KRISTEN L. MELLO
Name: Kristen Mello
Address: 27 Moseley Ave.
Occupation: Co-founder/Director Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves (WRAFT)
What experience and qualifications do you have that would be an asset to the city?
First of all, I have no party or club affiliation and my loyalty is to Westfield residents. In addition, I have: a Bachelor of Science degree (w/honors) in Chemistry; a Master of Science degree in Analytical Chemistry with a focus on Chemometrics, data analysis, and artificial intelligence/expert systems; given presentations at regional, national, and international conferences; been published in peer-reviewed, international journal publications; Co-founded and am currently Director of Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves (WRAFT); requested and sponsored petitions and letter writing campaigns to get PFAS blood testing for Westfield residents; been a member of the National PFAS Contamination Coalition since its creation in June 2017; been one of only two Community Representatives invited to be on the MassDEP PFAS MCL Stakeholder Group; regularly met with MassDEP, EEA, EPA, MA and federal legislators regarding Wesfield’s water contamination; regularly voiced residents’ concerns at City meetings including the Planning Board, City Council, Water Commission, Conservation Commission, and Board of Health; and I was a member of the City of Westfield’s 2018 Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee.
Have you recently met with city department heads to discuss their needs/concerns/budgets and if so, which ones?
My interactions with City department heads and boards/commissions most assuredly discuss the needs, concerns, and budgets of the residents of Westfield – the fact that we need to prevent pollution instead of raising taxes and fees to clean it up afterward, the concern regarding contamination at our taps, the need to appeal for state funding to help address special education needs for our children who have been exposed to contaminated water.
If you could change how the Council works, what would be your priority?
Transparency. Record the meetings and make those recordings accessible to the public, and make the microphones and recording equipment tamper resistant.
What are your top three areas of concern for Westfield and how would you like to address them?
You can break down the majority of my concerns into three areas: Water contamination / Pollution prevention; Taxes / finances / levy ceiling; Education & Infrastructure. I think they can be addressed with honesty/transparency, responsibility, and a shift in our economic model and way of doing business. Let’s be honest about the sources of pollution, the responsible parties, and the most responsible solutions that not only meet the legal requirements but actually protect the public health and prevent the contamination of our residents. Let’s take a hard look at the financial numbers, the factors that go into that levy ceiling and what we can do to steer this City out of harm’s way. Let’s talk about shifting our economic model away from one that exploits and pollutes our natural resources, toward one that establishes Westfield as a city that chooses responsible development that restores our ecosystem and remediates our troubled areas while increasing our revenue. Let’s be honest about the state of our school buildings, roads, and bridges, taking a good look at what we need to do and how we might go about getting it done. Lastly, let’s be honest, transparent, and responsible about our spending – what we estimate and what we actually spend, and on what. We can’t spend millions of dollars on Cross St. litigation and blame our overworked teachers for financial shortfalls.
Why should residents vote for you?
Because if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten, and Westfield needs change, transparency, and responsibility. Westfield residents know I’ve been working for them relentlessly since September 2016, when I first found out about the PFAS water contamination issue that affects us all. Westfield residents also know that when City Council members were tampering with the public record, I spoke up against it. There is only so much I can from the podium, 3 minutes at a time. If residents want me to speak up for them from a seat on the City Council, and vote in their best interest, then they should vote for me on November 5th.
What prompted you to seek an At-Large City Council seat?
I am running because Westfield voters asked me to. People have been asking me to run for office since 2016, but I always said, “No.” After watching the Mayor, Law Dept, and Water Dept walk out of the ATSDR meeting on July 23rd while residents were voicing their questions and concerns at the microphone, I couldn’t say no any longer.
