Boilerplate GMG Political Statement:
Good Morning Gloucester Does Not Endorse Candidates and this press release should not be indicative of a an endorsement or non endorsement of any candidates:
I want to be your next Ward 1 City Councilor. I am running because I believe in public service and I want to more for Gloucester…because of Gloucester.
The Ward 1 boundary includes everything from the Jodrey State Fish Pier, Eastern Point Lighthouse, Blackburn Industrial Park, Pond Road businesses, Good Harbor Beach and the Back Shore. In such a small region, Ward 1 shows how well industrial and marine industries can operate alongside residential areas, naturally protected areas, and businesses – many based upon tourism – in true symbiotic harmony. Much of East Gloucester was removed from the DPA but still remain as Marine Industrial designated areas. I want to work to continue to find a happy balance between marine, recreational, and water-based industries.
Many people before me have worked very hard to conserve the natural landscape that exists in Ward 1. From Essex County Green Belt’s Seine Field, Niles Pond, Cripple Cove and the great salt mash of Good Harbor Beach, all can enjoy these protected open and green spaces, but they are not without other dangers. As a City, I feel we should be better prepared for rising sea levels and a direct hit from the next Perfect Storm, super-storm or hurricane. I believe the City should to do more to update key Ward 1 infrastructure systems from storm drains to hobbled roads and non existent sidewalks. As residents, we can do much more to retain excess run-off rainwater on our properties from existing weather patterns through simple backyard landscaping techniques and sidewalk enhancements. As citizens, we can do more to clean up after each other by participating in volunteer community movements like The One Hour at a Time Gang where I’ve helped them pick up harbor detritus on the pier to Ocean Alliance (aka The Paint Factory) on several occasions.
One of the things I love about living in Ward 1 is the beaches: Good Harbor, Niles, Wonson and Brace Cove – what riches! Even if some of them are not public, I still enjoy the fact that anyone can walk and enjoy them, especially at sunset. But the City can and should do more to enforce beach visitors who park illegally in Ward 1. I fully support the amazing work that The Friends of Good Harbor Beach is doing to protect its sand dunes and salt marsh and to make the beach more accessible for visitors on foot. And lots of people come to Gloucester in the summer for the beaches, which in turn generates a lot of auxiliary income for the City.
When people to come here they need places to stay. I was an outspoken advocate for the Beauport Hotel on Pavilion Beach, publishing letters in the paper and participating in the community forums because I believe that blighted property should be made bright again. And still, Ward 1 has some of the best and busiest accommodations in the City. I am a strong supporter of cultural tourism and applaud the City’s decision to allot 30% of the revenue from the hotel tax to the fund the implementation of the City’s new tourism plan. I’ve served as an officer of Gloucester’s Harbortown Cultural District for two-years and helped co-lead a free mobile app project which helps promote and connect visitors to everything that our four Cape Ann Cultural Districts have to offer. When people new to our area see how much amazing stuff is happening here, they want to find ways to extend their stay, plan to come back and/or tell their friends how amazing their stay in Gloucester was.
Gloucester is awash in culture and heritage and I believe the creative capital of Ward 1 is boundless. It’s one of the other things I love most about living in Ward 1 because it boasts an exceptional cultural corridor that extends from Cripple Cove to Historic New England’s Sleeper-McCann House, with our newest addition being the T. S. Eliot House. On any given day, I can find one of my neighbors performing on stage, hosting a gallery opening, teaching Montessori art classes to young hands and impressionable minds, hanging new artwork at a local coffee shop, building her business by making bags from old sails, crafting a new gourmet farm-to-table menu in one of the City’s best restaurants, or working on a blog or online portal that both garners national attention and builds a sense of community connectedness at the same time (GMG, GloucesterClam, “Because Gloucester”). The list goes on and on. So many residents in Ward 1 cannot NOT express themselves. To us, it’s nothing special. It’s who we are. And I found my tribe – which is another reason why I want to become the next City Councilor for Ward 1.
I know I can do more for Gloucester because of Ward 1.
Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca Borden
Good Morning Gloucester 