J. Christian Dumais says Marlborough must make things clear for all of its residents

MARLBOROUGH — In 2015, J. Christian Dumais did something he never expected to do. He ran for public office.

After spending time as a business owner, having helped launch his family business, DruMais Salon and Day Spa on Springhill Avenue in 2010, Dumais thought he could do a better job representing the needs of his neighbors and customers.

"I had gotten involved through by business with the Chamber of Commerce, and I wanted to take that involvement to the next level," he said in a recent interview. "I didn't think that my ward, Ward 3, was being adequately represented."

Election 2023: Two Marlborough city councilors announce intent to run for mayor

Dumais, 42, was not successful in 2015 — he lost to incumbent Matthew Elder, 405-260. Undeterred, Dumais ran again two years later and this time he defeated Elder, 391-334. Since then, Dumais has represented Ward 3 on the City Council, winning reelection in 2019 and 2021.

This year, Dumais is seeking a bigger office; he's running for mayor.

"There were quite a few things going on in the last year," Dumais said. "I don't think Mayor (Arthur) Vigeant and the council were working that well together, we were losing a lot of talented people in the city departments. We lost three or four talented people."

Dumais says that after 12 years, 'things get kind of stagnant'

Dumais declared his candidacy on March 30, four days before Vigeant announced he would not seek a seventh two-year term as mayor. Dumais said that while he appreciates the work that Vigeant has done, getting the city into a strong financial position and making it an attractive place for business and families, he believes it was time for a change at City Hall.

"I think after 12 years, things kind of get stagnant," Dumais said. "As a city councilor, I wasn't getting told information. When my street was closed due to construction, I was not notified as a resident. Things of that nature shouldn't be happening. So for the same reason I ran for city councilor, I did not think we were being represented well. So I decided, why not?"

In the Oct. 10 preliminary election, Dumais earned 1,491 votes — second to fellow City Councilor Samantha Perlman's 1,766 — to qualify for the Nov. 7 city election.

Increasing communication, diversity in Marlborough

Dumais said that over the last couple of decades, Marlborough has experienced significant growth and an increasingly more diverse population. But he said the city has been slow to bring different groups together and to fully integrate the community.

"There has been a lot of growth and a diverse population moving into Marlborough over the last 25 years," Dumais said. "A lot of that is needed, but I also think there is a lack of community, of people coming together.'

Dumais said as mayor, he would like to hire more people working for the city who are representative of Marlborough's population, particularly those who speak Portuguese.

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"The mayor position can actually hire people that speak Portuguese and English, that can have some type of representation in the mayor's office or throughout City Hall, so they have an avenue or access to the city," Dumais said. "I don't think the city (right now) advocates enough on how people can reach out and become involved. Our website is completely outdated. It's always in English and it's hard to find things even if you're an English-speaker."

Dumais said increasing communication and making things clear to all residents and business owners is critically important, and that starts at City Hall.

"I met with a business owner who is from Brazil, and they were closed for business for six months because they didn't understand the building permit process," he said. "That is six months of rent that they had to pay out, and they aren't even open. Things like that should not happen in a diverse city. We need to ask ourselves how we can be accessible and business friendly for that."

Increasing pay for city employees

Dumais said another concern is the number of city employees who have left for better-paying jobs in surrounding communities.

"We are short-staffed on many levels," he said. "From the DPW, to fire, to police, to the school system. We need to look at salaries across the board. It's a huge issue and they have been underpaid for quite some time."

Dumais plans to conduct a salary survey to see how competitive Marlborough is with other communities.

"For example, if the DPW commissioner is making a certain amount, yet they could go to a different community and get paid $10,000 to $20,000 more, let's look at that and see if we are competitive," he said.

Dumais added that additional goals include helping establish a westside fire station, improvements to infrastructure, and looking at owner-occupied housing concepts, such as condos or accessory dwelling units, instead of relying on large apartment buildings.

Dumais said he believes he's the best candidate for mayor, citing his years of experience not only as an elected official, but as a business owner in the city and his passion for Marlborough.

"Experience matters," he said. "Owning a business, a hair salon, not only do you have management experience but you have a good pulse of what people in the community want. I don't think (Sam Perlman) has that experience. I don't think age is a factor but I do think that life experience does matter. I think what I say and how I act is truly genuine in my love for the community. I'm here to stay, I'm invested here. I truly love this community and I want the best in this community because it should be the best."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Marlborough city councilor J Christian Dumais is running for mayor