For all of the AUDIO interviews (plus text of all questions and answers included) from all 3 dozen categories of the Fiscal 6 Project, please visit Fiscal6.com, CLICK HERE. — Also, there’s more on this topic at MIchaelNicholsonMA.com, CLICK HERE.
Basic City Services – An interview with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson
As part of the Fiscal 6 Project, Gardner Magazine spoke with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson about his vision for Basic City Services and what has been improved since 2020. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.
The Mayor specifically mentions the public’s online access to services and a desire to continue expanding interaction with the pubic, the work on revamping the ordinance code, the Prevention Coordinator, and the Domestic Violence Advocate. The mayor also stated there are “different projects that we have in the pipeline right now that I’m really excited for that are too early to announce right now but I think they will make some big differences around the City.” More at the Mayor’s campaign website, CLICK HERE.
Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson stated, “I think there’s a lot of work that we’ve been able to do just to make it so it’s easier for people to interact with City Hall. Expanding our online permitting system so that if you need you know the services of City Hall you can get those from the comfort of your home on a 24-7 basis rather than only when City Hall has working hours. We’ve increased our veteran service offerings not just for Gardner but for the region by adding two additional staff members to that department and then taking on the veteran services for not just Gardner but also the towns of Ashburnham, Westminster, Ashburnham, Winchendon, Princeton, and Ashby. And we’ve got other communities that are also looking at joining our district here too. And it’s one of those things that these smaller towns didn’t have the resources to have a full-time veterans agent. …. Our outreach services that we’ve done through our Prevention Coordinator and Domestic Violence Advocate, And then just some of the ways that we interact with the public here too, cutting back the red tape that we have in our ordinance code and going back and looking through those and the big administrative legislation package that we did last year. There’s a lot that’s been done and there’s a lot that we still plan to do and I’m really happy with how we’ve been able to increase our access to the public, our transparency to the public as a result of that and really work towards setting us up so people know what we’re doing in City Hall each and every day on their behalf.” For more, listen to the interview.