New Bedford election: New Bedford mayoral candidates state their platforms
NEW BEDFORD — Six candidates are vying for the New Bedford mayoral seat: incumbent Mayor Jon Mitchell, and challengers Nathan J. Almeida, Ryan Duarte, Michael Janson, Xavier R. Cardona, Richard Tyson Moultrie.
The city's preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Oct. 3 for mayor, at-large city councilor, and Ward 5 city councilor. The top two mayoral and Ward 5 finishers, along with the top 10 at-large council candidates will compete in the municipal election on Nov. 7.
As part of The Standard-Times' election coverage, we asked each of the candidates to submit their candidate platforms. Here, in their words, are their statements about why they should lead the city.
What you need to know: New Bedford preliminary election Voter's Guide
Xavier Cardona
Being born and raised and New Bedford should make anyone feel proud. Once the wealthiest city in North America per capita. Today, even after 35 years of residing here many families and individuals struggle with gang and gun violence, homelessness, and substance abuse. Appropriate assistance for mental health where they reside. Now there's an uprise in gentrification. For the last 17 years I have been assisting individuals and families to improve their quality of life in this city. Whether it is overcoming homelessness, or financial hardship, connecting appropriate resources for mental health and substance abuse issues, facilitating fatherhood and youth programs In schools, prisons, court systems, family resource centers, and state agencies. I'm asking for your vote in the 2024 mayoral election because New Bedford is "community voice empowered!"
Ryan Duarte
This country is considered a corporate entity funded by private investors, lobbyists, and conglomerates of corporations. We’re forced to pay taxes on everything while small businesses are dying and big corporations are taking over every aspect of our lives.
New corporate storefronts popping up in our city making our people sick with the #1 leading cause of death and disease. Along with leaving our community filled with their pollution and yet our officials are worried about banning small business products rather than fighting with such corporate entities from harmful fast food chains to harmful pharmaceutical companies.
Or new outside investors buying up all our real estate, while hardworking citizens are forced to work double just to afford rent, mortgages, or just the cost of living. Businesses and locals are being forced out while our community doubles down on gentrifying our area. Once again it shows the true colors of corporate America suffocating our democracy.
Only 10% of NB population are registered voters. That’s only 10,000 people out of 100,000. I’m here to raise awareness and bring back our democracy to we the people, so that we may choose the lives we live rather than take orders from corporate interests that don’t care about us.
The negligence and lack of care for the people are disgusting and show the authoritarian regime that our country complies with. We need to fight back as it is our duty to defend and uphold our constitutional rights!
Michael Janson
(No photo provided)
As a candidate for mayor, I have concerns over an out-of-control city budget that does not match our revenue sources. Going to the taxpayer year after year to foot the bill is unfair and unsustainable.
In the past 4 years, this administration has increased the city’s operating budget by $145 million, with revenue losses. What does this mean? Extreme tax increases. This puts added pressure on the homeowner and small businesses to make ends meet. This also drives up rent, and our mayor vetoed rent control.
What happened to proposition 2 ½? This was put in to protect the taxpayer, yet year after year this mayor has found ways to get around it and spend more of your money.
As your mayor, I will stop Parallel Products Company from moving biowaste into our north-end business park. It’s a health hazard and will bring property values down.
My role as mayor is to find new revenue sources, initiate rent control, stop overspending, and no new increases to our city’s operating budget. I will also move the mayor’s office back to the first floor where it will be more accessible to our residents that have issues that need to be addressed.
When elected, I’ll work 24/7 to bring our city back to the great city it once was.
Jon Mitchell, incumbent
Too often in politics today, talk passes for action, and partisanship has replaced problem-solving. It's extremely frustrating, and it's happening seemingly everywhere, especially in Washington.
I ran for mayor because I believed that it didn't have to be that way, at least not in New Bedford. I believe just as firmly now that the residents of our City deserve accountable and effective city government.
I take pride in the fact that my administration has done what I said it would do. And the results speak for themselves.
Working together, we have reduced the City’s unemployment from thirteen percent to five percent, raised the four-year graduation rate in our schools and the City’s bond rating to their highest points ever, reduced crime by over 30 percent, built new public spaces like the HarborWalk and CoveWalk, and ushered in the offshore wind industry amid hundreds of millions of dollars in new port infrastructure.
Our approach has required persistence and hard work, but it is working. As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in more infrastructure – streets, sidewalks, water and sewer lines, and port facilities.
We will facilitate the construction of new housing for people at every income level.
We will invest in our police department so that it can continue to keep our city safe.
We will close the learning gap in our schools left behind by the pandemic.
New Bedford has tremendous momentum now, and I ask for your vote so we won’t skip a beat.
The following candidates are also running for mayor, but did not submit a statement for the preliminary mayoral race: Nathan J. Almeida and Richard Tyson Moultrie.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford mayoral candidates state their platforms
