Meet the Gorhams.

For the past eight years, my wife Erin, a neonatal nurse practitioner at the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital, and I have called Riviera Lane home, along with our two children, who attended Minnewashta Elementary and now go to MMW. We're an active family that loves traveling together, participating in the Firecracker races, grabbing tacos and ice cream on Water Street, and cheering each other on at soccer games.

Recent Planning Recommendations

Here are just a few recent recommendations from my work on the Planning Commission:

  1. No to a private boat storage / pickleball club on Smithtown Road. I argued that the insular use was unfit for its “downtown” location close to 19. The development was eventually rejected by the City Council.

  2. No to a subdivision at the corner of Cardinal Ave and Murray St. The development proposed 3 houses where one stands now on a heavily wooded site, dramatically changing the look and feel of the neighborhood.

  3. No to a subdivision on Smithtown Road next to Smithtown Ponds. Lack of merit for a variance and similar drainage concerns supported my recommendation.

Voting Record.

Here are just a few highlights from my time on Council:

  1. No on the Birch Bluff Reconstruction Rd. I argued for a 24’ wide street width to preserve its rural feel and to slow traffic.

  2. No on the ordinance penalizing residential picketing. I voted to protect the 1st amendment’s rights to assemble and “petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” See the reporting from the Sun Sailor here.

  3. No on City Council salary increases.

  4. Yes on the Strawberry Lane Reconstruction. Connecting the trail and residents to the elementary school was a priority, as was widening this connector from Smithtown to Hwy 7.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS

In 2022, I lost by just 10 votes, showing that my priorities resonated with residents who valued my strategic and collaborative leadership. It showed me that you owe it to yourself—and to your community—to go the extra mile. Every small action can make a monumental difference. So please vote on November 5!

Urban Infrastructure & Outreach.

This urban park in Boston’s dense Chinatown community won a Merit award from Boston Society of Landscape Architects. As its project manager, my toughest challenge was communication, greater even than its tight budget and condensed site. Residents used this park as a social hub and interest in the project’s opening was intensely high. Project updates were posted weekly in the plaza and translated into Mandarin. Additionally, safety signs were specially designed and produced for Mandarin speakers to keep residents out of harm’s way. This project stresses the importance of tailoring your outreach strategy to the location!

HOW IT STARTED.

This is me (16!) and then-City of Boston Mayor Tom Menino (RIP) receiving my Mayor's Youth Council Boston certificate which kickstarted my career in construction and government. The program brought us to City Hall that year where i would become fascinated by the infamous "Big Dig" Project. The next summer I would intern with Boston Planning & Development Agency and return after graduate school as a project manager helping to implement this transformative mayor's vision for the city!

Process Improvement Award.

This is a pic of me receiving the Innovation Excellence Award from former Boston Mayor and US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh (current executive director of NHL Player’s Association) and Brian Golden, former Director of BPDA, for designing and implementing an online portal to download, track and report design, construction and development projects. My previous agency was in the Dark Ages, running our procurement process by paper, phone and fax (!!!!) until my initiative automated the process on our website! With the help of our IT dept, my initiative made major improvements to TRANSPARENCY (bidding opportunities, planholders and award data could now be viewed online instead of by fax), EQUITY (bidders could download opportunities online instead of traveling to our city offices for pickup, i.e., no longer restricted by locality or by traffic), and EFFICIENCY (no more sending documents by USPS or by fax)! See the portal for yourself here!