Cambridge Election 2024 - Candidate for Mayor Lashon Foster

CAMBRIDGE - Editor’s Note: On Oct. 19, voters in the City of Cambridge will select from a field of candidates for City Council and Mayor.  In August, the Banner reached out to each candidate with questions and will be posting their answers in full on Bay-to-Bay News. 

Candidates for Mayor: Lashon Foster

What inspired you to run for Mayor in 2024?
My father, a POW raised us to not talk about a problem and cheer from the sidelines but step up and be a part of the solution. It is easy to recognize the good, the bad, and the ugly, but it is empowering to stand up and say I want to help solve the problematic areas in our city. Cambridge is a beautiful City, that touches us all when we look out at our beautiful waterway. Like every city big or small, we have areas that need improvement, and we have areas that are good the way they are. Cambridge deserves someone who will lead us through our crime problems, our infrastructure challenges, our housing needs and problems, our high tax rates, CWDI, the juvenile crisis, and more. I am inspired to work and recognize that we elect a Mayor to do more than ceremonial duties, ribbon cutting, and so on. We deserve a Mayor who will roll up your sleeves and get to work for the people of our city. Our Mayor has to recognize that every voice deserves to be heard, and every individual recognized. I am inspired to be that Mayor who recognizes all the things that make our city uniquely great and more.

What unique qualifications and background do you bring to being Mayor?
Some of the skills needed in a leader are Integrity, honesty, active listening, decision-making, competence, assertiveness, the ability to build strong relationships, ability to communicate effectively with peers, subordinates, and community members.
I have been a lifelong member of my community. Educational and life experiences that have prepared me for this role include.
Associate of Art Degree in Humanities and Social Science
Bachelor of Social Work
Master’s degree in social work and administration
License Social Worker at a Clinical Level (LCSW-C)

I graduated from the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance, which included the following classes: Basics of Risk Management, Consensus and Team Building, Conducting Effective Meetings, Employment Issues, Ethics, Municipal Budgeting, Open Meetings, Public Information Act, Structure of Municipal Government and more.
I have served two terms as a city commissioner.
I have worked and served this community since 1987 as a Social Worker and Community Advocate. I worked in community programs before 1987 as a housing coordinator, and other programs through what was known as Dorchester Community Development Corporation. My entire professional career has been in the field of serving others.

Please name one (or more) area of personal and professional growth you’d bring to being Mayor of Cambridge?

To name two areas of personal and professional growth, are creativity and resilience. Creativity is important as we look at problem-solving and setting goals for our city. Approaching our problematic areas with creativity allows for diversity in the path we choose to achieve our goals. Building resilience will assist the city to bounce back from setbacks. We can set goals and develop positive mindsets while fostering strong relationships and practicing coping strategies. Challenges can be opportunities for growth if approached with resilience. As a social worker every year I engage in personal and professional growth through continuing education hours that are mandatory to continue to hold a license and perform social work duties in the state of Maryland. These studies also enhance personal and professional growth.

What do you consider the top issues facing Cambridge in 2024?

CWDI, lack of job readiness programs, Youth programs (Maces Lane project), homelessness, affordable housing, Property taxes, making sure developers assist with infrastructure, lack of economic growth, and Juvenile crime crisis.
Please comment on any or all of the following:
1.Juvenile Curfew, Youth Initiatives – The goal of the curfew is not only to deter juvenile crime but to also protect innocent children and young adults from becoming targets of violence. We need to focus more on our youth and develop programs to meet the vast diversity of our youth's needs and emotional and social development.
2.Cambridge Waterfront and YMCA - The waterfront is one of Cambridge’s greatest commodities and should be shared by all and not a few. The waterfront was given over to CWDI to produce ideas on how we can enhance that area to benefit all the citizens of Cambridge. It was never meant to determine what we the citizens want and make that decision without the vast majority of our citizen's input. The YMCA at present is in a location that serves a lot of the community.
3.Affordable safe housing - We need affordable safe housing in our city. We have a lot of new construction for home ownership, however, the average hourly wage in Cambridge is not enough for the vast majority of our residents to purchase and afford housing that is over $2200.00 per month. Our high property tax rates and HOA fees contribute to these monthly payments being extremely high compared to our medium income for Cambridge.
4.Flooding mitigation - To preserve and save our low-lying areas, tidal and non-tidal wetlands. The county and city should work together to prevent losing areas that are now affected by flooding. We have to work together with State and Federal programs to accomplish goals set for flooding mitigation.
5.Infrastructure (Sewer, road repair) Each year the council examines the roads in our city prioritizes which roads require repair and sets funding aside to complete the repairs. However, I feel that as developers build homes in our city, they should be required to assist with the infrastructure. Bringing big trucks into our city for new construction has a direct impact on our roads. They should also be required to provide some type of recreational center in the neighborhood of where they are building new homes if it is in excess of a certain number. We already lack opportunities for our youth and transportation to get youth back and forth to programs that are already up and running.
6.Sustaining and growing Main Street, Pine Street business – The city should maintain an interest in sustaining, maintaining, and attracting businesses that meet the needs of our vast diverse community.
7.Bradford House – The Bradford house has been an ongoing problem for the residents who live there for years. The city has to do more to ensure the safety of vulnerable, disabled, and low-income citizens who have nowhere else to live. The city is well aware of all of the issues. Having meetings with no action is meaningless. As Mayor, I would take action to bring a solution to their ongoing crisis.
8.Bridging the gap - I would reinstate this group to bring the community and police together to foster and improve the relationships between the public and policing.
9.Rent Control – This one topic is easy to say however hard to incorporate without having some incentives for our landlords to work with the city to lower rents to affordable rent while maintaining safe housing.

How would you help contribute to moving Cambridge forward? Addressing the past? Bringing the city together?

We can only move forward when we know where we are going. We must first listen to our citizens and make sure that every voice is heard. We must recognize every individual and pull together what are our achievable goals and how to tackle goals that seem unachievable. We must be resilient in moving forward. We learn from our past and move forward so we do not repeat our past. Things in our past that we bring forward we bring forward with the concept of the era we are living in. We move in the direction knowing that each generation will pass, and new generations will continue to move the city forward. We come together as one, we recognize our differences, and that our goal is one.