Meet the Candidate- Heather Shand (At-large City Council)

This profile is part of a “Meet the Candidate” series. All candidates were given the opportunity to answer the same questions. Their responses are published verbatim, without any editing.

Why did you decide to run for office?

Having been on the council for four terms, I am proud of our accomplishments, including: Market Landing Park design and construction, the Brown School zoning for Senior Affordable Housing, and the updated zoning around our train station to meet the state’s ambitious housing production goals. These projects have shown me how much I enjoy giving back to the community.

If elected (or reelected), what would be your top 3 priorities?

1. Affordable Housing
2. Infrastructure for water and sewer improvement efforts
3. Sustainability efforts for the community

What can city government do to make local housing more affordable?

We need to assess what additional zoning opportunities we have to allow development of more affordable units. We passed the state MHP rezoning around our current 40R, we rezoned the Brown School for Senior Affordable, and we passed ADU legislation allowing for ADU’s by right. There’s more to be done. Once the state and federal government sort out the ownership and land use of the C&J parking lot, we should work on zoning it for housing and utilize it as an MVRTA stop.

Do you think residents are getting their money’s worth in city services from taxes?

I do. Every time I walk our rail trail and the Market Landing Park, every time I hear about the success of a Newburyport graduate, I think the residents should be proud of what we’ve accomplished.

How would you balance historic preservation with more practical concerns like safety and accessibility?

Leaders in the 60’s decided they didn’t want our historic buildings torn down to create strip malls. They prided themselves on retaining our historic downtown buildings that have made Newburyport what it is today. We should be vigilant about ensuring ADA compliance for all our sidewalks, especially downtown. There are ways to balance the historic aspects of our community while assuring safety and accessibility for all.

How do you think Newburyport schools stack up against others in Essex County?

I think our schools provide a very good education. As a proud aunt of a Newburyport grad who will be graduating from college this coming spring, I know the various opportunities that allowed them to take classes at NECC helped when starting college. Do we have more to do as far as catching up after the pandemic, yes. But overall, I believe Newburyport provides a very good education for our young people as compared to other schools in the county.

What else should voters know about you?

With 30+ years as an engineer for GE Aerospace, I’ve learned the importance of collaboration. No one person designs and builds a jet engine. It takes a very big team collaborating to create something that complex. Those same skills are needed on the council. We are only as strong as our 6 (or 8 votes) required to pass legislation. Having been on the Planning and Development Committee, I know zoning changes require 8 votes. It takes compromise and collaboration to get 8 votes.

I ask the people of Newburyport for one of their 5 votes for Councillor At-Large.

Heather Shand is a candidate for Newburyport City Council, at large. Election and early voting information can be found here.