As a lifelong Greenfield resident, like many others, I’ve dreamed of Greenfield’s potential and tackled our issues to make it a better place to live. One of our pertinent issues is our lack of transparency and involvement of the public in the city’s affairs. Whether it’s a working parent barely able to pay for groceries, our youth struggling to find local jobs, our immigrant community fighting to keep their small businesses afloat, or our elderly population struggling to pay their property taxes, we all have a say in the development of Greenfield.
As someone who has advocated against the general corporate takeover of our communities and the disconnect between our representatives and the public, the way the Hope Street development has been talked about is concerning to me. If we are troubled by homelessness and housing insecurity, how will a market-rate housing development take care of those individuals? If we claim to care about those who are vulnerable, especially in this volatile economy, why aren’t we taking the accessibility concerns of our elderly population seriously? I am not against growing our housing stock or opposed to economic development, but engaging the public and being transparent is essential to any community’s growth.
The job of our representatives is not to capitulate to the “invisible hand” of profiteering and engage in elitist condescending rhetoric, but rather to involve the public, incorporating diverse voices, especially of the most vulnerable. City property does not belong to the mayor, the City Council, or any board; it belongs to all of us. Regardless of how we vote, this is our community. Let’s be civil and treat our neighbors with kindness and respect. WE WANT BACK OUR HOPE — not just on a parking lot or a development, but a consistent say in the city’s affairs, which is why on Nov. 4 I’m voting “Yes.”
Wahab Minhas, at-large city councilor and small business owner
Greenfield