I’m Joe Murphy and I am running for city council to represent Quincy’s Ward One.

I first ran for this office in 2017, making this my second attempt. I learned so much from talking to my constituents in my first campaign and I feel like I have a better understanding of what they want, and what they are lacking in representation. If elected, I will be available and accountable to all Ward One residents. I will be independent and focused on improving the lives of the Ward One residents from all our neighborhoods.

The priorities of my campaign are infrastructure repairs and upgrades, coastal resiliency, encouraging smart-development projects and a greater variety of amenities for Quincy residents. I will continue to stand up to the MBTA mistreatment and work to make Quincy more walkable and bikeable to help relieve much of the traffic issues we now face. My ideas are outlined at my website, www.votejoemurphy.com. My campaign priorities and solutions come directly from conversations with Ward One residents.

When you knock on a door in Ward One, there are themes and topics that come up repeatedly. On one street, it might be a cracked sidewalk that has not been addressed in years and neighbors will tell you how often people trip over it. The next street over folks will point to the grass in a park that is routinely overgrown. Another set of residents will show you a storm drain that backs up during every big storm and sends water into their basements. Near Bernie’s in the Neck, people point to the blighted house with the shattered windows that has been allowed to haunt the neighborhood for the better part of a decade. Further down Sea St. they’ll bring up the boat ramp that remains unusable for most of the day. They point to the Maritime Center that was shuttered before the plans for a replacement were finalized and initiated. In Merrymount you’ll hear about commuters racing through their neighborhoods to shave off a few minutes and get further up Quincy Shore Drive. In Quincy Center you’ll hear about ill-conceived traffic patterns that make getting around impossible. People don’t need to look far to point out the ways the city could improve their lives.

No candidate will possess a magic wand that can solve all our problems easily. But we can ask that our leaders start discussions and formulate strategies to start picking these problems off one at a time.

To make myself as available as possible, I will host weekly office hours at locations around Ward One so that constituents who want the ear of the councilor can come and talk in person. I will also host regular community meetings to get the input of residents before decisions are made. Too many times, our community meetings are held to tell us what decisions are being inflicted upon us rather than making us a part of the discussion.

I will use social media to let constituents know what we are working on, to take in their concerns, and get them answers quickly. In 2019, we need to be able to find people where they are: online, offline, in their homes, during office hours, and on the phone. It should not be hard for residents to reach and get a response from their Ward Councilor. If we are willing to walk around the neighborhood to win your vote, we need to be willing to be around to earn your vote.

It’s important that we send new voices to city council. The city works best when there are checks and balances and a mix of experience and fresh ideas. If elected, I will support the good initiatives, and push back on the bad. I will partner with fellow councilors to enrich life in Quincy but the needs of Ward One will always be at the center of my work.

*This submission to the Quincy Sun was made too late in the election cycle. If I’m fortunate enough to get past the primary it should run then.