Key Issues

From the very beginning, our campaign was about supporting people, building a strong future, and protecting our freedoms. I am an advocate for our communities - to protect what they cherish (available water and healthy rivers), provide what they need (housing - we’re in a crisis), and help grow local economies. 

In the last year I have been meeting with, listening to, and advocating for the 40k+ people I represent and the beautiful 126 square miles of the 2nd Essex District.

Here in the 2nd Essex we can:

  • Protect our environment and battle climate change

  • Bring communities together to solve our water challenges. The Northshore Water Resiliency Task Force, a group of communities within the Ipswich River watershed, are working together to ensure we all have enough water to sustain us and the environment.

  • Increase our use of clean energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal to power our buildings and our vehicles. But we also need to update the electric grid before they can flip the switch.

  • Prepare the workforce for today as well as the next economy.

  • Improve our transportation systems and provide a diversity of mobility options.

  • Care for our youngest and our oldest by providing affordable options for care.

  • Provide affordable housing options in our communities through a diversity of housing types.

  • Expand an already growing cluster on the innovation economy, in life science, medical device, advanced manufacturing, blue economy, and climate tech.

  • Make long overdue investments in infrastructure.

  • Embrace the arts. Northshore artists, musicians, and performing artists are unmatched – let’s help them thrive!

First Term Accomplishments

Massachusetts Next

Business can thrive here if we have the space and infrastructure to support the growth. Remote work is here to stay.

MASSACHUSETTS NEXT is proposed legislation to study opportunities for these new companies to move into vacant space left by remote office workers.

Ecosystem of Rivers

Proposed legislation for a water supply protection bill that will identify drought conditions earlier and identify all draw, including private wells, to protect the ecosystem of rivers, including the Ipswich and Parker and our water supply.

A key focus is to identify missing data in relation to private wells. I will continue to work with the Northshore Water Resiliency Task Force to improve the distribution and health of the Ipswich River to address water needs across the region.

Site Plan Review

Proposed legislation to facilitate “standard” site plan review for communities. Currently, site plan Review is not statutory, so all 351 Massachusetts communities have 351 different processes with no standard timelines or criteria to review projects. This would allow communities to outline requirements of a plan for development, and criteria that projects must meet, including drainage, traffic, landscaping among others.

$250K for the Second Essex district

Georgetown - public safety and feasibility study of the Mill St. Bridge
Hamilton - backup generator for Town Hall
Ipswich - security technology and a new regional animal shelter
Newbury - elementary school building repairs
Rowley -  space planning work for Town Hall Annex
Topsfield - ADA-compliant parking lot for Historical Society to and economic development initiatives

For more information about Kristin’s work in the House, including the bills that she has sponsored or cosponsored, and the House committees on which she works, visit her page on the MA Legislature web site here.