UCANE Interview

RepResentative Kate LippeR-GaRabedian

(D-Melrose)

Representative Lipper-Garabedian represents the 32nd Middlesex District, which includes all of Melrose and parts of Wakefield and Malden, and she believes passionately in the role government can play in supporting individuals and their families. Growing up, her parents were newspaper reporters, and family dinner conversations often included discussions on events happening at the local, state, and national levels. She learned early on that the policies our elected officials enact have powerful, long-lasting effects on communities and people.

Her first job was as a seventh-grade public school teacher in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating from law school, and working a year as a judicial clerk in the federal courts, Representative LipperGarabedian spent more than a decade as an education attorney. Her main focus was supporting states, school districts, colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations in an effort to improve outcomes for students. Later, she served as Chief Legal Counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education for more than five years, and from 2018-2020, she served as a Melrose City Councilor-At-Large.

When the State Representative seat became vacant, Representative Lipper-Garabedian decided to take what she loved about both positions, a government attorney and a local elected official, and combine them into one job that would allow her to continue to support the District and the Commonwealth. In her elected roles, she has worked to raise the bar for resident engagement, providing frequent updates on what is happening first at City Hall and now the virtual State House, writing comprehensive newsletters, and responding to all constituent outreach.

As her first full session as a State Representative gets underway, she has been appointed Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs and is a member of the Joint Committees on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy; Public Service; and Financial Services. Representative Lipper-Garabedian lives in Melrose with her husband Mark, sons Harrison and Oscar, and their family dog Baryn.

Q: With citizens being asked to stay at home more during the pandemic, access to clean drinking water and proper management of wastewater is critical. Please give us your thoughts relative to the importance of maintaining our drinking water, wastewater, and utility infrastructure.

A: Underground infrastructure may not be visible on a daily basis, but there are plenty of reminders about how much we depend on it. The recent events this winter in Texas reinforce the importance of investment in our utility infrastructure. During my tenure as a City Councilor, Melrose made national news when a sewage main blockage and backup forced families out of their homes for months. The City undertook an exercise to inventory and code all water and sewer pipes (something it had done for our roads) to inform, repair, and replacement prioritization. I recently listened to a news story regarding how many people are investing in their homes during COVID-19, undertaking improvement projects or upgrading furniture, appliances, and other home goods. We should be thinking about our water, wastewater, and utility infrastructure in similar terms – critical in our daily lives and for our health and safety.

Q:

What do you believe will be the greatest challenges for your district and region with regard to economic recovery?

A: COVID-19 has created multiple widespread crises. At its core, the disease is an ongoing public health pandemic. It also has led to widespread financial fallout affecting so many households, and has caused or deepened significant mental health challenges. To recover economically, the 32nd Middlesex District will need to see federal, state, and local revenue directed effectively to support continued on page 21

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a shared, sustainable recovery. That includes an investment to restore MBTA service (commuter rail, subway, and bus) and improve our aged mass transit infrastructure. Affordable access to quality public transportation was the top priority of my constituents, pre-pandemic.

While work patterns undoubtedly will shift post-pandemic, mass transit must continue to be prioritized to ensure we empower our workforce (and their clients and customers) to access places of business safely and efficiently. Moreover, mass transit is a necessary strategy for responding to the climate crisis, another top concern of residents here. Melrose, Wakefield, and Malden are also home to vibrant commercial districts supported by small businesses that employ many of our neighbors. Small businesses help drive our local economies, improve our quality of life, and serve as important community partners in various initiatives; we’ll need to look for opportunities to support them in the COVID-19 recovery.

Finally, as a former teacher and the mother of a second grader, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the impact of the pandemic on our children, including with respect to learning loss, keeps me up at night. We must be thoughtful and bold about how to support our learners, the future workforce, in the years to come.

Q:

How has your job changed with the requirements of social distancing and working remotely?

Q: As we continue to recover from this crisis, please give us your thoughts on how the state will continue to provide local aid to cities and towns to help support basic municipal services, specifically water and utility infrastructure.

A: I was sworn in on the Grand Staircase of our State House on March 25, 2020, at the beginning of the Massachusetts state of emergency, and became the first legislator in Massachusetts to begin my tenure entirely remotely. To date, I have not taken a vote in the House chamber. I’m not sure which desk is mine in the office suite to which I was assigned. But that hasn’t stopped me from being a strong advocate for the District, assisting my neighbors, and working with legislative colleagues to advance and enact important policies in the Commonwealth. n

A: I’m pleased that the Commonwealth’s FY21 budget did not involve any drastic cuts despite the impact of COVID-19, instead identifying one-time sources of revenue and drawing down the state reserve, leaving $2 billion for future years. This included continued appropriations to our cities and towns in chapter 70 school aid and chapter 90 unrestricted local aid, the latter of which can be employed to support efforts in water and utility infrastructure. As a former city councilor, I will work with my colleagues to continue to ensure that municipalities are prioritized in the state budget process through these and other line items, such as the Clean Water Trust program.

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