Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

About Khrystian:

Why I'm Running for Mayor 

I’m a social worker of almost 30 years, City Councilor, and proud Girl Dad. I’ve dedicated my life to public service and mentoring young people throughout Worcester. 
 
On the City Council, I led the fight for safe schools with the necessary resources, and successfully brought sports back to middle schools. I fought against increasing residential property taxes, and advocated for a transparent and accountable Government, especially when it came to taxpayers' hard earned dollars. 
 
The same old leadership is failing. Housing prices are skyrocketing, crime and mental health are major problems, and there is too much focus on downtown and not enough on the local economic hubs in neighborhoods across the city. I’m running for Mayor so that you and I can write the next chapter in Worcester’s history and build a City that is safe, sustainable, and affordable. I humbly ask for your vote on November 7th.   

Khrystian has been an advocate for Worcester’s children, youth and families his entire life -  beginning as a student leader of an anti-drug program at Holy Name. After losing three friends to gun violence, Khrystian has dedicated his career to helping local families rise beyond poverty and violence - from his work in child protection to his nearly 20 years leading the Crompton Park Summer Basketball program.
A first generation American, Khrystian graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Sociology and Psychology, and went on to receive a Masters Degree in Social Work from Simmons College and a Public Management & Leadership Certificate from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

About Maydee:

I am a Worcester homeowner, mother and grandmother, with proud roots as an Afro-Latina from Puerto Rico. I have worked for over 30 years on the front lines of service as director of housing at Friendly House, as a health outreach worker, coordinator of a high school graduation project, director of emergency services at Catholic Charities, and now director of the Resiliency Center at Worcester Community Action Council.
My career is focused on helping people succeed through education and work. Our community is stronger because of the compassion and respect shown to the most vulnerable among us -- newcomers, working families, youth of color, low-income elders, and those who live on the margins of society. I will bring these same values and priorities to the Worcester City Council.

Maydee Morales -- a proven leader who understands the community, fosters partnerships, and exercises fiscal responsibility

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

About Tracy:

Tracy O'Connell Novick is the mother of three children, two Worcester Public Schools alums, one a rising Burncoat High senior; a former Massachusetts public school teacher; a licensed Massachusetts school business administrator; and a longtime education advocate. Professionally, Tracy is in her seventh year as a field director with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, where she manages social media and focuses on school finance. Tracy is seeking her sixth term on the Worcester School Committee.  During her time on the Worcester School Committee, Tracy spearheaded the Committee's adoption of in-district transportation;  played an active role in the successful search for a new Worcester Public Schools superintendent; has actively reviewed district policy for overdue updates; and has continued to work to direct dollars to the classroom, successfully proposing FY24 funding be moved for a paraprofessional in every kindergarten classroom and an increase in the per-pupil funding for supplies. This continues Tracy's track record of working to get a nurse into every school, to increase facilities funding, and to boost the time and attention on lunch and recess for students. Tracy has continually also been active both on and off the Committee at the state level in advocacy, particularly in equity in school funding. Her online social media is considered the place to keep up with what is happening in Massachusetts education policy by many. Tracy was tireless as an advocate, as a resource, and as an educator in the passage of the Student Opportunity Act, the decades-overdue overhaul of state education funding now bringing billions in state aid to local school districts, and millions to Worcester. Now greeted by "We know: Burncoat" by those at the state level, Tracy continues to press for a new Burncoat High School. Understanding that new high schools only serve some of our students, Tracy also proposed the successful advocacy for the restoration of MSBA Accelerated Repair funding, which has provided millions of dollars in roofs, windows, doors, and boilers to the Worcester Public Schools. She ceaselessly notes that the Worcester Public Schools need and deserve greater capital funding support. While Tracy left the classroom when she had children, she continues to "presume competence," believing that public goods like education are far too important for anyone to be left out, and applies this to discussions of school finance, accountability, curricular standards, and regulations.

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

We sit down with Jennifer Davis Carey to discuss the overall structure of the Worcester School Committee.

About Jennifer:

Since 2010, Jennifer Davis Carey has served as Executive Director of the Worcester Education Collaborative an independent, non-partisan education advocacy and action organization. She holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges. A veteran educator, she served in various positions in the K-12 and higher education sectors. In 1998, she entered state service and held various senior positions including Secretary of Elder Affairs. Deeply engaged in the Worcester community, Dr. Carey serves on a number of boards in the city. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University and is a Gateway Cities Fellow with MassInc.

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

About Katia:

My name is Katia Norford and I’m a proud Dominican living in

Worcester District 4 for over 20 years. I am married to Carlos Norford

and we are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Gisela and

Shadelis. Together, my husband and I own Carlitos Barbershop,

located in 925 Main St Worcester for over 18 years.

Before I arrived in the United States, I ran my own business, Katia’s

Salon, in my home country. I started working when I was only 13

years old, and since then, I have been passionate about serving my

community. I have an Associate in science in Accounting graduated

from Salter College in 2009.

I have been a Board Member of the MSBA for 4 and half years, and I

am also a Board Member of the MSCDC and the MSNBBA. I am also

the club director at my local church. My goal is to help those around

me become the best versions of themselves, and I strive to do this

through my work. I am passionate about making a difference in my

community and inspiring others to achieve their goals. My mission is

to be an example of strength, resilience and determination to all

those I encounter. I strive to empower others to make positive

changes in their lives and to never give up on their dreams.

I love to spend time with my family, travel and learn about different

culture.

Blessings.

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

About Robert:

Robert Bilotta, is a lifelong Worcester resident. Disability rights advocate and candidate for District 2 City Council. Robert graduated from North High School in 2004, and Worcester State University in 2010, with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Urban Studies. For the past decade, Robert has worked as a disability advocate and caseworker at Center for Living and Working, and Easter Seals Massachusetts. He’s served on two Worcester commissions, the Access Advisory Commission for five years, and currently serves on the Human Right Commission. Robert is dedicated to improving quality of life for Worcester residents and improving equity and inclusion for the disability community. 

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. In this episode, we sit down with School Committee Candidate, Nelly Medina.

More about Nelly:

Nelly Medina is a Worcester resident, professional organizer, and advocacy educator

specializing in coalition building who has advocated for education equity, workers' rights,

immigrant rights, student empowerment, environmental justice, and the youth justice

movements and fought alongside parents and educators for student support, parent

resources, and pay equity for educators.

Nelly has channeled her lived experience as a Parent activist to fight for equity in educating

her young son with special needs. Her experience as a youth in foster care, the impact of aging out of the system with a

seventh-grade education, and being involved in juvenile court for truancy, have informed

her work.

She received the Dr.Rev Martin Luther King Social Justice Award, The Massachusetts Green-

Rainbow Award, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus Award, The honor of

WooTown Hero, and other recognizable honors. Her organizing skills extend beyond the community, and she has worked for elected

officials, Senator Ed Markey, Congressman Jim Mcgovern, and State Representative David

LeBeouef taught her that elected representatives work for the constituency, not the other

way around, and those relationships are vital to assisting stakeholders in passing legislation

and policy to improve

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. In this episode, we sit down with City Councilor Candidate, Feanna Jattan-Singh.

More about Feanna:

Feanna Jattan-Singh, is originally from North Carolina, with roots from Trinidad and Tobago, India, and Africa. She settled in the north when she attended Johnson & Wales University for International Business. After College, Feanna started a health and beauty business, and moved to MA when she got married. She moved to Worcester with her husband and family back in 2010. Since 2014 she has worked as a Substitute Teacher at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public Elementary School. In 2017, Feanna got her Real Estate License and started her career in helping buyers buy their first home. Since then, she has expanded into helping both buyers, sellers, as well as renters to find housing. Feanna is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Worcester where they do many projects to help the children of Worcester. One of those projects is giving gifts to the children of both Wawecus school and Union Hill Elementary school each year. This year Worcester Kiwanis also started a book program where we gave books to the students at Union Hill school. Aside from that, Feanna is also a member of the Board of Touchstone Community School where her 2 youngest children attend. She also volunteers at Liberty Church in Shrewsbury, MA in the Nursery, most Sunday mornings.  Recently, she went on a trip to Kenya where the team did Leadership training for community leaders, gave out gifts to many students at seven different schools, and attended the first graduation ceremony for the Focus Dream Center Vocational and Technical College. Feanna decided to run for city council district 3 for Worcester, due to a lack of response from the current district 3 Councilor after advocating for a sidewalk for Sunderland Road for over 10 years. She is also trying to get the city to do something about the lack of accountability with the buses being so ineffective. Feanna is also advocating for more affordable housing in the city.

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. In this episode, we sit down with City Mayor Candidate, Guillermo Creamer to discuss his work on the national level, how it can open the door for innovative ideas in the city and how he can show up for marginalized communities.

More about Guillermo:

Guillermo Creamer Jr. is running for Mayor because it is time for our city to have a choice. Democracy calls for choices, and Worcester has not had a choice in over a decade. It is time to elect someone committed to bold, progressive ideas to take our city to the next level. Guillermo is a local. Attending Elm Park Community School, Nativity School, and Bancroft School, he was educated by many of the best educators Worcester has to offer. As a co-founder of Pay Our Interns, a national nonprofit that has seismically shifted the internship realm throughout the United States, Guillermo has experienced diversity and inclusion firsthand. He committed to bringing those lessons to Worcester.

Guillermo most recently served as the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, ensuring Worcester’s equity lens always had a voice. During the last 12 months, Guillermo worked on the Worcester Now Next project, the first citywide planning project since the 1980s. As the lead community organizer on the project, he connected with hundreds of residents and small business owners throughout the city to hear their voices and concerns to ensure that they were included in the project. 

Guillermo is unapologetic about who he is and what lived experiences he brings to the table. Guillermo is a proud, openly gay man, Latinx individual, and outspoken national organizer. He was raised by two hard-working South American immigrants in Worcester, where finances were always a topic of discussion. Similar to many residents in Worcester, the Creamers were renters in several of Worcester’s numerous triple-deckers. From Williams Street to Hamilton Street, the Creamers often moved to keep up with low rent prices to help with overall spending. After attending Elm Park Community School, Guillermo was accepted into the Nativity School of Worcester, where his educational experience put him on the path to earning a scholarship at Bancroft School. The Catholic mentality has stuck with Guillermo and is ingrained in his personal moral compass after being confirmed at St. Peters Catholic Church on Main St. He most notably took on the Bishop when he decided to bestow bigotry on the Nativity School for flying the BLM and Pride flags respectively. Guillermo spoke to over a dozen national news outlets, including a live interview on CNN where he defended Nativity on their decision to continue flying the flags. 

In 2017, Guillermo, alongside a close counterpart, launched Pay Our Interns. Within a few short years of uphill advocacy, the organization and overall movement reached a pivotal moment: in a bipartisan decision, Congress agreed to allocate over $14 million for intern pay. This success began a series of wins for the organization and a nationwide movement. To date, Pay Our Interns is responsible for over $100 million in funding allocated for interns in Congress, the White House, and the State Department. The organization’s mission is simple but one that is heavily needed within our society: paying interns increases diversity and inclusion and thereby breaks down barriers to entry into the workforce.

Over the summer, Don't Touch My Podcast says, "Don't Touch my Politics" as we sit down with political candidates running for the Worcester City Council and School Committee seats. 

As Crisis Pregnancy Centers continue to provide misleading and deceitful information to women, we sit down with Councilwoman Kristen Strezo of Somerville and Dr. Cara Berg Powers to discuss the already established Somerville ordinance and where Worcester stands in the debate.