Haberstroh Announces City Council Bid

After tireless advocating for Medford Public Schools and Community Public Access, Matt Haberstroh has decided to run for city council. “Medford is changing, and our community needs and deserves a hard-working advocate, a communicator, who will listen to input from the community and bring people together, that would include the city council members and the Mayor.” said Haberstroh. “I am looking forward to discussing important issues with my neighbors and the entire Medford community.”

Haberstroh has owned a home in Medford since 1998 with his wife Karen Johnston. He is employed at Perry Radford Architects in Cambridge. Haberstroh earned a degree from Stanford University. His wife is employed by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Together they have a son, Philip, who attends third grade at Brooks Elementary School.

Haberstroh has seen a lot of changes in Medford over the years he has owned a home here. While a lot of progress has been made, there are still many challenges that face the city. Through his work with Advocacy for Medford Public Schools (a4mps),a grassroots education advocacy group; issues regarding public access in the city; and lobbying for state legislation, Haberstroh is prepared to face the challenges the city faces as city councilor.

Haberstroh helped establish a4mps in 2008 after significant decreases in state aid lead to cuts in the school budget. Among the accomplishments of Advocating for Medford Public Schools was creating a ”slate” of four candidates that parents could believe in and trust who went on to win the election. As a group, Haberstroh and a4mps lobbied hard in order to get a quorum of city councilors to sit with the Mayor to sign the state Hotel and Meals Tax. Since its passing new restaurants have opened despite the opposition’s belief it would stifle the local economy. Over 700 thousand dollars has been raised for the Medford coffers through this bill.

In 2008, Haberstroh worked with the mayor and a group of concerned citizens to hold a public hearing about the local public access station. Through his leadership and hard work, the mayor agreed to conduct a two-day public hearing which resulted in a report outlining recommendations for improved public accessibility to the community media station. Haberstroh said, “I was really pleased to attend the hearing where so many voiced their opinions about public access television, many Medford activists had worked toward this moment for quite some time.”

Through his work as a community advocate, an artist who participates in the West Medford Open Studios, and a father, Haberstroh sees the what a great community Medford is as well as areas for improvement. If elected city councilor, Haberstroh will work with the community to address the issues the city faces as well as celebrate its success.

For more information about Matt Haberstroh, visit http://votematt.org or contact him at (617) 930-4426.

– Information from Matt Haberstroh