The former School Committee member highlighted education, infrastructure, and environmental protection as some pillars of his upcoming campaign.
FRAMINGHAM - Geoffrey Epstein has officially entered the race for mayor of Framingham.
The former School Committee member in both Framingham—from 2018 to 2021—as well as Newton filed paperwork with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance on January 16.
In an interview with The Frame, Epstein said he had been mulling a challenge to current Mayor Charlie Sisitsky for about a year. He explained that his bid would represent more of an “insurgent campaign” as opposed to a “traditional” one against Sisitsky.
“I’m compelled to run,” Epstein told The Frame.
“Framingham, I think, is degrading slowly, and either I leave or I stay and fight.”
Epstein said his campaign priorities would be centered on local education, infrastructure, environmental protection, a bolstered municipal workforce, and economic development.
He stated his belief that operating and capital improvement projects present problems to education within Framingham, as he advocated for increased resources for local schools. He was critical of the recently-approved plan for compliance with the MBTA Communities Act through Framingham's downtown Central Business district, calling it a “Trojan horse” due to the potential for more three-bedroom units being built downtown and the large influx of students into the city’s school system that could come from those developments. Epstein advocated for more solar projects in Framingham, contending that they could lead to more subsidies while making the community more eco-friendly. He said he would want to boost the municipal workforce, specifically within the Department of Public Works to keep up with infrastructure needs. He mentioned a desire to keep the property tax rate in line with inflation in order to inject more money into Framingham’s budget.
“My mandate would be: we want to fix all the problems in the city and not consider just cost, but value,” Epstein continued.
“So, we’ve got to do these things really well, and if we don’t do something, they’re going to become more and more expensive.”
Epstein’s articles in his online newsletter, The Framingham Observer, have featured criticism of some officials in Framingham—including Sisitsky as well as some members of the City Council. If elected as mayor in November, Epstein said he would work to push the City Council for more ordinances, especially for environmental causes. He also vouched for more reports on key tenets of the municipal government like infrastructure.
Epstein said the next steps of his campaign include community outreach to outline the topics he wants to run on.
“I’m not going to go around seeking endorsements from people, I’m not going to go around saying, ‘Please vote for me,’” Epstein said.
“I’m going to say, ‘Here’s what I know about where we are, and here’s the story of what we need.’"
Nominations for November’s elections in Framingham officially open on May 30.
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This week on The Frame: Mayor Charlie Sisitsky unveils his $383.2 million proposal for the upcoming municipal budget as local leaders deliberate on financing the public school district’s operations, state officials provide an update on the General Chemical cleanup process, and coverage of I Believe Academy’s recent fundraiser and the Taste of MetroWest event.
The mayor unveiled the bottom line of his municipal budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year on Tuesday. That same night, the Framingham School Committee continued to discuss how they can bridge the gap between their budget pitch and Sisitsky’s.
Tens of thousands of runners, wheelchair riders, and hand cyclists finished the journey from Hopkinton to Boylston Street this week, while about a half million spectators lined the 26.2 mile-long course to cheer the participants on. Thousands of those attendees watched the action unfold here in Framingham.
