If she’s elected mayor of Fitchburg this spring, Julia Arata-Fratta will put neighborhood revitalization at the top of her list of priorities.
In an interview for Monday’s “It’s Only 10 Minutes” podcast, Arata-Fratta said some neighborhoods have more park space and other resources than others, something she’d like to change.
“In a neighborhood where you live in a half a million house or a million dollar house, or you live in a multifamily apartment, the idea is to determine that all the neighborhoods in the city are safe (and) we provide the resources that they need,” she said. “One of my priorities is how to foster those healthy neighborhoods in the entire city.”
Arata-Fratta moved to Fitchburg in 2004 and has served four terms on the Common Council over the last eight years.
“I really love my city. I moved to the city 18 years ago, I raised my family here, my kid went to Leopold School, the community school here in Fitchburg,” she said. “I think Fitchburg has a lot of potential and opportunity, but I also want to be sure that everyone is part of the community.”
Current mayor Aaron Richardson announced last month that he would not seek reelection. Arata-Fratta said stepping into the role seemed natural.
“I think this is the organic move for me to move to the next level,” she said. “I feel that I have the experience, knowledge, I know how a city can be run … I think that I’m ready to take that challenge.”
Beyond revitalizing neighborhoods, Arata-Fratta said another top priority will be increasing voter turnout by adding additional polling stations, and improving transit options.
“Sometimes various parts of the city are not very well connected. And we need to look at what are the options where we can create the connectivity between west and east (sides of Fitchburg),” she said.
She said over four terms on the council, she’s felt everyone she’s worked with – including three different mayors – is in it for the right reasons.
“Even though sometimes I disagree with some of my (fellow) council members, we always disagree with respect. We are very professional in that sense,” she said. “I had the opportunity to work for three different mayors. They each have their own agenda, their own priorities, but at the end of the day, we want the best for the city of Fitchburg.”
On her own leadership style, she said she doesn’t consider herself a politician.
“I consider myself a community leader, a servant leader. I am a doer,” she said. “Some people like to speak and they’re like, let’s do something, and I want to do it. I don’t want to have ‘yes-people’ working with me. I want people that are going to challenge me. I want people that are going to bring diverse perspectives to the table.”
Common Council president Randy Udell has also announced he is running for mayor. If there are more than two candidates on the ballot, a primary election will take place on February 21, with the general election set for April 3.
