Meet the Candidates for District 4’s Seat on the Framingham City Council

FRAMINGHAM - District 4 residents will be taking to the polls this Election Day to decide who will represent them on the Framingham City Council, as incumbent Michael Cannon will be facing challenger Steven Belcher.

Cannon has held the District 4 seat ever since Framingham became a city at the start of 2018, though he is facing his first challenge as an incumbent.

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Business owner Michael Cannon was first elected to the Framingham City Council in 2017. In that time, he’s learned that collaboration among other officials is the key to getting things done in local politics.

“District 4 is a really tricky place, because every major issue that impacts Framingham touches District 4,” Cannon said in an interview with The Frame.

With that in mind, the incumbent councilor for District 4 thinks that local legislators—regardless of who is elected this fall—have to do a better job of communicating outside of formal meetings, though he does think that “ongoing dialogue” has improved as of late. However, Cannon does believe that transparency within the municipal government has to continue to improve; he believes that information on civic matters should be more accessible for residents.

As for his re-election campaign, keeping an eye on the potential redevelopment of Shoppers World is one of Cannon’s top priorities. Mixed-use concepts were outlined by the owners of the property over the summer; Cannon told The Frame he wants to ensure that whatever plan that is put forth is one that “works for Framingham, not just for developers.”

If elected in District 4 again, Cannon said that he also wants to find efficiencies within Framingham Public Schools’ operations. He believes that there are some redundancies that can be ironed out by taking input from all stakeholders.

“I think we need to take a careful look at all of the different ways that we happen to do things,” Cannon continued, “and ask, ‘Is this the best way to do them going forward?’ I don’t think enough of that happened when we first became a city, for a number of reasons.”

Cannon welcomes the fact that he’s a part of a contested race, adding that Belcher’s inclusion helps spark a conversation about what the community needs.

As residents prepare to vote in the upcoming election, Cannon explained that he wants District 4 constituents to consider his track record and responsiveness.

“At the end of the day, we work for the folks that sent us into the Memorial Building…That’s really important because we work for them, and we need to be responsive to them,” Cannon said.

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Steven Belcher, a U.S. Army veteran and current nurse within Framingham, is taking his first dive into electoral politics. School-related troubles that he and his family experienced in recent years, such as late bus transportation and trying to get their daughter into an IEP, eventually motivated him to run for the District 4 School Committee seat.

Belcher said that running for office has been rewarding, in spite of the work load.

“It’s been a learn-as-you-go process, it really has,” Belcher said in a conversation with The Frame.

“But I’ve been meeting great people, fantastic people in the community…I really enjoy going door to door and meeting people.”

Belcher believes that his experience with veterans and healthcare practitioners, along with his desire to improve Framingham Public Schools, can make him an ideal candidate.

Ensuring that senior citizens in Framingham have affordable and sustainable housing is a major pillar of Belcher’s campaign—one that’s informed by his experience in working within local nursing homes.

“Their Social Security checks aren’t getting higher every year, but their rent is and the utilities are. So, we really need to look at capping that,” Belcher continued.

Other key tenants of Belcher’s campaign include providing housing and additional resources for local veterans, promoting green space amid continued local development, and school transparency in order to ensure that all educators are licensed and qualified.

Belcher, like Cannon, called for an increase in access to municipal documents so that residents can know where their tax dollars are being used. Belcher has been in communication with his opponent; he called Cannon a “great guy” and wanted to stress that his challenge for the District 4 seat did not come from a place of disdain.

Belcher believes that he and Cannon are in agreement on topics related to District 4’s elderly population, though he thinks they differ on school-related matters.

Belcher said he’s committed to keeping constituents in the loop if he’s elected, though not just through the internet; he added he’d look forward to calling residents and connecting with them in-person if he wins in November.

Belcher explained that he wants residents to consider the future of their older loved ones and their wellbeing when they fill out their ballots this fall.

“What are we going to do as we grow older as a community…Where are we going to put your mother, your father, your spouse, yourself in a few years, and what does that affordability look like?” Belcher asked.

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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.