Meet City Council Candidate Liz Mullane

How many years have you lived in Medford? 

My husband and I bought our home in Medford in 2018 and live here with our two rescue dogs, BJ and Brody.

Please describe your professional background and education. 

I received my BA from the University of Michigan and my MBA from Texas A&M University. I have worked in the nonprofit world for over 20 years, with one of my first jobs at EMILYs List – and since then I have worked at a variety of large, complex nonprofit institutions raising funds for numerous causes from medical research, mental health, and disease specific initiatives; library services and technology; and capital, scholarship and programmatic needs within higher education and the hospital system.  

My current role is assistant vice president of advancement at Northeastern University, where I oversee several teams that support all programs and colleges throughout campus. I am also an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern in their graduate nonprofit management program, teaching adult learners about building and working within a nonprofit organization.

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

None

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

I became a member of the Medford Democratic City Committee shortly after moving into Medford and I also served as the Ward 2 chair since 2021.  

Why should residents vote for you? 

I believe my skill sets would bring a new voice and a different perspective to City Council. My background in fundraising for community services and improved resources would be helpful to have as we review revenue streams for the city. My graduate education in financial planning, operations and strategic management would be useful in helping to navigate many of the initiatives the council addresses. Having worked within complex institutions, I have been able to successfully bring different perspectives and opinions to the table and help navigate difficult conversations to move progress forward. As an educator, I have a level of patience and willingness to listen that I believe would serve well in this type of role. And as the chair of Ward 2 in Medford, I’ve had the opportunity to see how residents have been engaged in the political environment and feel what I’ve learned over the past several years could help inform on resident’s perspectives about the various issues facing the city.

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

• More budget transparency and revenue driving initiatives – look to new and creative ways to bring funds into the city to support community initiatives like more mental health counselors, mobile senior services, and increased staffing for the library; utilizing my professional background in fundraising to identify new revenue streams and my education to assist in the review of budget allocations and spending.
• Work with small businesses to make a more streamlined approach for entering Medford, helping to grow our commercial tax base.
• Improving our streets and sidewalks and championing for a pedestrian safety audit to run through the entire city to address high areas of concern.

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?

Although I am not currently on the City Council, I have worked at an organization where media is an important tool to distribute public information. Therefore, I would continue to share my thoughts, feedback, insights and voting record through my website and newsletters, try to push out messages on social media, and put together short video clips to provide community members with an update on issues in front of the City Council and to share my voting history. 

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

I would hold meetings monthly and office hours to provide a welcoming and open opportunity to meet constituents where they are to hear their perspectives on the issues. I’d hold these opportunities in centralized locations throughout the city – the library, coffee shops and the senior center – to make them accessible to residents. I’d send out information in advance on agenda items up for discussion at City Council meetings and allow time for community response. I would also plan on attending different community events, to meet people where they are and collect any feedback or suggestions they are willing to share.

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?

I believe that zoning is one of many important areas that needs to be reviewed in order to grow affordable housing options in Medford. I am in favor of updating zoning, especially within our corridors and squares, to incorporate more mixed-use development that helps grow our neighborhoods and encourage small business use. Additionally, adding more housing and allowing for more business to enter our city will only help grow our tax base. I believe that residential rezoning is needed throughout the city, and as a councilor I will advocate for more engagement and communication with residents about why city planners and the zoning consulting firm proposed the different zones for each neighborhood, what residents think would work and make sense for their neighborhood, and what factors were considered when developing the proposals. I believe that city-wide communication will be imperative to make sure that residents understand the changes proposed and are kept up to date on the process. I support the request by the City Council for more funding around zoning and extending the time frame by two years to encourage additional feedback and review of current proposals.            

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?

I believe it is a hard balance to ensure that public voices are heard and trying to keep meetings to a reasonable hour. I’m sure the public, as well as the city councilors, would want to reduce the number of late night meetings. While I think we need to review the process and timing of the meetings, I worry that a time cap wouldn’t be beneficial to the people that come to the meetings to speak or to the councilors to effectively do their job. If elected, I would work proactively with the rest of the City Council members to review any additional proposals that might help streamline these meetings and reduce their duration without losing input from both the public and elected officials.