Committee to Elect Margaret Laforest
 Margaret photo
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Hi, I am running for Ward One Councilor and I need your support and vote."
Greetings!
 
Think Globally, Act Locally, Start with Quincy is the slogan of the Quincy Environmental Network and is something I emulate in my daily life.  I recently attended the QEN Candidate's Night and my responses to their questions are below.
 
This Thursday, October 22nd, the Houghs Neck Community Council is hosting a Ward One Candidate's Night at 7pm at St. Thomas Aquinas Hall on Darrow Street, adjacent to Most Blessed Sacrament Church and the HNCC encourages residents of all the Ward One neighborhoods to attend.  Prior to the forum, we will have a sign holding promoting my candidacy starting at 6pm and would appreciate your help.  I hope you can join us, Margaret
What do you see as the three most pressing environmental issues facing the City of Quincy and what are you/would you do to improve these conditions? 

 

 With 26 miles of coastline in Quincy, protecting our coastal environment is a priority.  Living directly on the Houghs Neck waterfront, I see first hand each day the beating our seawalls are taking.  Each Ward One neighborhood has voiced concerns on the conditions of the seawalls and the beach erosion.  In some areas, while the seawall looks fine, the erosion underneath threatens the stability of the wall and needs attention.  Seawall repairs are needed desperately in Ward One.  We need a comprehensive plan to maintain those seawalls to protect our City's public property and taxpayers' property.
 
Raising awareness with Quincy residents that our beaches are safe for use should also be a focus to promote our coastal environment.  I am active with the Friends of Wollaston Beach and while people attend their events at the beach, they are reluctant to go in the water.  Not me, my family regularly swims in the Quincy waters, from boat and shore.  The water is clean in Quincy, and I encourage residents to spend a day at our beaches instead of driving to other communities.  The water quality is tested weekly at the beaches in Quincy with the results being posted on the City's website.  I am concerned that one of the beaches consistently being closed this summer in Ward One was Rhoda Street. I have been in contact with the DPW relative to the sewage drain off from the dated sewage and storm drain system that spans our city. A study of the system has been done and though the city has little funds for this multi- million dollar project, I feel it is one of the issues with the greatest impact on public health and quality of life.  In addressing this issue, we can also save the City a substantial amount in sewage fees it pays to the MWRA.  FWB has stenciled an awareness message which reads "Don't Dump, drains to Wollaston Beach" on drains near the beach to let people know that and I'd like to see this as a step in educating the public of their impact on water quality at the beaches. 
 
Quincy has done a great job restoring it's marshes and is about to embark upon the restoration of the Broad Meadows Marsh.  This project will have a positive impact on Ward One's coastal environment by improving flood, fire and mosquito control.  I look forward to enjoying the passive recreation area, which will be enhanced by increased fish and bird habitats.  Think Globally, Act Locally, Start with Quincy is the slogan of the Quincy Environmental Network and something I emulate in my daily life. 
 
On a global level, climate change is a big concern and we can work on lessening our impact on the environment by being more energy efficient and making Quincy a greener community.  QEN does a great job at raising awareness and the prospect of a community garden, mission to preserve open space and our established Farmer's market all lend to that idea.  Buying local produce for example, reduces the miles traveled from the grower to consumer, which is good for the environment as well as the local economy.
Would you support the installation of a wind turbine somewhere in the City of Quincy, with construction to begin within the next 12 months? 

 

 Yes, I am in support of renewable energy and capitalizing on our wind energy in Quincy.  I am glad to see the City Council pass a wind ordinance to regulate construction but I'm concerned about the locations of wind turbines being considered and the impact it will have on direct abutters. Each turbine must be planned and implemented in a way that the immediate neighbors can accept. I would like to see wind turbines in Quincy benefit our municipal energy bill and our residents.  I am an advocate of sustainable energy solutions and view both of the Hull turbines from my home.

How will you ensure that past hazardous waste contamination is being monitored? 

 

 We recently had an issue relative to this in Ward One at the Bayswater Boatyard in Houghs Neck.  While previously used for boat storage and boat repairs, this site had contained hazardous waste.  While the City had a study done prior to purchasing the parcel, it was later shown that there were areas that needed to be cleaned up.  I worked with the City Solicitor Jim Timmins to get the information to residents, as we were surprised the area had concerns after the city had installed a playground at the site.  Twice a year the City hosts Hazardous Waste Disposal Day, which is quite popular evident by the long lines of cars waiting to access the DPW yard.  DPW does allow drop off of some waste, like mercury, throughout the year.  We need to ensure residents know this resource is available to properly dispose of hazardous waste materials.  The Drug Task Force sponsored a prescription disposal day in which I participated and I will work to continue that effort as well.
Do you support the Governor's statewide goal of reducing GHG emissions by 10-25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050?  If so, how will you act in your role as an elected official to support this?

 

 I do feel the state of MA can accomplish the goal of reducing our GHG by 25% by 2020. I feel that the financial burden is on us now with a down in the economy but working with the Commonwealth of reaching this goal is important. Currently there are tax credits available for those enhancing energy efficiency in their homes.  I've recently taken advantage of this by replacing a very drafty window and am considering upgrading my home furnace to a more efficient system and considering solar power.  Grants are also available to the homeowner to take advantage of solar power and other renewable energies.  Through the Honeywell project, Quincy's municipal buildings have been evaluated and updated for energy efficiencies, which will help achieve this goal.  The City can take the lead in converting its fleet of vehicles to alternative fuels.  I will take a role in educating local businesses and homeowners in the steps they can take in their daily lives as to how they can help reduce GHG emissions and make Quincy a greener community.  Some tips, buy local produce, use energy efficient appliances, lower the thermostat, unplug unused electrical devices, use public transportation or carpool.  We need everyone to do their part to help protect our environment and achieve the goal or reducing GHG emissions by 80% by 2050.
What will you do to promote environmental awareness in the city?

 

 A campaign can generate a lot of paperwork and I have significantly reduced the amount of paper my campaign uses by making my team aware of my recycling efforts. I have recycled 90% of my campaign signs by reusing those of past political campaigns and I thank Nick Puleo and other candidates who chose to recycle their signs. I communicate regularly with 800+ Ward One constituents via email and all my electronic communication has an earth friendly reminder to "Please consider the environment before printing this email."   All of my printed campaign literature includes a message saying "recycle for a clean & green future".  My team has got the message so well that my street list I use for going door to door is sometimes printed on discarded business letterhead.  I stay active with environmental issues in Quincy with the Quincy Environmental Network as a member of the QEN list serve.  I have attended QEN meetings, forums and Quincy's recycling committee meetings as well. Each year my family participates in Cleaner, Greener Quincy.  As a lifelong Quincy waterfront resident, I frequently walk the beaches and pick up marine debris.  Coastsweep is a coastal cleanup held internationally on the third Saturday in September and I plan to sponsor a Quincy location in 2010. I am currently chairing the Green Team for the Brill Field Playgound Build Day.  250 volunteers are scheduled to build a playground on October 15th and as chair of the Green Team, my challenge is to recycle, compost and re-gift all materials and food to minimize waste.
We have found that many schools and city offices are inconsistent from one building to the next with regards to recycling.  Some classrooms and offices have bins to recycle while others do not. The effort is not consistent or mandatory.  Program Manager, John Sullivan, has been working diligently on this, but more needs to be done to promote recycling in all of our city schools, offices, public buildings, etc.  What steps would you take to promote greater participation and compliance to recycle in all city buildings? 

 

 I have worked with John Sullivan on the Recycle committee and community events.  Education is key.  John has been working with the schools to educate the students, which is a great opportunity to raise an environmentally active generation.  With such a difficult economy and each city department conscious of its budget situation, we need to communicate to all city departments the impact their recycling has financially as well as its social responsibility.  I would like to see more consistency as recycling brings in money for our City and lessens the amount we spend on trash disposal.  We should have single stream recycling in all of our City buildings.  I would like to see single stream recycle receptacles next to every city trash barrel, particularly at our parks.  Each weekend when I'm at the soccer fields, we bring home our water bottles, as I want to ensure they get recycled and not put in the City's trash.  I work for a non-profit organization and many of us are committed recyclers; we have found quite a financial savings and lessened our waste by printing on both sides of paper. 
In your current or future role as Councilor, what environmental project are you working on or will commit to working on within the City of Quincy?  If you are not currently working on one, would you commit to taking one on?

 

 I majored in Environmental Science at the University of Miami and as a lifelong Quincy waterfront resident, I plan to be active with environmental issues as a Councilor.  I am currently working on an environmental project, as a volunteer for the HNCC sponsored Brill Field Playground Project through KaBoom.  I am heading the Green Team along with Current Ward 1 City Councilor Leo Kelly. We have an opportunity to recycle the old playground structure so that another group can reuse the parts and hardware to make repairs for their playground. We will be recycling the packing materials from the project. The project will serve breakfast and lunch and we will be recycling all the material from those meals.  With the help from the city, we will compost as much of the uneaten portions of the meal as possible.  We will be documenting our project for QATV with a focus on what we were able to recycle, compost, re-gift and minimize what needs to go into the trash.  We will raise awareness by showing residents and educating them with what can be recycled and composted and hopefully show them how easy it is to recycle products they use.
 
Would you introduce/support building ordinances that would provide standards for sustainable/eco-friendly building standards (for example, LEED certification) within the City of Quincy within the first year of your term?  Would you introduce/support sustainable/eco friendly building standards with regard to the new Down Town Development project?

 

 Yes, I would like to see Quincy take a more proactive approach in being a green community and see Green standards such as LEED implemented.  I am also in support of higher standards for city owned buildings. We should evaluate each upgrade we make to our city buildings and weigh the benefit of Green standards to every project we undertake.  Buildings that are LEED certified are environmentally responsible, provide a healthy environment to live and work and have a measurable impact on their building's performance since they are required to evaluate site sustainability, energy & atmosphere, water efficiency, materials & resources, indoor environmental air quality and innovation & design.  I'm excited about the day lighting of the Town Brook relative to the Downtown Development project and want to see green space downtown.  Exposing the brook and repairing the culvert, will sustain the smelt spawning run, alleviate flooding and support the mission of making Quincy a greener community.
Save the Date: Campaign Rally, Thurs. 10-29

 

 Please join The Committee to Elect Margaret Laforest on Thursday, October 29th from 6-9pm at the George F. Bryan VFW Post at 24 Broad Street.  Suggested donation $15 per person, $25 per family (donation not required to attend).
 Contact Information
 
 
Margaret Laforest
Candidate, Quincy City Council Ward One
236 Rock Island Road
Quincy, MA 02169
617-471-1806
www.MargaretLaforest.com

P Please consider the environment before printing this email.