As a public defender, Ned Melanson said he is on the “front lines” of many of the issues Cambridge faces. And in representing clients who face poverty and homelessness and substance abuse issues, he said, he has perspective and ideas on how to help the city’s most vulnerable groups to bring to the City Council in November.
Melanson, who has offices in Central Square, sees the effects of the city’s homelessness crisis daily, including damage to property and used needles on the streets. He also sees how broken sidewalks make it difficult for people with disabilities to get around.
“Even though these are my clients – I represent them and I feel for them – this is just really a broad issue,” he said. “It needs to be addressed.”
Melanson is one of 20 people running for a seat on Cambridge’s council, according to city records. He said he’s running to advocate for underrepresented people, and the current council doesn’t fully understand their needs.
“They put the housing crisis in quotation marks,” he said of the council. “For my clients, and for myself and for my friends, it’s not something you put in quotation marks, it’s a very real everyday problem you think about.”
Melanson aims to continue efforts to relax restrictions on housing construction, pushing for more affordable and market-rate units around Central and Porter squares. Melanson hopes more homes in Cambridge’s transit-heavy neighborhoods means more foot traffic for local stores.
“I don’t mean to say there can’t be community input or we are just going to pave over everything – that’s not what I mean at all,” he said. “You can have nuanced conversations about how we can make it easier to build new housing and build roofs over people’s heads without destroying the fabric of the city.”
Melanson also wants Cambridge to be safer city for bicyclists; three bicyclists died in the city last year. Although he commends the steps already taken to make streets safer, he called the measures “reactive.” Melanson aims to finish the Cycling Safety Ordinance, a 2019-2020 plan that requires the city to build a network of separated bike lanes, then draft a next one.
Municipal elections are Nov. 4, with eight of nine council incumbents running for reelection – guaranteeing a spot for a newcomer.
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