there and do those things.”
Elkins said she wants to continue working on providing a racially just and equitable city. Last term, she sponsored a resolution with Perry and Councilor Jamila Gore that created the Joint Commission to Study Racialized Harms Perpetrated Against Black Residents and Workers in Northampton. The commission just started meeting recently and Elkins was appointed to the commission.
The work has just begun with that initiative.
“We’re looking at what other cities have been doing and how they’ve been approaching this work, and also knowing that in some ways we don’t want to reinvent the wheel, but also we have to do what is right for Northampton,” Elkins said of the commission.
Another issue Elkins hopes to tackle is zoning, which she said is something she is familiar with due to her time serving on the city’s Planning Board for two years.
She said that there is an opportunity for the city to look at its current zoning codes and see how they can advance some of its policy goals, like finding more attainable housing at every level.
Although other factors cause a rise in housing prices for buyers and renters, Elkins said that there are certain places in the city where it is harder and more expensive to build, and zoning is a good way to get at that issue.
“Fact of the matter is we just don’t have enough places for all the people who want to live here, and that’s not dependent on their income level,” Elkins said. “I think [zoning] is a key part of the effort to stabilize the housing market and the cost of rent and the cost of homes.”
When asked about the Main Street redesign happening in Northampton, Elkins expressed her full support in the project.
“I have been supportive of the need for the project in general,” Elkins said. “I am very satisfied that Northampton has done what it is required to do and done more than that to engage the community and to make sure that we’re doing a design that is responsive to what people want.”
Elkins cites supporting Northampton business and recovery downtown, acting in the face of the climate crisis, fighting to protect the LGBTQ+ community, and finding ways to hold police accountable as other initiatives to work on.
According to her campaign website, Elkins works as a defense attorney and managing partner at the Northampton firm of Elkins, Auer, Rudof & Schiff. She serves on the Council’s Legislative Matters and Community Resources Committee, as well as the city’s Energy & Sustainability Commission.
Martin
After unsuccessfully running for mayor 10 times over the course of three decades, Martin said he wants another shot at serving in a major role for the city. This time, he is aiming for an at-large council seat.
“If I’m elected to city council, I’m out there to listen to the people, see what they have in mind,” Martin told Reminder Publishing. “I tell people, if you have a problem with something, call me, tell me about things that are going on.”
As someone who lives in subsidized housing, Martin said two major issues he wants to tackle are finding more affordable housing and solving the homeless issue.
He called the city’s incoming Community Resilience Hub, which will serve as a community space and important resource for those facing chronic stress or some type of emergency, a “good thing,” but he believes more can be done.
“We have to do something for the homeless,” Martin said. “There are a lot of people that like to help at home on their own budget, but how many people are actually out there doing something for the homeless, the poor and the hungry?”
Another issue Martin said he would like to solve is the problem of traffic in the city, particularly around Conz and Pleasant Streets. He said it takes too long to get to the roundabout from the Walter Salvo House, which is where he lives.
“I live in some of the heavy traffic areas,” Martin said. “That’s a major issue I want to solve.”
When asked what other issues he would like to tackle if elected to council, Martin said he would want to take initiative on things that his constituents approach him on.
“I’m there as an information gap so that people can give me the information they want, what they would like to see,” he said.
Martin said that he has spoken during public comment at City Council many times throughout the years and he feels like he has shared a lot of good opinions.
“I want to do something for my city before I die,” Martin said, of his current run for council. “I just turned 80 last week, and I still got all my functions.”
Murphy
After previously serving on the City Council from 2006-2020, Murphy said he wants another run at an at-large seat because he said he brings an extensive wealth of knowledge when it comes to municipal finance, and that knowledge can help as the city continues to become a more expensive place to live.
Outside of serving on the council, Murphy said he has also served as a member of the Board of Assessors, a vice chairman of the Northampton Housing Partnership, and a chairman of the Central Business Architectural Committee among other municipal roles.
“I’ve been on committees back to the late seventies, so I’ve always participated in some way, shape or form in city government,” Murphy said. “But between my time on the council and my time as an assessor before and after my council service, I really know municipal finance really well.”
Murphy noted how the city will have to ask for a Proposition 2½ General Override sometime in the next year. A general override is a permanent increase tot the tax levy that can then go up 2.5% each year thereafter.
According to Murphy, he and current City Councilor Marianne LaBarge are the only ones out of the current council who have gone through the process of an override.
“I’ve been a part of both exclusion and general overrides,” Murphy said. “We’re going to have a Proposition 2½ override coming up, and I’d like to be a part of that process.”
As someone who has been a part of the real estate business for 40 years, particularly serving as a real estate broker, Murphy said he brings an abundance of knowledge to issues of zoning and affordable housing.
“I think I could improve the outcome of a lot of council decisions just by being part of that discussion,” Murphy said of the zoning and housing discussions. “I know housing backwards and forwards having been in the real estate business for so long.”
When it comes to zoning, Murphy said one of his best attributes is being able to forecast the impacts a certain zoning change will have on the community in the future.
He used the conversations around infill zoning as an example of when his experience was key.
“I understand when I see a zoning ordinance, what effect it’s going to have when it actually happens on the ground, and I’d like to be able to add that to the discussions,” Murphy said.
According to Murphy, 60% of voters did not participate in the last biennial municipal election. He said he wants to see more people participate this year.
“I’m hoping more show up this time,” Murphy said. “If you complain to me but you don’t vote, then I don’t want to hear it.”
Perry was also reached out to by Reminder Publishing but did not respond as of press time.