Displaying items by tag: Marty Hogan

Sunday, 26 May 2019 02:02

Memorial Day 2019

To all that died in service to

our country, Thank You!!!

 

 

 

Published in Media
Thursday, 25 April 2019 19:32

Hogan for Lowell City Council Kick-Off Event

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  CONTACT: The Hogan Committee

April 25, 2019 -  (978) 455-8806

Marty Hogan for Lowell City Council  Announces Bid for Lowell City Council and Kickoff Event

Pledges to be a fresh new voice for neighborhood issues, smarter development for city

LOWELL –Marty Hogan, a resident of Lowell's Centralville neighborhood, officially announced

today that he is running for a seat on the City Council.

In announcing his candidacy, the Hogan Committee announced the Kick-Off Event on Monday, May 13th, From

6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Dom Polski Club located at 10 Colburn St. Marty is proud to have this event  located here

as his starting point as he and his wife Chris live at 3 Wachusett St. in the Centralville Section and as it is also

the home to the Centralville Neighborhood Action Group (CNAG), of which he has been active member and currently the E-Board Secretary.

Marty pledges to be a stronger voice for neighborhood interests

and vowed to provide better representation for tens of thousands of Lowell residents whose

priorities are often overlooked by city councilors.

 

"It's no secret that Lowell's city councilors mostly represent a small portion of the city, and

it's no wonder why there are under-represented sections that receive a disproportionate share of attention," said

Hogan. "That's great for the people who live there, but it leaves the majority of residents who

live elsewhere without a seat at the table when important decisions are being made. I want to

bring a new perspective to our City Council, one that focuses on neighborhoods like the one I

live in. I will be a fresh new voice for all the people who live in Lowell and for all their

important views and concerns, most especially public safety."

Hogan also believes it is important for Lowell to improve the way it addresses community

development. "I want to start a new conversation about the future of our city that focuses on

infrastructure improvements instead of just looking for the next deluxe project to build," he said.

"I've seen first-hand the success cities like Boston have had with developing empowerment

districts for their growth. I want to look at some of those models for Lowell to make a better,

more intelligently-planned future for our city."

 

Hogan says he intends to be one of the first candidates to take out nomination papers when they

are made available by the City Clerk, and that he plans to wage an energetic

campaign throughout the rest of the year. "I look forward to meeting lots of new and familiar faces

throughout our neighborhoods and talking with them about ways we can improve our city,"

Hogan said. He plans to host an official campaign kickoff event later this summer.

For more information about Marty Hogan and his campaign, please visit

www.martyhogan4lowell.com.

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Published in Media
Friday, 27 October 2017 03:23

Issues

Clean and Well Kept Streets

I care very much about the quality of our Centralville Neighborhood. We have waited far too long for all of our streets to be identified and respected by our city. We all want and deserve clean, well-lit and safe streets. I will make it my prerogative to make available the overdue road repair, utility maintenance and street cleaning and to provide the needed funds in the city budget to make these repairs mandatory and regular occurrence in our section of Lowell. 

Public Safety

In the last several Years we have seen the continuous brown outs of our district's fire apparatus and coverage. In this time when our neighborhood is growing, not only in population, but also in the number and size of properties, it is increasingly important that we have a fully staffed, fully updated and fully prepared Fire Department. Additionally, our Police Department needs to be upgraded and we need to have more coverage in Centralville. I will work to make sure that both department are properly budgeted and supplied effectively to combat all the public safety issues facing our community. 

Economic Development

Economic development is essential to the future of our city. Our ability to encourage quality economic development is based in the opportunities and infrastructure we provide to prospective commercial taxpayers and companies.
I believe our Centralville section of the city needs to start a new conversation about our future and how we go about enticing wanted and needed development and revitalization. We need to focus on infrastructure improvements instead of just looking for the next luxury project. Our district is ripe for economic development and I want to work with our neighbors, business owners, and community groups to make that a reality.
I've seen first-hand the success cities like Boston have had with developing empowerment districts for their growth. I want to look at some of those models for Centralville to make a better, more intelligently-planned future for our neighborhood.


Preventative Maintenance

We need to add funding for preventative maintenance for all municipal buildings, especially ones that are located in our district, that have been neglected. I will work to put this needed funding into the city budget immediately. We can no longer afford to use our properties as disposable entities. We need to be able to maintain and restore legacy and historic buildings to their original or to an updated capacity. Our district Fire/Police Stations and School buildings need to be updated and continuously maintained. On day one I will introduce a resolution in City Council to add these needed and long overdue projects as a line item into the FY 2023 and 2024 budgets.

Under-employed and Homeless Epidemic

We as a community face more than our share of transiency and homelessness.  Not only do the encampments project a disregard for our natural and historic areas, but the poverty-stricken people whom inhabit them have been left behind by our city. 

As an employee of a non-profit firm that works with underemployed and unemployed mentally and physically disabled adults, I have seen first-hand the need for workforce training and education, and I've seen how helpful these programs can be to support a vulnerable class within our community.

As your district city counselor I will work with our various community agencies who have already started this important work. I will strive to bring and increase the funding and resources needed to establish new employment opportunities and employment skills training in our community. I will advocate for a public/private initiative for the city to provide economic stability to people who need it. Additionally, I will endeavor to establish a new center for homeless services and jobs training center in our own Centralville neighborhood. We need to be able to face our failings, and help the homeless, mentally ill, and our disabled, especially our veterans and service community members. There will always be afflictions and epidemics that will face our community, however, we need to work to eradicate as much as humanly and humanely possible.   


Municipal Governance

The first step in better municipal governance was the creation of these new City Council Districts and establishing a hybrid City Council. This change will give us the ability to affect the way we run our city and will let many of the street by street.  Each of our neighborhoods has its own set of needs; street repair, lighting, recycling and trash disposal, sewerage waste disposal, and other quality-of-life issues, and as your Centralville District 2 City Councilor these quality-of-life issues will always be addressed quickly and by someone who lives within our unique geographical area. 

Additionally, I believe that as our city grows, so increases the need to have a strong elected mayor as the municipal executive. The current City Manager is appointed by a majority of the city councilors and is therefore not directly responsible to the people they serve. This transition would better suit our ever-evolving and growing population and I will work to make sure this is addressed as your first Centralville District Councilor.

 

 

Published in Issues
Monday, 09 October 2017 16:10

LTC-Lowell Sun City Council Debate Questions

Lowell Sun - LTC 

City Council Candidates Debate

Marty's Responses

 

Question 1:

 

 

Question 2:

 

 

Published in Media
Wednesday, 20 September 2017 14:09

Marty's Radio Commercial on 980 WCAP

Marty's Radio Commercial on 980 WCAP:

                

  

Published in Media
Wednesday, 06 September 2017 15:17

School Committee to seek a Declaratory Judgment

 

I applaud the recent decision by the School Committee to seek a declaratory judgment to determine which board can decide where to build a new high school.  

A cornerstone of my campaign for City Council is my fundamental belief that our Council has failed to serve the people of Lowell generally. The members of the Council all live in the same neighborhood, and as a result, the decisions they make are primarily aimed at better serving their own neighborhood -- even if those decisions come at the expense of the rest of Lowell.

That's no way to run a city.

The high school siting decision is a perfect example.

I've spent the summer talking to people all across Lowell about the city council's decision to build a new high school at Cawley. No matter where I go or who I talk to, people overwhelmingly express the same conclusion I have about the high school -- the City Council overstepped its bounds by voting to place the high school at Cawley, despite enormous concerns about the cost of such a move, logistics for transporting students, and the threat of taking private property (just to name a few). And, if there is a city board that's going to make the siting decision, the best and most capable board to decide where to build a new high school is the School Committee, not the City Council. (Note: I still believe the best decision of all would be to hold a referendum and let the voters decide for themselves, and I support the volunteers collecting thousands of signatures for that purpose.)

We can't expect our city to thrive and get ahead so long as it continues to be run by greedy and power hungry politicians who just want to feather their own nest. When the City Council makes a citywide decision, that decision should benefit everyone in Lowell, not just the small portion of residents privileged enough to live near a City Councilor.

Over the next few weeks, I'm hoping that several important events will transpire to set Lowell back on the right course. First, I'm hoping the judge hearing the school committee's case will conclude that the school committee is the proper board to decide where to build a high school.

Second, after that decision, I'm hoping the school committee will vote quickly to locate the high school downtown, such that the Massachusetts School Building Authority can proceed with its important work on this project without further delay. And, third, I'm hoping that when Lowell residents go to the polls, they will consider everything that's been happening in our city lately and that they will vote for real change in our City Council.

I want to bring that change to our City Council. I pledge new leadership for our city. I want to represent everyone in Lowell and start making smarter decisions to bring our city forward. For this reason, I respectfully ask for your vote on Tuesday, September 26.

 

Thank you.

 

Marty

Candidate for Lowell City Council

 

Published in Media
Monday, 17 July 2017 18:51

Council giving our property away to Verizon

Council giving our property away to Verizon

I respect the work city staff put into negotiating with Verizon, but I strongly disagree with the city council's vote to allow Verizon to install 45 new wireless canisters throughout our city in return for only $50 per year. Verizon is already leasing space, but at the much higher price of $3000 a year! Our council should never be in the practice of essentially giving away property in our neighborhoods to big corporate interests. We also need better efforts by the council to bring competition into the city for cable and high-speed internet. As a city councilor, I'll work hard to make sure our neighborhoods get better service they deserve - without giving away our property!

 

 

Published in Media
Tuesday, 04 July 2017 01:00

Letter to the editor 07/03/2017

 

To the Editor-

                                                                                                                                                                     July 3, 2017

I would like to express my disappointment with Lowell school committee member (and city council candidate) Robert Gignac's recent decision to abstain from voting on a location for a new high school in our city.

While there are differing opinions as to the legal role of the school committee in the siting process, I can think of few more important functions for a school committee member than to advocate for the future of education in our city.

By refusing to take a position on this critical issue, Mr. Gignac is purposefully avoiding an important responsibility given to him by the voters. He also is diluting the voice residents have in the process through and by virtue of his representation.

As a candidate for Lowell city council, I am running specifically to give residents throughout our neighborhoods a voice when important decisions like this one are made. I will take my responsibility as an elected official very seriously and I will have the courage to take a position on important issues when called upon.

Case in point: I personally believe that having a high school downtown is in the best interests of Lowell's residents and that keeping a downtown location would make the best financial sense. I also believe submitting the question to the voters by way of a referendum vote would be the best and most equitable way for our city to resolve this contentious decision.

 

Sincerely,

Marty Hogan

 

Candidate for Lowell City Council

Published in Media
Thursday, 29 June 2017 22:58

Marty Hogan on the 980-WCAP Morning Show

Click here to stream directly from 980wcap.com 

 

 

Published in Media
Thursday, 22 June 2017 21:11

Marty Hogan's High School Vote Statement

 

                                                                                                                                                                                June 22, 2017

My Fellow Neighbors,

 

I am very disappointed by the vote of the city Council Tuesday night to build a new high school at the Cawley Stadium site. Tuesday’s vote was too hasty, too political, and too costly.

 

Once again, we've witnessed first-hand how politics and the special interests of councilors hailing from the Belvidere neighborhood have led to a decision that isn't in the best interests of everyone in Lowell.I'm running for city council to change that and to give everyone in our city – everyone from all different neighborhoods – a seat at the table when important decisions like this one are made.

 

Had I been a member of the city council last night, I most likely would have voted to renovate the existing high school downtown. The information I have seen tends to indicate that a high school downtown is in the long-term best financial interest of our city, and that it also makes sense to have a central location to which students can walk.

 

However, more importantly, had I been a member of the city council last night I would have urged my colleagues to delay a vote on this important issue until the city had answers to more questions surrounding this plan, most notably the amount of state reimbursement we can expect to receive.

 

I also would have given more consideration to the citizens' petition to place this question before the voters. I believe a referendum is appropriate. Unlike our current city councilors, I trust the people of Lowell to make a decision that's best for them.

 

I urge the members of the city council to reconsider their vote and to postpone further action on this project until there is more solid information and until the question can be submitted to the voters.

 

Published in Media
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