RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION!
My name is Alice Merkl, and I have been a Councillor at Large here in Salem, MA since January 2022. It has been an incredible honor to serve as your City Councillor!
When I first came to this vibrant city, I fell in love with its beauty, rich history and culture, diversity, and the passion our residents have for their community. Being a City Councillor has enhanced my ability to connect with and assist our Salem community members. I've been able to channel my enthusiasm for this city through my work on the Council while continuing my many years of extensive volunteer work with the Salem Food Pantry, the Mack Park Food Farm, Council on Aging, neighborhood clean ups, Salem Education Foundation, Woman's Friend Society, Salem Main Streets and other venues. The many ways in which our Salem communities come together and create a supportive and caring environment for all our neighbors continues to inspire me.
Please check out my most recent newsletter here:
ENDORSEMENTS
State Representative Manny Cruz (2025)
North Shore Labor Council (2023)
Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus PAC (2023)
News
City Council unanimously adopts a resolution affirming transgender and gender non-conforming rights
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Salem News; Support our Local Business and Creative Community 2/5/2025 by Alice Merkl
To the editor:
I just got home from shopping with my daughter and picking out a new dress at Re-find, and I thought about how much more enjoyable it was than getting a box in the mail with clothing. With all the incredible dress and clothing shops in our downtown, it’s always a tough decision!
What I hear so often is how much us residents treasure our local shops and restaurants in our downtown and throughout the city. I have lived in several cities, and I know how fragile a thriving downtown and a creative community is to sustain. Fortunately our residents, city leadership, and various organizations recognize this and are passionate in their support for community building and keeping Salem hopping! Destination Salem, Salem Main Streets, Creative Collective and the Chamber know how to get creative with the many events they host and promote throughout the year.
Local businesses create the majority of economic growth, employing about 77 million people in the U.S. and improving economic stability. When we shop locally more of our money stays local, having a direct positive impact on creating more jobs. It keeps our Salem communities vibrant and thriving, and boosts environmental sustainability.
It’s been a tough winter for our local shops, and Salem So Sweet Festival is right around the corner Feb. 7-9. Come join in the fun and show our small businesses some love. Shopping and enjoying local entertainment and activities is a win/win for us and our Salem community.
Alice Merkl
Salem News Article, Alice proposes ban on small alcoholic beverages 9/17/23
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Poverty Trap Salem News Op-Ed by Alice Merkl 3/24/23
To the editor:
I attended the Salem Human Rights Coalition meeting on Tuesday, March 7 (2023), which included Veronica Miranda’s presentation of The Poverty Trap. Ms. Miranda shared that the experience of poverty is not just a lack of money and resources for basic needs, but that it is not having the opportunity to accumulate wealth. She spoke about how those living in poverty are lacking choices, security, and power. She is spot on.
When we look at poverty as deprivation in terms of clean water, nutrition, health care, clothing, and shelter, we see it as a crisis. Tackling any crisis requires a deep understanding of it. I’d like to share a few points from my own lived experiences to stress the importance of understanding just how far reaching the ramifications are from living in poverty.
When I had to leave a bad situation with my then-husband back in the early 1990s, it put me and my 16-month-old daughter in financial ruin. When Ms. Miranda mentioned the “cost of being poor”, this resonated with me. I lost my spouse’s help with rent and was on my own, which many do when they are widowed, divorced, or lose a reliable roommate. Rent is often very expensive in areas where there are higher paying jobs and I had no back up for child care. I needed to work for a third of the pay I was previously making, taking on various child care jobs so that I could bring my daughter to work with me.
Ms. Miranda mentioned the stigma of living in poverty, and how it erodes one’s sense of dignity and individual power. I have lived in vastly different economic classes and was perceived and treated very differently in each situation. I remember how it felt to have people’s eyes on me as I took out my food stamps in the checkout lane at the grocery store, people behind me would roll their eyes or go to a different lane. Also discussed was the all too familiar feeling of being powerless, and how we are missing the voices of those in need in our decision making at the state and local level. My life didn’t allow for any advocacy throughout this difficult time. My daughter and I moved five times by her age of 6, I didn’t even vote.
What I appreciated the most about the presentation was the focus on poverty as a public health issue. The panic and fear I felt through these years was crushing. Generally, lower-paying jobs don’t have a safety net of receiving pay if something happens, such as an injury, in which my house of cards could fall. This resulted years later, which I didn’t even know could happen, in a mental health crisis that took years of medication and therapy to be able to comfortably function in my day-to-day life again.
Over 17% of Salem residents live in poverty, and 61% of low-moderate income households are severely cost-burdened. I am grateful to Ms. Miranda and the Salem HRC for clearly explaining the critical need for social protection policies that don’t contribute to the “trap”, more affordable housing, and giving people in poverty a stronger voice to influence decision-making and policy.
Alice Merkl
