Candidate for Ward 4 City Council: Philip Gindi
By Ellen Putnam
Photo From Philip Gindi
Philip Gindi is running to represent Ward 4 on the City Council because, he said, “our city deserves transparent, thoughtful, and forward-looking leadership.” In particular, he expressed concern over what he sees as a lack of accountability for the city’s budgeting and spending.
Gindi, who has lived in Melrose for nearly 50 years, holds degrees in Physics and Computer Science and worked as an engineer, both as a civilian for the Air Force and in the private sector. “I think I’m the only candidate for City Council who holds a Top Secret clearance,” he said. He then earned a law degree, and currently works as an attorney in private practice. He is also the treasurer of his church, and works on budgeting and financial matters in that capacity.
Gindi wants to keep Melrose affordable “by listening to economically diverse residents to understand their needs. There are older people in town,” he said, “who bought their house for $50,000, and now it’s worth over $1 million, but their income has not increased. So tax increases affect everyone differently - a lot of people say, ‘I just can’t do it.’”
Gindi also does not believe that politicians in Melrose are visible enough at present. “If I’m elected to the City Council,” he said, “I make a promise to make myself available for at least a couple of hours every month - not just for my ward, but for everybody to come talk to me. People need to have access to their representatives - that’s why they elect us.”
“I’ve always prided myself on hearing other people,” he went on. “People see things differently, and they have different thinking processes.” Gindi is a devout Christian, and many of his personal values derive from his faith.
Gindi sees our city’s “quiet, close-knit community” as its greatest strength, and he noted, “the challenge before us is to preserve the character and charm of the Melrose we remember, even as we adapt to growth and change.”
“I’ve always looked at Melrose as a small town,” he said, “and I’m surprised we’re having all of these challenges - there are a lot of things that shouldn’t be issues, but they are. We need to build consensus based on respect. We have a problem with a lack of communication - people are not getting things done, and I see people having strong opinions and being unwilling to listen to one another.”
“Everybody talks about the override,” Gindi said, “but we should be looking at the root causes, not just addressing the symptoms. That’s the engineer in me - you don’t just replace something, you find out why something is failing, and our system is failing. We need to do a better job.”
Photo From Nancy Clover
In Gindi’s view, the issue is a lack of long-term thinking within the city government. He also wants to look at where more savings could be made. In particular, he is interested in scrutinizing the number of positions at City Hall and seeing if there can be cost-savings with replacing paid employees with volunteers or interns, or selling unused city property such as vehicles. (The city does “surplus” unused property, including vehicles, but due to state regulations, the process can sometimes be protracted.) Gindi also called on the City Council to forgo their salaries, and called on the mayor to take a salary cut.
In particular, Gindi sees issues with a lack of transparency in terms of the city’s finances. While the city does make public a number of documents related to each year’s budget, Gindi said, “I want to see what’s not being shown. You have to go out and explain things to people. I have a lot of questions - I’m not distrusting, I just want to understand. Once I understand, I will be your biggest advocate.”
With regard to the override questions that will also be on the ballot, Gindi shared that he will be voting “No” on all three questions. “I haven’t been convinced that it’s needed,” he said. “I want to see where I can save money, and if everything is being accounted for and being done right. If the city really needs to raise extra funds, then I would support it, but I don’t see it right now.”
“The people of Melrose are smart,” he added, “so if you’re trying to get them to pay more, you need to give them a good argument. People are reasonable - they just feel like they’re in the dark right now - and some people just can’t afford to pay more.”
Gindi has stated that he will request a formal investigation from the Attorney General into the FY22 budget shortfall. While the School Committee did receive a report from outside firm CliftonLarsonAllen, Gindi has concerns about the accuracy and completeness of that report.
“I’m a big advocate for getting different firms to audit the books,” he added, “because different eyes will catch different things, and having two or three different outside auditors will take away any suspicion that people might have.”
Gindi is also interested in looking into how taxation is structured in Melrose, including how property taxes are assessed for apartment buildings compared to single-family homes and condominiums. “Melrose doesn’t have industry,” he said, “so you can’t just keep going to Jane and increasing her taxes every time.”
Gindi states that he is in favor of prioritizing public education, the repair and maintenance of roads and sidewalks, and public safety. Asked about the possibility that the city might need to close one of its five elementary schools if an override does not pass (something that was discussed as a possibility during last year’s school budget process), Gindi said, “I would be opposed to closing anything. The goal is not to create hardship for anyone.”
“I want to try to get everybody to get on the same page,” he said, “and get Melrose back on a positive trajectory. Our city needs people with experience and fiscal restraint, and that is the mindset that I have. You look at what you have and you make adjustments accordingly. We have a nice town, and we need to be good stewards of it.”
