Meet the Candidates for District 2’s Seat on the Framingham City Council

FRAMINGHAM - Incumbent District 2 member on the Framingham City Council Brandon Ward will be facing a challenge from former Planning Board Chair Carol Spack during this November’s municipal election.

Ward, who was initially elected to the council in 2023, is seeking his second term. If Spack is eventually elected in the fall, she would be the fourth person to represent District 2 on the local legislative board since Framingham became a city at the start of 2018.

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Brandon Ward, who serves professionally as the Public Policy and Community Advocacy Manager at the affordable housing nonprofit organization Family Promise Metrowest, knew early into his tenure in local politics that he’d be looking to run for a second term on the Framingham City Council. As someone who initially moved to the area in the fourth grade, he said he’s looking to continue working towards making Framingham an “equitable and inclusive” place.

“People like to ask, ‘How’s it going, are you enjoying the time?’ I do really enjoy having the opportunity to serve the constituents of District 2,” Ward said in an interview with The Frame.

Ward explained that diving in on policy matters as well as assisting District 2 neighbors with day-to-day things, such as connecting them with the proper people within the municipal government when they have a question or concern, has made his first term on the City Council a rewarding experience.

A major priority for Ward, should he be reelected, is making McGrath Square and the central Saxonville area more accessible for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. He said he’s been working with Mayor Charlie Sisitsky to find a long-term solution, adding that the city will be purchasing the 1639 Concord Street property and developing a straight intersection.

“I think that’s going to be a really game-changing development that, once and for all, is going to really alleviate some of the traffic concerns in that area—and also make it way easier for people to navigate it safely,” Ward continued.

Additional priorities for Ward in his reelection bid include promoting small businesses and commercial properties through “right sized” redevelopments of sites such as the Pinefield Shopping Center and the former State Lumber property. He is also looking to establish an affordable housing trust in Framingham, support educational efforts to promote standards within classrooms and develop new school buildings—such as the new south side school plan or the proposal to develop a new building at Keefe Regional Technical School—and advocate for investments in local outdoor trails.

Ward told The Frame that he wants to maintain transparency with the public by ensuring that discussions about major topics are being held in public during municipal meetings while making public records and data easily accessible online as well.

Ward believes his Framingham story, alongside his professional and municipal experience, is worthy of another term on the City Council.

“When I landed in Framingham, I found a community that really wrapped its arm around me,” Ward said.

“So that’s stuck with me my entire life, it’s why I moved back to Framingham. To be able to give that kind of welcoming and inclusive embrace to all residents is something I care really deeply about.”

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Carol Spack said that her interest in the District 2 City Council position comes from her “lifelong” interest in public service. She served as the Planning Board Chair from 2003 to 2012, when Framingham was still a town.

She told The Frame that she wants to continue serving her community within the city model; she thinks her past municipal experience, along with her background through her law practice between 1984 and 2012, are proper qualifications for the position.

“I would say this is resuming my public service,” Spack explained in an interview with The Frame.

“I grew up in Framingham, I moved away, I came back in 1993, and I have been here since then. I know the town, I love the town—I know, legally a city—and would like to contribute.”

Spack believes that the way decisions are made through the City Council, as opposed to the Town Meeting structure, results in a lack of access for residents to reach key decision makers. She said access to the local government is a paramount issue in her campaign, adding that she wants to be a champion for accountability and transparency. She said there’s “little opportunity” for local residents to be informed, so she wants to find a way to bring more neighbors into the civic process.

“I think that gap between what happens in City Hall and what people are thinking has gotten much, much wider,” Spack continued.

Spack suggested hosting multiple forums each year—perhaps on a quarterly basis—to discuss major topics with constituents if she is eventually elected.

Other top priorities for Spack include ensuring that zoning and land use plans are representative of local neighborhoods, as she wants to “challenge high density commercial and residential projects” that could impact the residential and commercial character of District 2’s neighborhoods. She thinks she will be the person to ask the right questions to developers, given that some of her legal experience comes from land, housing, and zoning law. Additionally, she has outlined her desire to have in-depth financial deliberations and planning among other local leaders.

Spack said her commitment is to represent each individual resident of District 2 while balancing the interests of the population, the local government, and groups who come to Framingham looking to conduct business.

“But, our town is not a business,” Spack said.

“Our town is to provide a certain quality of life for people who live here now and will live here. That is upper-most on my mind.”

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The citywide election will be held on Tuesday, November 4. The deadline to register to vote in Framingham is Saturday, October 25.

For more local voting information, visit the city’s official website by clicking here.