Today's bonus episode includes a conversation with Mayor Breanna Lungo Koehn on her thoughts about the proposed debt exclusion for a new Fire Headquarters as well as two overrides to support our roads and school. Breanna discussed never before heard details about the some Fire Department officials rejection of the debt exclusion.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Nicole Morell, Cristina McGorty, and Jessica Eisenman Parks about the Invest in Medford Campaign to support proposed debt exclusion and overrides. For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, visit https://investinmedford.com/.

Thank you to the public for your comments in support of the overides. Below are the messages we received:

Michelle Ann-

“Right now, Medford Public Schools have already had to cut valuable positions and services due to budget issues last year. If these tax overrides don’t pass, 35-45 more positions will be cut, along with services such as behavioral support staff, paraprofessionals, advanced courses at the high school, and the arts throughout the district. This means teachers will take on more work, have less time and energy to create engaging lessons, and certainly less time and energy to spend with students individually as class sizes throughout the district would rise. To have less than adequate funding makes teaching near impossible. The added burdens of inadequate funding make what should be a joyful job a miserable one. 

These difficult working conditions will directly affect our students in Medford. Please don’t ever forget that teacher working conditions ARE student learning conditions. If teachers are struggling and unhappy, students will be too. I want my children to go to school in a district where their teachers are happy and supported, and I hope that district can be Medford.”

Anonymous-

“I am in support of 6, 7, and 8 because Medford's needs can't be met as is. The value to our community of being able to do more instead of figuring out how to do less is worth way more to me than $37 a month in my pocket. Honestly I would have gladly supported a bigger ask because these three initiatives are only scratching the surface of what our community needs. Prop 2.5 was not made to never be broken – the majority of other cities and towns have passed multiple overrides, which is why our surrounding communities have more resources and amenities than we have. I have two young kids and hope to stay in Medford for their childhoods, but that decision will certainly have to be revisited if there is not broad community support for our schools in November. “

Justine-

“As a Medford resident for the past 11 years and the mother of 2 Medford Public School students, I am enthusiastically in support of questions 6, 7 and 8 on the ballot this November.  In particular, I am deeply concerned with the underfunding of our public schools.  We face devastating cuts to programming if we do not vote yes on questions 7 and 8.  Our children deserve every opportunity we can provide for them.  Our educators deserve competitive and fair wages, which question 8 will fund.  Sadly, we have lost paraprofessionals and teachers to other cities and towns that pay more to their educators.  In addition, every single resident depends on firefighters, streets and sidewalks, and it is up to us to fund these properly.  The price of the tax overrides is fair and affordable for most Medford residents.  Those who would face hardship can reduce or defer payments.  For complete, detailed and transparent information about questions 6, 7 and 8, including the amount you can expect to pay, I encourage you to read through the FAQ section of investinmedford.com and to use the website’s calculator.”

Bri

I’m a parent of 2 young children and I believe there is nothing more important than educating our children - they are our future. We must advocate for them while they can’t do so themselves. 

Our children deserve a fully funded education, access to extracurriculars, and teachers and paras that are excited to be there because they know they are valued. For an average cost of 1 to 2 takeout meals a month, this seems like a no brainer. 

Our firefighters also deserve a space that is up to modern standards. I’ve heard that they want us to vote no for some political reason, but an unsafe and outdated fire station makes all of us less safe.

A no vote on these questions will continue to put Medford in a worse state year after year. It also almost guarantees that we will be passed over for a new high school. So I intend to vote yes on all 3 questions in order to give my children, our teachers, and our firefighters what they deserve.

William T

The streets and sidewalk repair and maintenance projects were kicked down the road by many mayors city councils in the past. There are 95 miles of roadway in Medford. In 2023 one street that is 1,300 feet long was replaced. At that rate we will have dirt roads in 10 years. We need more funding for infrastructure. Lead pipes. Burst pipes. Sidewalks that you trip over. And loud crashing sounds that trucks make when they drive over broken streets. Why wants that?

Medford now has roads that are worse than 2nd world countries. This needs to stop. I support the overrides. More revenue for the city solves real problems. 

And I feel bad for all these neighbors that fall victim to conspiracy theories that Medford is hiding or wasting money. It’s simply not true and not possible to hide money in a city like ours. 

Investing in Schools Parks Fire Departments and  Roads increases the value of our community. 

Heather M

“I am 100% in favor of overrides for our schools (questions 7 & 8) and I plan to vote with the firefighters on question 6. I've heard that firefighters are against question 6, so I'd like more information about whether that's true or not and how they came to that conclusion.”

 

Today's episode includes a conversation with City Councilor Emily Lazzaro. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode features Aoife Merry, coach for Girls on the Run. More information can be found at https://www.girlsontherun.org/ and for the local chapter https://www.girlsontherunboston.org/ and your can still sign up to help out at their 5k on November 20th at Hormel Stadium. To register or for more details about the event, visit https://www.girlsontherunboston.org/5K. If you have comments or feedback or would like to be interviewed on the pocast or have a suggestion for a segment, email Medfordpod@gmail.com

The first interview on today's episode is with Alicia Hunt, Director of Planning, Development, and Sustainability. In her interview, she references the website http://medfordenergy.org/gogreen/ and she also describes newsletters that pertain to the Community Preservation Act, Medford's Comprehensive Plan, Medford Businesses, and the Office of Planning, Development and Sustainability that can be subscribed to by going to http://medfordenergy.org/gogreen/newsletter-sign-up/ To access more information and to access surveys about the parks at https://medfordenergy.org/parks you can also email ocd@medford-ma.gov

This episode is an interview of Melanie Perkins-McLaughlin, a candidate who is running for her second term on the School Committee. Information referenced in this episode came from https://www.melanie4medford.net/about-melanie  If you want to give feedback about the podcast please email Medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview with City Councilor and candidate for Mayor, John Falco. Information in this episode was taken from https://patch.com/massachusetts/medford/candidate-profile-john-falco-medford-mayor and https://www.johnfalco.org/. For questions or feedback about the podcast email medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview with Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Information in this episode was taken from https://www.medfordma.org/mayor2/about-medford-mayor/ and https://www.breanna4mayor.com/. For questions or feedback about the podcast email medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview with City Council candidate David Todisco. Information in this episode was taken from https://www.davidtodisco.com/. For questions or feedback about the podcast email medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview of Abigail Dickson, candidate for City Council. Information for this episode was taken from Abigail's campaign website, https://www.dickson4medford.com/meetabigail If you have questions or feedback about the episode please contact Medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview of Jenny Graham, a candidate who is running for her second term on the School Committee. Information referenced in this episode came from https://www.electjenny.org/ If you want to give feedback about the podcast please email Medfordpod@gmail.com

This episode is an interview of Zac Bears, a current city council member, running for a second term. Information for this episode was taken from Zac's campaign website https://zacbears.com/bio/ If you have questions for feedback about the episode, contact Medfordpod@gmail.com

Welcome to the first ever season of Medford Bytes. This episode kicks off the podcast and a series of interviews with candidates from the upcoming municipal election. If you have feedback or ideas for future episodes, please email me at medfordpod@gmail.com or find the podcast on Instagram @medfordbytespodcast

Today's episode includes a conversation with Nichole Mossalam, Democratic candidate for State Representative for the 35th district. More information can be found on her website: https://www.nicholemossalam.com/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Introducing the Medford Bytes podcast. If you want to send us a voice message or have a question you want to hear in the show, email medfordpod@gmail.com or follow this link. https://anchor.fm/danielle-balocca/message

Today's episode includes a conversation with City Council Vice President Kit Collins and Councilor Matt Leming about the Real Estate Transfer Fee. For more information, you can read Kit's blog at https://www.kitformedford.com/post/preliminary-thoughts-on-real-estate-transfer-fees and Matt's blog can be found at https://www.mattleming.com/blog Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a dialogue about Gaza and with Barry Ingber, Munir Jiramus and Steve Schnapp. Below are a list of resources discussed in their conversation:

Peter Beinart, The Beinart Notebook

* Interview with Naomi Klein

* Jonathan Kuttab - pacifist co-founder of Nonviolence International, the Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq (banned for “terrorism” under ex-PM Naftali Bennett), and the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Renowned international human rights lawyer and author, now living in California.

* Ali Abu Awwad - prominent Palestinian Ghandian nonviolent peace activist, with an amazing life story. Founder of Taghyeer (Change), the Palestinian National Nonviolence Movement. NPR podcast with Ali.

* Combatants for Peace - a group of former Israeli soldiers and former Palestinian militants and prisoners, working together to find a nonviolent way forward. Recent article in New York Review.

* Jewish Currents

* 972mag.com  

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes and conversation with co-hosts, Danielle Balocca and Chelli Keshavan recaping this year for the podcast.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Roberta Cameron about the Community Preservation Act, a fund used for capital improvements for the City of Medford. For more information, you can also visit http://preservemedford.org/ Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Joel Menasha and Sarah Fard about the Medford Teacher Equity Scholarship. For more information or to donate, please visit https://www.medfordteacherequityscholarship.org/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Sharon Hays and Melanie Perkins McLaughlin about their motion for Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender. This motion will go for its second reading during the School Committee's meeting on November 20th, 2023.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Jimmy Matejek-Morris, Medford-based young adult author about his newest book, "Forsooth", set to be released on November 7th.

"Forsooth" and Jimmy's first book "My Ex-Imaginary Friend" can be found wherever books are sold, or online Forsooth: https://bookshop.org/p/books/forsooth-jimmy-matejek-morris/20148680?ean=9781728457598 

My Ex-Imaginary Friend: https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-ex-imaginary-friend-jimmy-matejek-morris/14458002?ean=9781541596993

For more information about Jimmy and his writing, you can visit his website at  https://jmatejekmorris.com/  or follow him on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jmatejekmorris/ 

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Please enjoy the podcast trailers made by participants in the How to Podcast class at the Medford Public Library.

Their podcasts were titled "K Dramarama", "I Agree.." and "Disgruntled Tales"

For more Episodes of Disgruntled Tales, check them out at https://spotify.link/vfBIpkbM9Db

For more information about MPL events, visit https://medfordlibrary.org/events/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with City Councilor Anna Callahan about her reflections on her work on the Council and her priorities for Medford moving forward.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Justin Tseng about his campaign for re-election to the City Council. For more information about Justin's campaign, visit https://www.justin4medford.com/en/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Len Glionna about his campaign for City Councilor. For more information about Len's campaign, visit https://www.glionnamedford.com/.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today’s episode includes a conversation with City Councilor Zac Bears about his work in the council and his campaign for re-election. Check out https://zacbears.com/ for more information about his campaign.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Rick Caraviello, candidate for Mayor. More information about his campaign can be found at https://www.rickformedford.com.

As mentioned in this episode, Caraviello stated that he voted in favor of raising salaries for City Hall employees. Here is a link to those meting minutes that show he voted no on the proposal to approve cost of living raises for City Hall staff.

https://library.municode.com/ma/medford/munidocs/munidocs?nodeId=5bfaf98ee9673&fbclid=IwAR2veWBgyhpv9FhADESAn-zsSD4Gyvc1PGrXxM79M15Km6mTzxPriXFOVx8

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Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Patrick Clerkin, candidate for City Council. More information about his campaign can be found at https://clerkin4medford.com/.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Erika Reinfeld, candidate for School Committee. More information about his campaign can be found at https://www.erika02155.com/. You can also reach out to Erika by email at ereinfeld4medford@gmail.com Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with John Intoppa, candidate for School Committee. More information about his campaign can be found at https://www.intoppa4medford.com. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Jean Zotter from Medford People Power and City Councilor Kit Collins. For more information about Medford People Power, visit their website at https://medfordpeoplepower.org/ or email them

Today's episode includes a conversation with Breanna Lungo-Koehn about her campaign for a 3rd term as Mayor of Medford. More information about her campaign can be found at https://www.breanna4mayor.com/. You can reach Mayor Lungo-Koehn by email at mayor@medford-ma.gov

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Aaron Olapade, candidate for Medford School Committee. Visit https://electaaronolapade.com/ for more information about Aaron's campaign. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Zayda Ortiz, candidate for State Representative for Massachusetts 35th district, about her work as an activist as well as her campaign priorities. You can find more information about her campaign at https://electzayda.com/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Emily Lazzaro, candidate for Medford City Council. More information about Emily's campaign can be found at https://www.emilyformedford.com/. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Anna Callahan about her campaign for Medford City Council. Learn more about Anna at her website https://www.annacallahan.com/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

This episode includes a conversation with Matt Leming about his run for Medford City Council. Find out more about his campaign at https://www.mattleming.com/ Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

This episode includes a conversation with Jaclyn Torres Roth about their campaign for City Council. More information about their campaign can be found at https://jaclynroth.org/. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

This bonus episode includes a conversation about the shoe The Golden Girls the Laughs Continue, now showing at the Chevalier Theater in Medford. More info can be found at https://chevaliertheatre.com/artist/golden-girls/.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation about West Medford Open Studios. For more info visit http://www.wmos.org/. To sign up to volunteer, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4dadaa2da4f5ce9-west/51388955#/ . You can also follow them on instagram at @west.medford.open.studios. Stay tuned after the interview for some sounds from Medford's first Porch Fest! Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with members of the Pride Planning Committee as well as Rev Wendy from Sanctuary UCC about her summer youth program. For more information about Pride events, see the following links: Medford City Events Calendar - June: https://www.medfordma.org/about/events-calendar?cal_date=2023-06-01  Medford Library Calendar - June: https://medfordlibrary.org/events/month/2023-06/ Chevalier Calendar - June: https://chevaliertheatre.com/calendar/?date=1687737600  Medford DEI Dept. - See "Upcoming Events": https://www.medfordma.org/departments/dei You can also follow them on social media FB: MedfordMA Pride, IG: @medfordmapride, Twitter: @medfordmapride  Miles Wilder will be playing music or the June 1st even, their music is available on soundcloud here.  Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with students from the Brook's Elementary School CCSR. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Bryan from Event Them Studios. Event Them Studios is located at 344 Salem Street and they will be celebrating their Grand Opening on Saturday, May 6th from 12-6pm. Make sure to stop by to see their space and visit with local vendors and musicians. Medford Bytes will be there doing live podcasting demonstrations! For more information you can visit their website at https://eventthem.com/ as well as their accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes and conversation with Kolin and Vicki, owners of Colleen's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop. Listen to hear more about the history of Colleen's and the work that they are doing to engage and connect the community of Medford. They plan to re-open on Tuesday, April 18th. Make sure to swing! Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Jenny Graham, Vice-Chair of the School Committee, that reflects on the past budget season a provides an update about efforts towards a new Medford High School.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on Instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

Today's episode includes a conversation with Alex Lussenhop and Roberta Camerson from Housing Medford as well as Kassie Infante from Abundant Housing Massachusetts.

For more information about Housing Medford, you can follow their group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/HousingMedford/.

More information about Abundant Housing Massachusetts can be found at https://abundanthousingma.org/

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod@gmail.com  or follow us on instagram @medfordpod or Facebook at MedfordBytes Podcast. Please take a moment to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

This podcast was made by participants of the Medford Public Library Podcast Workshop. Hope you enjoy!

This podcast was made by participants of the Medford Public Library Podcast Workshop. Hope you enjoy!

This podcast was made by participants of the Medford Public Library Podcast Workshop. Hope you enjoy!