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Gailanne Cariddi*
Candidate For City Council - North Adams NORTH ADAMS - Gailanne Cariddi could be described as the City Council's mechanic.
She loves the "nuts and bolts" of the legislative process and thinks the city has plenty of tools in its toolbox for supporting ecomonic expansion.
The city native was encouraged to run for election in 1989 and won. After nine terms, she's eager to make it 10. That's because she likes helping people and enjoys the "mundane" things - wrestling with resolution language, making sure ordinance are written right. The council's role is limited in many respects, she notes, "but if you want to change your street to a one-way street you come to the City Council."
"Probably a lot of it sounds boring to people but that's the mechanics of the City Council," Cariddi said.
Cariddi, 53, graduated from Drury High School and earned her business management degree from Bentley College. She manages her father's business, Cariddi Sales.
She thinks the Notre Dame and Clark Biscuit housing projects will help boost the downtown and are indicative of a nationwide movement that is bringing people back urban hubs where everything is walking distance. That in turn should help draw business back to Main Street, she said.
"The city has done a lot in the way that government can do things - making an attractive downtown," Cariddi said. "You can't pay people to come here but when people have viable busines interests ... there are certain state laws you can take advantage of [to help them] such as grants and TIFFs[tax incentives.]
While the city has those options in its toolbox, including creating economic zones such as on Roberts Drive, it can't guarantee success, she said.
"The city can be a facilitator and help along those type of projects, but
really, private business and private individuals really needs to be the impetus that develops those projects," said Cariddi. "They're the ones that are going to be the employers."
She doesn't think the city is unfriendly to business and that the Planning Board has a process to make sure things are done right, though she thinks government needs to have a certain amount of flexibility.
"I think there's a process whereever you go," said Cariddi. "Landlords are responsible, too. We have to make sure businesses are appropriate for downtown."
She notes that thousands of people come to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary, and that combined with the Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art, that's huge draw of tourists that can help the downtown become vibrant again.
Toursim is another leg in what we can bring into the community to help our
smaller businesses, she said. "You can't just depend on residents for some of these businesses .... I think hving events like the downtown celebration, chowder tasting, and Fall Foliatge Parade bring people here."
If those visitors need a place to sit, local businesses should provide it.
"I think benches are good. But I think it's on the business to
take care of them," Cariddi said. "There's only so much our public employees can do."
While the number of city workers has decreased over the years, she thinks there's enough to get the job done.
"I think the staffing levels are there. I don't feel unsafe walking on Main Street. To me it's a safe area and if [residents] feel usafe they should let us know."
She enjoys working on health issues and recreational type issues and has been involved in the proposed bike paths in the city since 1999. The two legs would link the city to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams and west parallel to Route 2 into Williamstown. She's brought forward several resolutions supporting the trail plans.
Among her other "pet projects" is work on cable television issues. She brought forward resolutions recently against Federal Communication Commission and state proposals to streamline permitting that would have greatly limited local controlof cable. "That's something I will always be aware of."
Then there's the day-to-day work: "there's a lot of things happening
behind the scenes in the life of a city councilor," she laughed.
Maybe it's helping a constituent find the right person in the right city department to solve his or her problem; maybe it's writing an ordinance about parking trailers on the roadway.
"I'm still interested in the process; I'm still young enough to be able do the work," Cariddi said. |
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