Committee to Elect Joel Faretra for Methuen City Council Central District

Why am I running for re-election?

Since the voters of the Central District elected me to serve as their voice on the Methuen City Council in 2019, hopefully people have seen me as so many others have known me for years: a dedicated public servant who loves helping people and always puts the community first. I have been a member of the Methuen community for 20 years, have 3 children that have went through and graduated the Methuen school system, Hannah class of 2017 and University of Rhode Island Class of 2023 College of Pharmacy, Maximilian, 2020, and Amelia, 2022.My wife, Heather, has been a special education teacher in the Methuen Public Schools since 2003.

A lot of people say they put Methuen first but I have shown that I do with my willingness to stick up for the little guy and the taxpayer again and again. Whether it’s voting no on contracts and budgets when they are not in the best interest of the taxpayer, calling out my colleagues or the mayor when necessary, or fighting against what I perceived as unfair hiring practices, I am willing to put my neck on the line for those who put me in office. You may not always agree with my methods or views but you can ALWAYS count on me to fight for you and your family. My track record speaks for itself. Below are a few of my accomplishments that I am the most proud of during my first two terms serving on the Methuen City Council…

• We created the City Council’s Committee for Athletic and Recreational Enhancement (CARE), which works with Methuen’s Recreation Department, Methuen Athletic Director, and our many youth organizations to address issues throughout our facilities and community. Through this committee, we were able to get new LED lighting for all of our parks and a tractor/plow for Nicholson Stadium included in the FY’24 Capital Improvement Plan

• I founded the Veterans’Affairs Committee, bringing our Veteran’s Service Officer, local veterans organizations, and other veterans that are involved in the community to the table to help give them a larger voice in our government. I, along with my colleagues, have made Methuen one of the more veteran-friendly cities in the Commonwealth.

• I worked in collaboration with the Mayor’s office to create the Mental Health Task Force. This brought multiple departments from across the city; including the police department, fire department, the school department, health department, and senior center, to share resources to tackle this growing problem in our community. 

• This council has been in the forefront of fiscal responsibility and doing what is in the best interest of its constituents. During City Council meetings, I call it like I see it and always do what I feel is best for Methuen’s taxpayers. For example, voting to pay the $4,000,000 school deficit off early. We also voted to use ARPA funding (not city or local taxpayer funds) to help our seniors and low income families when utility companies raised rates by 60 percent this winter.

• Along with a majority of my colleagues, we have held the leadership of the Methuen Police Department accountable.  Everyone is sick of the endless saga that has plagued the department for decades, but I have worked with my colleagues, the mayor’s office, our new police chief, and our legal department to move our city forward by finally tackling the issues that have haunted the city and department for years. We are finally starting to see our local, state and, federal prosecutors take action. 

• My commitment to the city doesn’t end at city council meetings. Besides athletics, you can find me volunteering my time helping my fellow citizens. Whether it is answering the many calls or emails from constituents about issues in their neighborhoods, playing Santa, helping run a charity golf tournament for the Methuen Arlington Neighborhood, passing out food to veterans and seniors with Clear Path for Veterans New England, or working with fellow councilors, the mayor, and DPW to organize Methuen Clean Up days, I truly do put Methuen first!

• I led the push to rename the football field at Nicholson Stadium “Danny Ford Field.”  This fulfilled a promise made long ago to the Ford family and helps honor the memory of a legendary Methuen athlete.

If elected to a third term, there are many things I still have left to accomplish. We still need to increase our commercial tax base by attracting new and unique businesses to Methuen. There has been progress in this area over the past couple of years but there is a long way to go. We recently passed legislation opening up Methuen to breweries, an untapped market locally. We need to make Methuen more affordable to seniors who have made this their home and want to stay here once they retire. We need to continue to fight for better recreational areas for all of our citizens. When you go to other cities in the Merrimack Valley, you see fields and facilities that are in pristine condition, open bathrooms, basketball courts full of kids playing day and night, pickleball courts being used by people of all ages, bodies of water with kayak and paddle board rentals, and a multitude of programs for everyone. This shouldn’t be unattainable and I will continue to push those departments for this to happen. 

It is clear to me and so many others that my mission is to fight for what is right and stand up for Methuen’s residents.  That is what being a city councilor is all about. 

Methuen is at a crossroads. I am not going to put it lightly, all the progress we have made the past 4 years is at risk. I need your backing in this election to finish what my fellow councilors, Mayor Perry, and I started in 2019. In this election, we have the choice to keep the momentum going forward or risk all the progress that we have made. Hopefully I can count on your support. 

Joel