CAMBRIDGE, MA—Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta to Indian immigrants and a resident of Boston/Cambridge for over 17 years, is running for Cambridge City Council in November elections.
“My parents were both activist educators, and they imbued in me progressive values, sense of social justice, inclusivity, and civic involvement. I made it a point to move to Boston/Cambridge area over 17 years ago because I knew that my convictions to these values are welcomed,” Pillai says. I’ve always been very interested in politics, and I have volunteered for many campaigns since ’94 to right now.”
He says he will not take any vote for granted.
“As an Indian-American, I’m very proud of my dual heritage, and I maintain close ties to India. I want to be the voice for the Indian-American community here, and I will not take any vote for granted,” Pillai told INDIA New England News.
Pillai says that some of the issues he is addressing are:
- This Administration’s vision of hate has no place here. I offer my candidacy to be a counterpoint to the values of this administration.
- Lack of shared parking in Alewife and other parts of Cambridge. Shared parking is a more efficient parking schema, can reduce greenhouse emissions, and optimize the traffic flow through the parking lot.
- Address our dismal internet services in Cambridge. Why is Cambridge’s estimates for community broadband much more expensive than other cities? My experience as an account manager with Project Management and negotiating experiences would ensure that I could add value to the Broadband Commission that we have set up.
- Volpe Redevelopment Project – I’m against MITIMCO’s current proposals of this.
- Affordable Housing – I have innovative ideas regarding affordable housing. This is a complex issue. Basically, I believe that we should look into creative solutions, and we should do it ourselves.
- Increased Voter Turnout – For Cambridge’s municipal elections, like the one we’re about to have on November 7th, the turnout is only ~25%. We must do something to increase this, and my proposal would more than double this rate.
- $15/hour minimum wage – I support this, which is why I don’t have volunteers on staff, and I believe that we should even expand the discussion a little more. We should also look into increasing Earned Income Tax Credits, which is more efficient to administer, and because it’s not funded by the employer, won’t result in fewer workers.
- Cannabis dispensaries – Communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition should NOT have barriers to entry in establishing a dispensary.
Pillai can be reached via email at hari@cambridge2017.city. For more information, visit: www.cambridge2017.city .
I am proud to see an India-American run for public office in the city of Cambridge. As a group that contributes so much to the Cambridge community – educationally, medically and professionally, we do not have the proportional representation in elected offices. I have met Hari and he will make an excellent additional to the Cambridge city council.