The following is a list of the questions that we are asking city council candidates.

• Contact information questions

  • Richard Ash

  • 📱: 617-376-1352

  • 📧: AshForQuincy@gmail.com

  • 🌐: richardashforquincy.org

• What is your political party?

  • Democratic

• What race are you running for?

  • Ward 2 councilor

• Why are you running for office?

  • Ash is an attorney and third generation lifelong Quincy Point resident. Elected in 2023, he said his priorities are advocacy, dedication and communication. Ash said he remains confident that he is the best representative for the area that primarily spans the Quincy Point and Penn’s Hill neighborhoods.
    
    Ash said his personal and professional background make him the best person for this position. Ash has deep personal, familial roots within the area. He is a current Board Member and previous president of the Ward 2 Civic Association. He said his professional experience as a civil litigation attorney at Baker Braverman Barbadoro P.C. brings a necessary skillset to the Council, which has made many of these highlights possible.
    
    Ash said he continues to stress and advocate for smart development and public participation. Namely, he cites the proposal for the project at 10 Independence Ave. as a strong example of promoting constituents’ thoughts and opinions. Ash held and/or attended at least three community meetings and four public hearings on the proposal, the approved project, he says, looks much better than was first submitted. Similar proposals have been revised after Ash’s community meetings – including but not limited to 506 South, 41 Moore, and 35 Main St. He said he aims to promote commercial activity on the main roads and works hard to keep the neighborhoods quiet.

    
    (Edited by AJQ to be responsive to question. For more info please visit Councilor Ash’s site.)
    

• Do you or does anyone in your family work for the City of Quincy in any capacity? (Please consider first cousins and closer relationships only.) (yes / no)

  • No

• Do you or does anyone in your family own or work at a company that does business with the City of Quincy? (yes / no)

  • No

• Having personal ties to the city does not disqualify a candidate for office by any means. But voters may be concerned that if you answered yes to either of the previous two questions, you may not be willing to speak out on their behalf if doing so might jeopardize your or your family members' relationships with the city. What would you say to those voters?

  • n/a

• If elected, would you go out into the community to hold town-hall-type meetings at least once every quarter? (yes / no)

  • Yes

• If elected, will you create an online newsletter or blog to keep your constituents informed?

  • Yes

• If elected, will you take advantage of the city's translation services for your newsletter and town halls?

  • Yes

• If elected, will you sponsor or co-sponsor an ordinance to create a regular opportunity for public comment before council meetings? (yes / no)

  • Yes

• If elected, would you work to repeal the mayor's 79% raise? (yes / no)

  • Declined to answer

• If elected, would you work to repeal the council's 50% raise? (yes / no)

  • Declined to answer

• If elected, would you work to repeal the annual raises for the mayor and councilors that the council voted through -- without public comment -- this spring? (yes / no)

  • Declined to answer

• If elected, would you work to establish a fair system for councilor and mayoral raises going forward, seeking input from residents and using data from similar government types in Massachusetts? (yes / no)

  • Yes

• If elected, would you take classes from the Massachusetts Municipal Association on good governance and open meeting/public records laws? (yes / no)

  • Yes

• Are you active in any community groups? If so, which ones and why?

  • Ward 2 Civic Association
    Quincy Pride
    Quincy Chamber of Commerce

• If you'd like to add any comments about any of your answers, please do so here.

  • Councilor Ash points to his campaign announcement (which is published in part above and in its entirety in the Quincy Sun).