The numbers don’t lie: our region is experiencing a housing crisis. Simply put, we need more housing — and not just single-family homes and apartments.

While housing units of all sizes and prices help us move in the right direction, we need to put particular emphasis on truly affordable places to live. After all, for most of us, housing is what we spend the largest part of our monthly budgets on.

The city has a number of tools available to support this, including millions of dollars specifically designated for affordable housing projects. We should use the tools in our toolkit to:

Support homeownership opportunities, especially for first-time buyers;

Require developers who receive financial support from the city to include affordable units in their developments;

Strengthen programs that help those on fixed incomes make improvements that keep them in their homes; and

Better promote energy efficiency programs that help residents lower their bills.

Our neighborhoods should be designed in a way that is both:

Environmentally Minded: Reducing runoff into our waterways while minimizing flooding concerns, prioritizing growth in existing areas, and conducive to multiple ways of getting around; and

Fiscally Sustainable: Providing a suitable tax base to cover long-term needs and minimize future tax increases.

They should include a variety of housing types so people can choose to stay in their neighborhood as their lives change.

In our business corridors, we must avoid over-building parking areas that generate very little tax revenue and sit unused for all but a couple of days per year.

When new developments are being built, the infrastructure needs to keep pace. Tragically, we’ve seen here in District 3 what happens when this doesn’t happen.

District 3 is home to two great examples of smart growth: Swan Creek and Terravessa. We should use neighborhoods like these, as well as projects like Sequoya Commons on Madison’s near west side, as guides for future growth.

Fitchburg is a unique city comprising three school districts; an urban service area and rural farmsteads; well-established neighborhoods and brand-new developments.

While so much potentially separates us, much more unites us — especially our shared investment in creating a better city for future generations.

To create a future that works for all residents, our elected officials should empower each of us to find ways to make our home a better place in which to live, work, and play. This means promoting ways to connect with our neighbors and supporting neighborhood-led initiatives.

At the same time, navigating the bureaucracy of government can be a challenge. We need an alder who can help “pull back the curtain” to explain how residents can make their voices heard, how that feedback is used, and how the wheels of local government turn. Doing this will improve clarity and reduce frustration.

Our city needs a robust, multi-modal transportation system to make sure everyone can get to work, run errands, and take part in all of the activities that make Fitchburg special. As a regular bus rider, I see how popular public transportation can be if it runs when and where people need it to. We have a good foundation, but there are key pieces missing, like a west-to-east bus connection and an all-day connection to our library and senior center. Our seniors, kids under 16, community members with disabilities, and those who cannot afford a vehicle shouldn’t be left out — in fact, around 40% of Fitchburg residents don’t drive.

Our transportation system must also be safe for all users — drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. As a member of the Transportation and Transit Commission, I support the city’s efforts to improve safety through steps like enhancing crosswalks, installing traffic calming tools, and, where reasonable, reducing speed limits.

Public safety begins long before a 911 call. Building and maintaining a safe community starts with creating an environment in which people have stability, a sense of belonging, and a shared investment in our city’s success.

When emergencies happen, we need to make sure we have the right tools available and ready to go. Just like a hammer isn’t the best tool to drive a screw, sometimes an armed law enforcement response isn’t the best way to respond to a call of a person in crisis. I would like to see an effort like the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program expand to Fitchburg to better serve community members experiencing mental health emergencies.