Walter Hubley

Email

whubley@gmail.com

Website and/or Social Media Links

walterhubley.com

Why do you believe you are the best candidate to represent Quincy residents at this time? 

I am the founder of the Wollaston Hill Neighborhood Association (wollastonhill.com), where, for the past 15 years, I have helped neighbors address quality-of-life issues and built community through shared experiences on Wollaston Hill. Through this association, I bring neighbors together by organizing community volunteer opportunities and hosting events that foster strong connections. Our association has assisted countless neighbors with quality-of-life concerns, vigorously opposed unwanted development, prevented zoning changes that would have negatively impacted our neighborhood, and renovated Safford Park on Beale Street. I also founded PorchFest Quincy (porchfestquincy.org), a nonprofit that has strengthened community through shared musical experiences for the past eight years, attracting over 20,000 attendees. I am the only candidate with a proven track record of creating tangible community improvements that Quincy residents experience daily. I have demonstrated the ability to tackle challenging situations and build strong relationships across the city for the betterment of our community. I will bring the same commitment and hard work to all neighborhoods and residents of Ward 3.

What three issues are you most concerned about, and if elected, how will you address them?

Protecting our neighborhoods from overdevelopment and its impacts on quality of life (e.g., traffic and parking), ensuring that Quincy is an affordable and safe place to live, and ensuring our schools are adequately funded to prepare students to thrive as productive, engaged citizens are three key priorities. This can be achieved by advocating for responsible development, carefully evaluating all spending requests before the council, and prioritizing educational funding.

Development projects are necessary to keep housing costs from rising due to limited supply, but we cannot overburden our citizens with the negative impacts of achieving the necessary inventory. We must ensure projects are appropriate and address any existing or potential traffic and pedestrian issues that could be exacerbated by the project.

Effective oversight to ensure we spend our tax dollars wisely can help control city expenses and prevent tax increases. While we need to invest in our city’s infrastructure to enable responsible development, we must ensure all investments have a clear pathway to contributing to the city’s bottom line.

A strong school system and city safety are cornerstones of a vibrant, growing city. There is no greater investment a city can make than investing in a robust public education for its future leaders.

If elected, what steps will you take to ensure responsiveness and clear communication between you and the Quincy community?

Clear and responsive city services start with truly understanding the issues and accurately setting expectations for the path toward resolution. For this reason, I will ensure constituents can contact me through multiple communication channels, acknowledge receipt of their communication, and set expectations for follow-up and potential resolutions. I will use both online and in-person communication and implement a system to track issues and resolutions to ensure accountability for all involved. This will include maintaining a website, newsletter, regular online and in-person meetings, and consistent office hours.

What do you plan to do about Quincy’s $1.6 billion debt? 

The City of Quincy has several types of debt. Approximately 41.2% of the debt is related to pension obligations resulting from pension reform, 8.1% is related to water/sewer, 8.4% is related to MSBA-sponsored school projects, and 1.4% is CPA-related. The council has limited control over these segments of Quincy’s debt composition.

The remaining 40.8% is general debt, and it is in this segment where the city council can exercise future oversight and make an impact. I was raised to live within my means by financially responsible parents who didn’t use a credit card until I was 16 years old. Any spending proposal put before me would need to demonstrate a clear rate of return to Quincy’s bottom line to earn my approval.

I would also be hesitant to raise property taxes to accelerate debt servicing in this inflationary market. Instead, we should prioritize cost reductions and efficiencies to control future debt and pay down existing debt.

What do you think is the most important role of being a City Councillor? 

The most important role of a city councilor is to listen to constituents, vigorously represent their interests, and keep them informed on matters important to them. This requires robust, proactive two-way communication and an active role in community efforts to meet residents where they are. Working alongside Quincy residents is the only true way to hear all voices and represent the needs of all residents, which I have been doing for the past 15 years in my neighborhood of Wollaston Hill.

What will you do to increase civic participation and voter turnout in Quincy? 

I have a strong track record of fostering civic engagement, which I believe is the best way to increase voter turnout.

As Head of School at the Woodward School for Girls, I started the Interact Club (focused on community service) and partnered with parents to introduce a new civics curriculum. As part of this effort, teachers collaborated with students to engage local leaders through advocacy on issues important to the students. Students worked with our state delegation and local city elected officials on matters concerning the environment and safety. For example, a group of students was concerned about a pedestrian safety issue on the route from the MBTA station to the school, and their advocacy led to crosswalk and traffic light improvements. These students experienced the results of their efforts firsthand daily.

I also worked with our drama department to create a school assembly in honor of the 100th anniversary of Susan B. Anthony’s historic speech, delivered after her arrest for casting an illegal vote in the presidential election of 1872. The assembly included a dramatic reinterpretation of the speech and an interactive session to illustrate the importance of voter turnout, and helping students understand why their values may not always be reflected in policy decisions by elected leaders (you can read more about this on my website).

Similarly, through the Wollaston Hill Neighborhood Association, we helped guide and advise neighbors on how to engage the city for support on neighborhood issues (e.g., traffic and speeding). Through education and exposure to how the city functions and how to engage constructively to resolve issues, people become more invested and feel they are part of the solution, which I believe leads to greater voter participation.

Will you advocate for the City Council to allow the opportunity for public comment at every City Council meeting?

Yes