Meet City Council Candidate Miranda Briseno

How many years have you lived in Medford? 

I have lived in Medford for almost 7 years, in the Hillside neighborhood.

Please describe your professional background and education. 

I attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, for college where I received my B.A. in government and international politics, and sociology. I then attended graduate school at Tufts University where I received my M.A. in urban and environmental policy and planning.

I currently work for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in the Office of Transportation Planning. In my role at MassDOT, I have come to understand the processes involved in accessing transportation funding for large capital projects and managing essential programs, such as the Safe Routes to School program. I also work with municipalities and regional planning agencies, helping them utilize transportation funding to its full potential to further important transportation initiatives across the Commonwealth.

I also used to work at Medford City Hall in the Planning, Development, and Sustainability office, first as an intern and then as a full-time planner. I spearheaded Medford’s COVID-19 business relief grant program, providing crucial funding to Medford restaurants, corner stores, salons and spas, and more so that they could survive during an unpredictable time. I worked to secure funding for Medford’s first Bluebikes stations, led the city’s development of its first outdoor dining policy and program, and expanded accessible public transit infrastructure with the addition of bus shelters and benches.

In between my time at Medford City Hall and MassDOT, I worked for the nonprofit called WalkMassachusetts, focused on working directly with communities and empowering residents with the language and information they need to advocate for safer streets for pedestrians. I worked with communities all the way from the New York/Massachusetts border to neighborhoods in Boston like Mattapan and East Boston to right here in Medford, working on local wayfinding signage to encourage residents to walk and bike more by showcasing the short amount of time it takes to get to destinations on foot or bike. You can still see some of these signs around Medford, in particular in Medford Square.

What, if any, city positions (appointed or elected) have you held, and for how long? 

n/a

What volunteer roles have you participated in that you feel have made a difference in Medford? 

I have volunteered and organized with Our Revolution Medford (ORM), Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS), and more recently LUCE.

My volunteer time with MAMAS is focused on helping our neighbors meet their basic needs. I am paired with a family, and I help them with groceries. At MAMAS, everyone has something to offer and something they need.

My volunteer work with LUCE is focused on protecting immigrants from ICE overreach and making sure everyone has due process rights.

With Our Revolution Medford, I have had the opportunity to develop deep relationships with my neighbors of many backgrounds and generations as we organize to elect progressive candidates and advocate for progressive policies in Medford. Through canvassing for candidates, and now myself, I have had conversations with hundreds of residents at their doors about what is important to them and how they want to see the city move forward.

Why should residents vote for you? 

I bring a unique background to the City Council. As a transportation planner, and one with experience working at the state level with different types of funding streams, I am well versed in the ways Medford can more strategically utilize the funding we receive for transportation and take advantage of current funding opportunities at the state level. We all want safer streets, and that is my day job.

Additionally, my experience working at City Hall means I have developed relationships across the city and have the background about where our city departments need more support and funding to keep building a Medford that everyone can call home.

What do you believe are the top 3 issues currently facing the city of Medford? How do you specifically plan to address those issues?

I have four issues I highlight in my platform, so I will highlight those!

Roadway Safety

Our roads and sidewalks are in desperate need of not just basic maintenance but are also in need of improvements to make our neighborhoods safer for those trying to get around outside of a vehicle. In the last 5 years, Medford has seen at least 84 crashes which resulted in serious injuries or fatalities (MassDOT IMPACT Portal). We need to treat traffic violence like the emergency it is. I will advocate for proven traffic calming measures such as curb bump-outs to shorten crosswalks and increase visibility; raised crosswalks; and narrowing turn radii; and I will advocate for the budgeting to make these street rehabilitations possible. I will also advocate for an ADA transition plan to help make public space safe and accessible.

The city has a $100+ million backlog of road and sidewalk repairs. We have not made much progress on this because we need new revenue. The tax override last year funded an in-house road repair crew, which will help make state road repair money go farther, but was not enough to actually make all the necessary repairs and improvements. One reason I support new zoning to revitalize our squares is the new tax revenue and impact fees it will bring in, to fund improvements to make our streets safer for everyone.

Affordable Housing

Too many of our neighbors are struggling to afford to stay in Medford and can’t afford to put down roots here. I will be a strong advocate for funding the Affordable Housing Trust to create new, permanent affordable housing in Medford; strengthening requirements for developers to build more affordable housing; pushing for stronger Community Benefits Agreements with developers; and establishing an office of housing stability to prevent the displacement of long-term residents.

Community Safety

A safe community is one where everyone’s basic needs are met, where the most vulnerable members of the community are protected, and where care is at the center of the programs and policies implemented to support people. Continuing to protect our neighbors from unlawful ICE detainments and creating and funding an unarmed, community-based, crisis response team like Cambridge HEART and Lynn CALM will help create a safe Medford for everyone who calls Medford home. Increasing funding for our Health Department’s harm reduction efforts and social services is critical in creating a safe community for everyone.

Fully Funded Public Schools

As a child of a special education teacher and a product of public schools, ensuring that Medford Public Schools are fully funded is a top priority. Vibrant and thriving public schools with a diverse and inclusive student body help create a resilient community. Our schools deserve a budget that allows for increased wraparound support for families through expanded options for after-school and summer care, the expansion of pre-K programs, fee-free arts and extracurricular activities, and competitive pay for staff.

I fully support building a new flagship high school so that Medford’s youth can attend school in a building that matches the exceptional education provided by our many dedicated teachers and staff. The city needs to develop a revenue plan that covers a portion of the building costs, so that the funding for a new high school does not require multiple overrides or debt exclusions.

Transparency and communication are vital in representative government. What steps will you or have you taken to keep your constituents informed about local decisions and to explain your voting rationale?

I am proud of my values and I commit to always being honest and transparent about my goals in office and the strategies I will pursue to win more affordability, safety, and accessibility for our community. I commit to being accessible and communicative with residents during my time in office, and as much as possible, keeping residents informed about City Council actions and my initiatives via social media, a newsletter, and by holding regular office hours. I will also work alongside other council members and the city administration to ensure everyone in Medford is equipped with crucial information about what is happening in the city in a language that is accessible to them.

What specific methods will you use to gather and represent your constituents’ perspectives on issues that come before the City Council?

I will read public comments submitted by email and follow up with residents. I will listen to public comments submitted during meetings. I will hold office hours to have deeper conversations with constituents about the complex challenges our city is facing. I will work to meet residents and constituents where they are at, instead of asking them to come to me, to hear directly from them about the issues they face on a daily basis.

The past two years, the City Council has been updating the zoning across the city. Many residents feel the process has been too quick and has covered too much at once. What are your thoughts on that? If elected, how would you approach zoning?

Like half of Medford, I am a renter. I am also a public servant. We have a housing crisis where many houses in Medford now cost over $1 million. Without a solution, I and many others like me will never be able to afford a home on a public sector salary. I have attended public meetings to advocate for more new housing and stronger affordability requirements to help bring down prices. I commit to working with residents, the mayor, and my colleagues on the City Council to implement solutions as quickly as possible.

More affordable housing is urgent for many reasons. Medford is currently out of compliance with the state requirement that 10% of our housing stock be affordable. We have safe harbor because of the 2022 Housing Production Plan, but without 10% affordable housing, we will lose the ability to enforce our zoning code on 40B developers in June 2026. That is just around the corner.

This rezoning includes new affordable housing incentives, new environmental requirements, and allows for more development to revitalize our city. I support new development because it pays impact fees to our DPW and first responders and brings in new revenue to fix our streets and fund our schools.

There are also many residents frustrated that the values of our Comp Plan, HPP, and CAAP are not being implemented MORE quickly, but I support a reasonable pace and middle path by approaching commercial corridors first. Therefore, I support continuing the zoning process, continuing covering the zoning proposals at a high level of detail in dozens of public meetings, but also continuing to treat updating our zoning as the crucial and overdue project that it is. I agree with the approach to re-zone commercial corridors first.

The zoning work this term is built upon 3 previous years of planning work by the two previous City Councils. Since 2022, the City Council has modernized our entire zoning code and rezoned Mystic Avenue. and Salem Street. The zoning work this term is based on the work of the 2023 Comprehensive Plan, which alone includes input from thousands of residents.

There have been City Council meetings that have gone past midnight. Do you really think these marathon meetings are serving the public? Should there be a time cap on meetings for everyone’s sake?

It's so important that these meetings are accessible to the public. I regret that these meetings often go late. However, I recognize that to start them earlier in the day would mean that many people who work 9-5 jobs and then do childcare after work would be boxed out of listening or attending.

Shorter meetings would help everyone. However, a time cap would limit public comments. The current City Council already shortened public comment from 5 minutes to 3 minutes to try to address marathon meetings. I don’t think there is an easy answer to making sure everyone is heard while preserving space for deliberation. I am open to hearing proposals to improve the process for everyone. I would be interested in more comprehensive data collection around who is commenting at public meetings and how often. Often, the people who are able to take the time to make a comment at a public meeting are a small subset of the greater population and can skew the perception of how people feel about an issue.