Issues​

• The tri-town water treatment plant is a great step in the right direction and I fully support the creation of it.
• The treatment plant covers Randolph, Holbrook, and Braintree. The tri-town water treatment plant uses filtration that removes PFAS from the water which is something that Randolph currently struggles with regarding our drinking water. The plant is expected to be completed sometime in 2025.

• Add clear disclaimers on town websites regarding vulnerable groups that could potentially be affected by the sodium level of the town’s drinking water.
• Mail easy-to-understand water reports to every resident of Randolph that shows the results of our monitoring.
• Utilize text alerts more for information regarding our water.
• Increase the amount of monitoring we currently do of our water. Water quality can change drastically from week to week.

• We should be regularly flushing our water pipes every year. This town has gone some years without flushing the pipes which has caused significant amounts of sediment to build up frequently. That is why when we do flush our pipes, the color of the water appears brown. Flushing our water more frequently would prevent this sediment buildup in the first place.

• The Randolph Town Council needs to vote after the start of June 2024 on the implementation of a new shuttle bus to provide bus service to thousands of residents who currently don’t have any easy-to-access options for public transportation. I will vote yes, and push as hard as I can to make sure the shuttle bus is actually implemented.

• Let’s make buses in Randolph free to use for all residents. This would lead to increased ridership which means fewer cars on the road leading to less traffic, less carbon emissions, fewer car accidents, and plenty of residents saving money.
• This would include the future shuttle bus routes and possibly the MBTA bus routes that lead into Randolph.

The shuttle bus is currently under a feasibility study to figure out the best ways to implement the bus, so we don’t have concrete numbers yet, so things are subject to change but Andrew does have ideas.

Andrew believes that we can fund the shuttle bus service without raising taxes a single penny on Randolph residents. Here’s how:

1. Andrew supports negotiating with BAT, the Brockton transit system to potentially have Randolph be covered by their transit authority which would make the bus service in Randolph a joint effort that would benefit the Brockton transportation network as a whole and help Randolph.
2. The bus will be traveling past the apartment complexes and will be commonly used by tenants. We should make a deal with the management of the big apartment complexes to have them help pay for the bus service. It should be counted as a public service that is also a service of the apartments. We could potentially calculate it based on the usage from their tenants to come to an appropriate number. That way, the apartment complexes will pay their fair share of the bus service.
3. Andrew agrees with implementing fares for people outside of Randolph. Anyone not from Randolph would have to pay a fare to use the bus, while Randolph residents can receive a card verifying their residence in Randolph to use the bus fare-free. This will help make up costs from external use of the service.
4. Andrew has many policies to bring money in, including his support of bringing marijuana dispensaries into the town. Having legal marijuana would provide a safe source of the drug and put many illegal drug dealers out of business. Many other towns have taxed legal marijuana profits which has led to millions of dollars being added to their communities. We don’t want to miss out on this industry and have all of the dispensaries go to Brockton and the surrounding towns, We need to get a cut of the industry’s profit by bringing in dispensaries, and Andrew believes this should be put back up for a vote in a future election. We can use this revenue to fund the bus. Perhaps, it could even fully pay for it by itself.
5. Grants for this type of service exist and are provided by the state. Randolph misses out on way too many grants! As a Town Councilor, it will be a top priority of mine to get the town qualified for grants to cover this service.
6. Expanded public transport also brings money into the town in the long term, partly paying for itself. Expanded transport allows people to travel to their work to higher paying jobs they couldn’t reach before, allows residents to travel and spend more on goods and services, and overall increases economic mobility. All of this brings in more tax revenue the town can use to help pay for the bus service.
7. Other parts of the platform that bring money into the town can help pay for the shuttle bus as well.

• I will request to do a walkability study to determine the biggest weaknesses in our planning and the biggest struggles for pedestrians.
• I support the creation of more walking paths, bike trails, and bike racks.
• Walkability needs to be a big factor in our decisions regarding town planning. I am a big proponent of the 15-minute rule.

• I fully support the creation of a roundabout (rotary) on the Route 28 Randolph Avenue/Chickatawbut intersection. It is considered one of the most dangerous intersections in the state. A roundabout is the best-proposed solution. It will save lives, improve traffic, save you money, and help the environment
• Roundabouts show big reductions in fatal car accidents and car accidents in general
• The flow of traffic will significantly improve
• Traffic improvement will mean less idle time. This means you will use less fuel on the intersection which will save you money on gas.
• Less traffic also means fewer emissions and less pollution

Research done on roundabouts show massive safety benefits:

• Studies of intersections in the United States converted from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts have found reductions in injury crashes of 72-80 percent and reductions in all crashes of 35-47 percent (Retting et al., 2001; Eisenman et al., 2004; Rodegerdts et al., 2007).
• A study of 19 higher-speed rural intersections (speed limits of 40 mph or higher) that originally had stop signs on the minor approaches and were converted to roundabouts found a 62 percent reduction in all crashes and an 85 percent reduction in injury crashes (Isebrands & Hallmark, 2012).
• Studies of intersections in Europe and Australia that were converted to roundabouts have reported 25-87 percent reductions in injury crashes and 36-61 percent reductions in all crashes (Rodegerdts et al., 2010).
• Based on the results of a 2004 study (Eisenman et al., 2004), it’s estimated that the conversion of 10 percent of the signalized intersections in the United States to roundabouts would have prevented approximately 51,000 crashes in 2018, including 231 fatal crashes and about 34,000 crashes involving injuries.

Research done on roundabouts shows traffic improvement:

• A study of three intersections in Kansas, Maryland and Nevada where roundabouts replaced stop signs found that vehicle delays were reduced 13-23 percent and the proportion of vehicles that stopped was reduced 14-37 percent (Retting et al., 2002).
• A study of three locations in New Hampshire, New York and Washington state where roundabouts replaced traffic signals or stop signs found an 89 percent average reduction in vehicle delays and a 56 percent average reduction in vehicle stops (Retting et al., 2006).
• A study of 11 intersections in Kansas found a 65 percent average reduction in delays and a 52 percent average reduction in vehicle stops after roundabouts were installed (Russell et al., 2004).
• An Institute study of two-lane roundabout conversions at two intersections near Bellingham, Washington, found substantial declines in vehicle delays on the minor roads (33 percent and 90 percent) and the proportion of vehicles waiting in queues (35 percent and 43 percent) (Hu et al., 2014). Overall intersections delays increased (12 percent and 22 percent), due to slightly longer delays on the major approaches as vehicles slowed to enter the roundabout

Residents like roundabouts after they have been implemented:

• In three communities where single-lane roundabouts replaced stop sign-controlled intersections, 31 percent of drivers supported the roundabouts before construction, compared with 63 percent shortly after (Retting et al., 2002).
• In three other communities where a one- or two-lane roundabout replaced stop signs or traffic signals, 36 percent of drivers supported the roundabouts before construction compared with 50 percent shortly after (Retting et al., 2006).
• Follow-up surveys conducted in these six communities after roundabouts had been in place for more than one year found the level of public support increased to about 70 percent on average (Retting et al., 2007).
• When two intersections near Bellingham, Washington, were converted to two-lane roundabouts, support for the roundabouts went from 34 percent before construction to 51 percent six months after and 70 percent more than one year after (Hu et al., 2014).

What we shouldn’t do:

• Some people have suggested that heavier police presence on Route 28 would help with the issues it currently faces. This view isn’t backed by research done on the topic.
• “This analysis found no relationship between the density of police officers, the rate of enforcement for driving offenses, and traffic fatalities” – Insurify Study
• “The study results suggest widespread driver road tactics to outwit the traffic police officers. There are also incidents of road traffic corruption and associated punishment avoidance which undermines deterrence and negates the expected general deterrent effect of the police road presence and enforcement.” – Nature
• We also shouldn’t be wasting the resources of our police department on excessive patrolling of traffic. They have resources that are better spent elsewhere.
• In conclusion, advocating more police on Route 28 is an ineffective attempt at a bandaid instead of fixing the fundamental problem which is our road design

We can take some measures to increase general road safety outside of just dangerous intersections.

• I support the strategic use of speed bumps and speed humps in areas that are needed. This would include parking lots, busy pedestrian crossings, and near apartment complexes.
• Fill in gaps where there are no sidewalks
• Implement any other improvements suggested by current traffic studies

• I support the creation of more multi-family housing. We are able to house multiple families using the same amount of land that a single-family house would take up. Single-family housing will always be in Randolph for whoever seeks it but our top priority must be to make sure everyone has a roof above their head while using the limited land we have efficiently.
• Our goal is to make market-rate housing more affordable for the average person. We do that by first building low-income housing to relieve the stress that low-income residents face, while also building luxury housing to attract higher-income residents to those homes and away from market-rate housing. This will open up the supply of market-rate housing leading to lower prices. We’ll no longer have high-income residents competing with low-income residents for the same housing.

• Create a graduated fine system based on income and repeated offenses. Large corporations and small-time landlords shouldn’t be fined the same amount of money. These corporate entities have far more resources than the average landlord and should be fined proportionately as there is no excuse for violations. Currently, corporations such as Waterton who are worth over 9 BILLION dollars are only receiving fines in the thousands or sometimes even as low as $100 for violations. That is barely even a punishment for corporations that big which is why we need to introduce a graduated fine system. This system would increase the fine based on the income of the property owner and the number of repeated offenses.
• Create a new local sanitary code for the town of Randolph. Many tenants are facing issues such as rat infestations, broken appliances, and overflowing trash. In addition to a graduated fine system, the creation of a Randolph sanitary code for rentals that is stricter than the current Massachusetts sanitary code will help aid our effort in creating better living conditions for the people of Randolph.

• I will be a voice on the town council to encourage the growth of tenant unions in Randolph.
• Work with tenant unions on deals, demonstrations, and recruitment efforts.
• Increase awareness of current channels for tenants to submit complaints.

• I want to increase funding for our extracurricular school programs. Students are able to find out more about themselves in these clubs and are able to hone their skills.
• I strongly oppose any defunding of school programs that allow students to express themselves. These programs are essential for the learning environment we are creating in Randolph.
• We need to look towards creating a video production program for students comparable to the award-winning HCAM video production classes provided by Holbrook.

• I fully support Randolph being enrolled in the Community Eligibility Provision which makes school lunch and breakfast free for all students and oppose any efforts to take us out of the program.
• No child should be priced out of being fed at school. Families already pay taxes that go toward the schools, so there is no reason to charge lunch fees on top of that.

• I support fully renovating the Randolph public schools website as it is severely outdated. We need a school website that is easy to use, visually pleasing and reflects the modern times.
• We need to neatly organize information on the website and make any answers parents or students need easy to find.
• Check out for yourself how old the Randolph public school website looks compared to the Holbrook school website

• Randolph should conduct an annual survey for parents and high school students that will be used to collect feedback, questions, experiences, and overall help the town shape our education system for the betterment of all. The survey can be conducted online and the town can mail out postcards to residents to spread awareness of the survey. The postcards would contain the URL of the survey along with a QR code.

• I will always be a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
• Homophobia, transphobia, and bigotry of any kind has no place in Randolph.

• Randolph should be more involved in Pride month
• Being more involved in pride month would make LGBTQ+ residents feel more accepted within the community
• It would sway attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community and create a more accepting environment
• Being more involved in pride month would bring more money to the town during the month of June. There are plenty of people in surrounding towns that have no pride events near them that would travel to Randolph to participate in any activities. More people attending means more people buying concessions, food, and products which brings more money to the town.

• I completely support the town redeveloping commercial properties that have been unused and empty for a long time and using public land that has also gone unused. We can use these properties to generate interest economically in the town.
• We should take advantage of unused land to hold community events

• We need to welcome marijuana dispensaries in Randolph. They will bring an incredible amount of money into the town instead of us letting all business go towards surrounding towns and leaving us in the dirt. Marijuana is not a destructive substance and already is available in Randolph, allowing marijuana dispensaries in the town just makes it safe instead of people getting it from illegal sources.
• The marijuana dispensary vote in 2021 was very close and was ultimately declined by voters because there was a lack of information regarding the initiative and fearmongering swayed the results.
• Marijuana isn’t as bad for your health as even cigarettes or alcohol yet those are readily available in the town.
• Legal marijuana is a multi-billion dollar industry and Massachusetts makes more money from taxing marijuana than it does from alcohol. The tax money we would receive from the sale of legal safe marijuana would be enough to fund so many different projects. Do you want our schools to be properly funded? Do you want our roads to be fixed? Do you want to bring more jobs to the town? Accepting marijuana dispensaries in Randolph will do just that. It will create new jobs and help us raise tax revenue without YOUR taxes increasing whatsoever.

How do we pay for everything that I’m proposing?

• Most of my platform will actually bring money into the town
• We would be able to raise a ton of money from legal marijuana tax revenue that would allow us to expand our budget
• Attracting new businesses into Randolph by using incentives (such as TIF) that will bring in higher-paying jobs which will lead to higher tax revenue
• Bettering our schools will bring more families into Randolph which will lead to higher tax revenue
• Redeveloping properties will raise property values leading to higher property tax revenue and create economic engagement
• Randolph being involved in Pride month and holding Pride events will encourage spending on goods at local businesses
• The shuttle bus and fare-free buses will make it easier for residents to travel to work and seek higher-paying jobs that they couldn’t travel to beforehand, leading to higher tax revenue.