Alison Sarnoski

Sam Hammar’s Leadership Sets Her Apart

I got to know Sam Hammar when we worked side by side on the OneMelrose override campaign in 2019. While I was relatively new to political campaigns, Sam brought experience to our team as we discussed the best way to support Melrose residents to understand the vote before them. While I was not impressed with past campaigns in our city, Sam guided us toward an approach I could get behind. Every step of the way, she made sure we talked with all of our neighbors, had difficult conversations, respected those who felt differently than us, and stayed away from political games. Instead, we choose to engage and educate all members of our community and then trust voters to cast a ballot in the way they believed was best for our city. And while not everyone agreed with the outcome of that vote, our community was informed and engaged in an open process and I trusted our investment would be well spent and that this was the start on a path of progress for our city.

Fast forward 4 years. While I still believe our override investment was spent in the way we promised it would be, we are somehow back to a place where we have very little trust in our local elected officials and city government. While we all love our community and are proud of Melrose, most people I talk to are concerned by the way things are going in City Hall. We have unanswered questions, unbalanced budgets, and under-resourced city departments. City officials ask us to trust them but then stop short of taking the next step to engage us in the work they are doing. We are left to wonder what’s happening and take to social media to fight with each other instead of trusting our city leaders to actually lead.

We cannot continue this way. We need a new approach to leadership in City Hall and that is why I am supporting Sam Hammar for Mayor. While all three women running for mayor can talk about their relevant experience for the job, it is Sam’s leadership style that sets her apart. She is a proactive and bold leader who will face our most challenging issues head on. She will build and inspire a team of experts around her who will deliver creative and proactive solutions. And she will engage our community so we all know what’s happening in City Hall and with our tax dollars. We may not agree with every single thing she does, but she will not hide from us. She will be ready to discuss all of it with any of us who will listen. And she will constantly work to be sure what she does is in the best interest of our whole community.

There’s a long road ahead and we have got to do something different in Melrose. Let’s take the first step with a vote for Sam Hammar on September 19.

Alison Sarnoski

Swains Pond Ave.