On Thursday night at the Riverdale School the Dedham Junior Women's Club hosted a debate for all four contested races in Dedham's upcoming election. Sarah had an opportunity to make her case alongside her three opponents, William Ralph, Dimitria Sullivan, and Carmen DelloIacono. Candidates had the opportunity to introduce themselves, then were given 90 seconds to each answer a series of questions, both prearranged questions and audience submitted questions.
Sarah stood out as being articulate and well-prepared with a focus on inclusion and open dialogue along with accountable leadership. She talked about her ideas for improving town communications, pointing out that nearly 2/3 of people get their news online yet Dedham continues to post town news on a bulletin board in Town Hall. She offered concrete suggestions for making the town more accessible and inclusive, such as switching times of town meetings and personally surveying residents.
Across the board candidates agreed that leadership in Dedham needs to be held more accountable and responsible, but disagreed on issues such as parking in Dedham Square and what area of town should receive the next revitalization. While Sarah pointed out a recent study said there is enough parking in Dedham Square (the issue is actually the signage), the other candidates questioned the validity of the professional study. Sarah suggested the town focus on adding desperately-needed sidewalks throughout town in an effort to make the town more walkable and accessible, while the other candidates were more non-committal in what they would revitalize if elected. Probably the most striking question of the night asked each candidate to state their conflict of interest with being elected. Sarah proudly stated she did not have a conflict of interest, and urged her opponents with conflicts of interest to take it a step further and share the details of what that conflict looks like.
Overall the debate offered a deeper look into each of these candidates, and how they envision the future of Dedham. For Sarah, it's about breaking down barriers and bringing residents together. And it's about moving Dedham forward, while remembering that Dedham is a beloved town with a lot of strong tradition. For the full debate, including the other contested races, please click here: http://50.77.30.238/CablecastPublicSite/show/1067?channel=3.
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