VISION | Samantha Perlman

VALUES & VISION

Continuing to host monthly office hours, which moved virtual during the pandemic. Sam also posts meeting previews and post-meeting recaps for Council meetings on her Facebook page to keep residents informed.
Diversifying city boards and commissions is a priority for Sam because she wants more residents to be involved in city decision making. She filed an order at the Council level to make this process more public (see more info here) that did not move in the Council. However, she continues to advocate for improving the appointment process.
Translating resources and ensuring materials are available in Portuguese and Spanish. Sam's website is available in Portuguese and Spanish for residents and she helped ensure that City COVID-19 updates were available in multiple languages.

Supporting maintenance of trails throughout Marlborough. Sam identified an area for a new trail to be built behind Stevens Park that will connect Winter Street to the park and allow for increased recreation in the ward.
Protecting remaining open space in the city for future generations in collaboration with the Conservation Commission. Along with state and local leaders, Sam supported the additional funding to support the purchase of more than 33 acres to expand Callahan State Park in Marlborough. She toured the property and met with the owner a year prior to understand this parcel's relation to the ecosystem of the park and its historic importance (see more info here).
Continuing her advocacy for a city dog park given large interest from residents, Sam has kept in contact with the Conservation Officer to push for significant resident involvement in the upcoming 2021 open space plan public feedback.
Preserve and protect watersheds to wetland and water resource areas as noted in the city’s open space plan.

Our local businesses are what make Marlborough unique. Coming out of the pandemic, it is important for us to continue our dine and shop local campaigns and continue to support increased outdoor dining.
To bolster downtown, Councilor Perlman proposed a mural ordinance (see more here) that would allow for public art in the community, increase foot traffic downtown, provide increased pride in our city and a free and socially distant source of enjoyment for residents. She continues to work with the Mayor’s office about how to start piloting various forms of public art.
Highlight the development of our new library and anchor it as a community space to draw more people to downtown and increase walkability of the strip.

Frequent touchpoints with the School Committee and school events so that the work of the Council can be in tandem with educational efforts. Sam has continued to maintain relationships with the Superintendent and support various school initiatives such as with the Hearts for Heroes project with the Art Department (see more here).
Given Sam’s background in civic education, she continues to be a resource on project based civic education for our schools and has brought that enthusiasm to youth engagement in our community.
- Sam is currently working to reactivate our Youth Commission and has worked with students to inform their peers about local government such as with their Meet Marlborough event last year about how to get involved (see more here). She even launched a Youth podcast with students about civic engagement called Youth Voice Matters - check it out here.
Prioritizing additional language services for English Language Learners and ensuring that student learning has increased after possible gaps during remote learning.

Reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and move towards net zero.
More renewable energy such as solar on municipal buildings.
Add bike lanes and public transportation options to help residents use less cars.
Increase recycling and education on what can be recycled in our city as well as promotion of our citywide composting program.
Although not a voting member, Sam has attended the new Climate Resiliency Council Committee meetings and is excited to engage residents.

Sam continues to prioritize a west-end fire station as an overdue goal for the city. She does not want further development construction without the increased fire safety capacity (see more info here).
Using strong commercial tax base and high bond rating to reinvest in our community (our people, businesses, public spaces).
Sam continues to advocate for efficient road repairs and traffic assessments to decrease speeding in residential areas and smoother travel in the city.

Ensure Marlborough has housing at all income levels as 25.9% of home owners are cost burdened by housing (more than 35% of income), not just high-end apartments, and promoting opportunities for seniors to stay in their homes.
Increased mental health resources, especially with the rise in services needed during the pandemic.
Increased local food pantry access remains a massive need as food insecurity is on the rise across Massachusetts. Sam volunteers with the Marlborough Community Cupboard and organizes food drives to support their efforts. She was thrilled to see the impact of a state earmark on the facility, which allowed for a remodeling of their space and increased storage/refrigeration.