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?
I’ve spent the last several years advocating for policies to move Newburyport forward and reporting on City Council meetings to help busy residents stay informed. With so many important issues to tackle to make sure Newburyport works for everyone, I think it’s time for some fresh voices, some fresh ideas and a new dynamic on the Council.
If elected, what would be your top 3 priorities?
1. 50 years ago, Newburyport leaders had a vision of what the city could be, and acted — radically — to preserve our historic downtown. Our outer wards are no less important, and we have a real opportunity now to ensure that new development fulfills our vision of what we want Newburyport to look and feel like 50 years from now. Spot zoning and reactive measures won’t suffice. It’s time to reopen our city-wide plan to address our needs, which include safe streets, neighborhoods connected to local businesses, and more affordable housing options. The future will not look like the past, and we must decide together what it will be.
2. Our vision for the future must also address the reality of climate change and its effect on our infrastructure. In particular, our water supply is vulnerable, and we must invest in upgrades to protect it on a fiscally feasible timeline.
3. At the risk of citing a Newburyport cliché: streets and sidewalks. Even the youngest resident I’ve spoken to said his street was too bumpy (before inviting me in to see his Lego collection). Our budget limitations are real, so select paving occurs according to the five-year plan. However, some of our neighborhood issues may be solved — or at least improved — with creative solutions about traffic flow, line painting, and signage.
How has prior experience (either professional or personal) prepared you for this role?
I spent the first half of my working life teaching English and Spanish in Massachusetts public schools, where teachers are charged with building classroom communities that connect and support everyone. This is a skill I hope to bring to the council floor to help bridge divides and bring more people to the table to find solutions for Newburyport.
About a decade ago, I pivoted in my career to become a professional writer with a focus on finance. I am a skilled researcher who can break down complex issues so they can be easily understood and acted upon. This work gives me insight into the city’s financing mechanisms—and the experience to know when I need to learn more to understand the big picture. I’m also passionate about providing clear, accurate, and timely information to residents about city issues.
What can city government do to make local housing more affordable?
Massachusetts’ housing crisis was decades in the making, so there are no silver bullets here. It will take time to increase our housing stock to the point where supply meets demand and brings down some of the runaway costs. In the meantime, it’s important that Newburyport pulls all of the levers at our disposal to help make more of our housing more affordable.
Options worth exploring include upzoning to make it easier for developers to build duplexes instead of oversized single-family homes, expanding our historical preservation definitions to protect modest midcentury homes, and a residential property tax exemption to shift some of the burden away from year-round residents who live in less-than-million-dollar homes.
Do you think residents are getting their money’s worth in city services from taxes?
There are limits to the comparisons we can make between government and private industry, and this strikes me as one of them. Local government doesn’t function as a Walmart where residents shop for the items they want. We don’t walk into City Hall to pick up new sidewalk trees when we want more shade or to return a high school science lab because our own kids have graduated and no longer need it.
We invest in city services not only for ourselves and our immediate needs, but to ensure that they are here for our neighbors and for our descendants. That requires ongoing, good-faith conversations about our values balanced against our budget. And, of course, we should regularly evaluate our services to make sure they run as effectively and efficiently as possible.
How would you balance historic preservation with more practical concerns like safety and accessibility?
I do not believe that historic preservation is inherently at odds with safety and accessibility. Like most city issues, the balancing act comes when we weigh all of our needs and wants against the reality of our budget. When those issues arise, I think we could all benefit from approaching the conversation with the mantra “assume goodwill.”
I first encountered this norm in school department meetings, and it transformed the way we interacted, even during passionate debates. When we remember that we all love Newburyport and want the best for its people, we can approach complex issues with a baseline of respect and a focus on solving problems instead of scoring points.
How do you think Newburyport schools stack up against others in Essex County?
I’m not convinced that rankings or comparisons are a meaningful way to evaluate our schools. When we see a ranked list of “Top School Districts,” what we are often looking at is a direct reflection of the socio-economic status of each district. Our definition of success should instead be based on outcomes against our community’s standards.
As for what those standards should be, Newburyport High School has provided a thoughtful and well-rounded Portrait of Graduate that addresses academic outcomes as well as social and emotional ones. Both standardized tests and teachers’ own experiences have shown that the pandemic caused significant delays in student learning in all of these areas. The challenge of this decade will be to close those gaps — and to wrestle with all the ways in which technology is both a help and a hindrance to the development of the mind.
As both a teacher and a parent, I also know that aggregate measures only tell us so much about individual students. We rely on our schools to deliver what our children need and to meet them where they are — and in this, I can say my family’s experience of Newburyport Public Schools has by and large been a good one. It is extraordinarily challenging to maintain a learning standard for all while creating individualized learning experiences, and this essential work is not easily captured in a county-wide list of test scores.
What else should voters know about you?
I am really enjoying getting to know people in Ward 4 as I knock on doors to introduce myself. If I come by you don’t feel like talking about politics, we can always talk about something else. Some of my favorite topics are the Red Sox, gardening, and musical theater, but I love to hear people talk about their own passions, no matter what they are.
Beth Trach is a candidate for Newburyport City Council, Ward 4. Election and early voting information can be found here.
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