On Tuesday, Pittsfield, Massachusetts voters chose political newcomer Alisa Costa for one of four at-large seats on the city council. In a hotly contested seven-way race, Costa ran on a platform about reconnecting the politically disenfranchised to city government and acknowledging poverty as one of the foundational issues facing Pittsfield. Heading into the next two-year council term that begins in January, Costa is the only first-timer among the at-large councilors. Costa’s policies are informed by her experience running the Working Cities Pittsfield Initiative — a resident-driven project aimed at creating economic opportunity for low-income residents by eliminating structural barriers. Costa spoke with WAMC about how she wants to translate those lessons into actionable legislation.
COSTA: I know I have a lot to learn, and I look forward to learning from the incumbents. But I also realize I'm trying to do things a little differently. So, I'm ready to figure that out with the help of residents who haven't historically been engaged with city government. So, I'm ready to start planning my monthly meeting with city department heads in the community and launch my newsletter to start engaging residents to really find out more about what they want to say, and make sure that I'm representing them.
WAMC: From your vantage point, what are those groups that you feel like have not had a seat at the table, that you're hoping to closer connect with to city government?
So, they're the folks who didn't vote. And they're the folks who don't historically vote or show up at city meetings or the community engagement meetings that the city hosts. And so, I plan to be making phone calls, knocking on doors, and sitting down with residents in places they already trust, like social service agencies and other community spaces.
So, you're connecting the historically low turnout on Tuesday to long standing issues about disenfranchisement in Pittsfield?
Yeah, I think historically, elections tend to be voted by people who have the privilege of time and energy to pay attention to the elections, because they're not in survival mode. So, we need to take extra care to connect with folks who don't fall into those categories.
You've also connected poverty to many of the long-standing issues in Pittsfield. When you look at this sort of top-down, aerial view of the at-large position, how do you think you can most impact that disconnect between low-income residents in Pittsfield and political engagement?
So, I think that part of our challenge is city government is to take the extra time to talk with folks who aren't at the table because they don't think they have a say or that their needs will be met. And that means asking the right questions when proposals are in front of us to make sure that those folks have been brought in and that we are focused on building wealth in our community. That means making sure that projects aren't just helping developers – and developers are greatly needed in our community – but how are we making sure that ongoing projects are building wealth for residents who are here?
As you prepare to hold these meetings and produce your newsletter, how do you message to folks who feel like their voice maybe doesn't matter in municipal politics that you're trying to start this new era where they're going to have that seat at the table? How do you articulate that to people?
I think I do it in a similar way as I did with Working Cities Pittsfield. If we don't listen and respond and follow through with our promises, they won't come back. And so, it's always been my goal to listen, build relationships, and move forward with the community's vision and work beside people to achieve those goals. And if something goes wrong along the way, which inevitably, it will, I will have high hopes and need to negotiate down or whatever that part of public policymaking does. You need to explain to folks and figure out how to move forward when things don't go our way. It's all about relationships.
