Authorize the City of Northampton to establish ranked choice voting

H. 714 An Act relative to ranked choice voting in the city of Northampton

A ranked choice system incentivizes a political environment of constructive coalition-building among candidates, eliminates the need for costly preliminary elections, and prevents the negative effects of “vote-splitting” (when the distribution of votes among multiple similar candidates reduces the chance of winning for those similar candidates, and increases the chance of winning for a dissimilar candidate). This system has worked in states like Maine and cities like Cambridge. If passed, this bill would authorize the City to enact ranked choice voting only after the measure is successfully passed by Northampton voters.

Allow resident Northampton non-citizen residents to vote in city elections

H. 715 An Act amending the special act charter of the city of Northampton to allow resident non-citizens to vote in preliminary and city elections

Northampton residents, whether they’re non-citizens, international students, refugees, or immigrants without documentation, all pay for the city to run through taxes. For non-citizen residents, this means that they are being taxed without representation. Granting non-citizen residents the right to vote would build trust, counter disengagement, and promote just decision making. If passed, this bill would allow non-citizen residents of Northampton to vote in city elections.

Allow Northampton 16 and 17 year olds to vote in city elections

H. 716 An Act amending the special act charter of the city of Northampton to allow residents sixteen years of age or older to vote in preliminary and city elections

The 16 and 17 year old young adults of our community work for our businesses, pay state income taxes, earn driver’s licenses, abide by traffic laws, and can be tried as adults in our courts. Letting young adults participate in city council and school board elections would enable them to have some ownership over the decisions that directly affect their lives and promote a lifetime of civic engagement. If passed, this bill would allow 16 and 17 year olds of Northampton to vote in city elections.

Remove impediment to affordable housing in Northampton

H. 1371 An Act to prohibit landlords and brokers from requiring broker's commissions to be paid by a tenant or prospective tenant

Having conducted research, the City of Northampton’s research confirmed that brokers’ fees are a serious impediment to affordable housing. Some landlords in Northampton engage brokers whose commissions — usually 60% of the monthly rent — must be paid by the tenant and are not covered by Section 8 or other vouchers. Renters are commonly required to pay the first and last month of rent and a security deposit upfront, and this extra fee is far more than many residents can afford. This policy further entrenches economic inequality, racial injustice, and a worsening housing crisis in the life of the city. If passed, this bill would allow Northampton to intervene and prohibit charging brokers’ fees to tenants although the tenants could be charged to the landlord.

Allow Northampton to participate in MA’s fossil fuel-free demonstration project

H. 3224 An Act relative to the electrification of new and substantially remodeled or rehabilitated buildings in the city of Northampton

In 2022, Department of Energy Resources established a demonstration project that enabled ten pilot municipalities to establish rules that require new building construction or major renovation projects to be fossil fuel-free. H. 3224 would enable Northampton to participate.

If passed, this bill would:

• Allow Northampton to require new and substantially remodeled buildings to use electricity for all building energy needs

• Allow Northampton to require building permit applications to identify the source of energy to be used in the building

• Allow Northampton to withhold a building permit where the source of energy will not be electricity or solar thermal

• Require Northampton to create a waiver and appeals process for those projects where compliance with these regulations makes the project impractical to build or imposes extraordinary challenges

Support economic development in Northampton by granting new liquor licenses

H. 3715 An Act authorizing the City of Northampton to grant seven (7) over quota licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the premises

Right now, there are new businesses in Northampton weighing whether or not they should open based on the outcome of this bill. Should they open, these businesses would serve as a significant boost to our economic development and recovery from the pandemic by leasing space, bringing additional tax revenue to the state and city, and hiring residents. Moreover, these businesses would increase competition in our downtown, ensuring quality, affordable services across the board. If passed, this bill would support economic development in Northampton by authorizing the City of Northampton to grant seven new liquor licenses to local businesses.

Address staffing police staffing challenges in Chesterfield

H. 3928 An Act authorizing the town of Chesterfield to continue the employment of reserve special police office Greg Smith

Small, rural hilltowns like Chesterfield have always struggled with staffing challenges. Reserve Special Police Officer Greg Smith is 64 years old and will soon be required to retire, despite him being willing and able to continue his service. The Chesterfield Select Board and Chesterfield voters during the annual town meeting have unanimously agreed to ask the state to allow Officer Smith to do so. This would give the town valuable time to recruit new officers without overstretching their current focre. If passed, this bill would allow reserve special police officer Greg Smith to continue to serve the town of Chesterfield for up to five additional years.