Arya Witner New Bedford City Council Candidate

I finished last with 382 votes. I could sit here and be disappointed or I could sit back in awe that 381 people not named Arya Witner took time out of their day today to vote for me. Thank you to literally everyone. Rest assure I'll be back one day and yes, I am still smiling.

New Bedford Guide New Bedford Live FUN 107 1420 WBSM South Coast Today City of New Bedford Arya Witner

Two weeks until the Primary and it is important for you to get out and vote. Yes, I would love for you to vote for me, but at the end of the day it's more important that you vote.

'I figured there were people before me': Transgender candidate a first in New Bedford Transgender candidate a first for New Bedford's city council race.

So, since there are TWELVE CANDIDATES(!!!!), that means we gotta knock two off by holding a Primary Election. Tuesday, October 3 please Please PLEASE go to your local poling place and vote for me, so I can finish in the Top 10 and move onto the General Election in November. Please feel free to like and share this post.

New Bedford, Massachusetts South Coast Today City of New Bedford 1420 WBSM FUN 107

Another year, another FEAST OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT! MADEIRA FEAST has come to an end and as someone who lives half a block from the feast, my main concern, even more so than late night noise, is the parking situation. The north end of New Bedford doesn't have the best parking when there isn't a feast going on and now add hundreds and thousands of residents all coming down onto the north end at the same time. Now any good politician who notes a problem will also have a solution and this is mine. I worked at SRTA for 5 years and know the way they work inside and out. I say we as YOUR local city governement needs to spend some time and work with SRTA to figure out a solution. Right now, during the week SRTA has 3 buses an hour going to the north end and 3 buses every 2 hours on Saturdays. I say we work with SRTA while also working with the state to get grants so SRTA could run buses essentially nonstop from downtown to the feast grounds all weekend long. You can set it up for either a free or reduced price, which would encourage more of the citizens to take the bus to the feast grounds, thus having fewer traffic jams and fewer traffic issues in general. Now obviously there will always be people who don't have the option or ability to grab a bus for one reason or another, but this way you will greatly improve the traffic and parking issue while also re-enforcing our public transportation programs.

So yesterday the mayor of New Bedford decided the best course of action was to ban the sale of Nips. Not, and this is important, banning the possession and use of Nips, but buying them. Somehow the Mayor believes this will magically decrease the litter of nip bottles on the ground. You know what may have been a better solution? More garbage cans placed around the city. Would it have entirely solved the problem? No. But I can tell you from carrying miscellaneous garbage around with me that there are very few readily available garbage cans in the city. All this nip ban will do is lead to everyone going to Fairhaven or Dartmouth to get their Nips, which takes away money from New Bedford businesses. So, thank you Mayor Jon Mitchell for not coming up with the most basic of solutions and giving me yet another major talking point. New Bedford, Massachusetts City of New Bedford 1420 WBSM South Coast Today

Yesterday there was a post spread across Facebook where someone in New Bedford, Massachusetts had lost their driver's license and EBT card and, by the looks of it, the owner was found. What was disturbing was that there were commenters who mocked this person for needing EBT. To the people who made those comments, I can genuinely say I am envious of you.

Not for being a jerk, but for apparently never being in such a state that you required help from the government, especially in the past 10 years with the economy going the way it has been and the pandemic. I wish I could say I was never on unemployment or receiving EBT or needing Fuel Assistance, but I have. Guess what? So have thousands and thousands of New Bedford residents, including, I guarantee, someone you have a relationship with.

Instead of judging people for this, be empathetic and be thankful that you've never had to apply for help. You know what, though? I never felt more humbled in my life than when I was sitting next to the same people waiting for the same benefits and realizing we all needed a hand to get back on our feet. Before you judge someone, appreciate how fortunate you are to not have to go through the same thing.

Thank you.

I can say, without a moment of hesitation, that the last thing on my mind as Councilor would be what is best for me or for a future campaign and, instead, what was the best for the city.

If the last 8 hours of my page being spammed up has taught me anything, it's that I won't get a lot of votes from people who live in the southern states or outside the country. To be fair, I wasn't really counting on those people to help me win a local city election.

Rest assure that when I am talking to you, the men and women I hope to represent while on Council, I am concentrating fully on you and do not have someone standing 20 feet away taking a picture of us to show how I listen to people.

MEET ARYA Arya Witner New Bedford City Council Candidate

I am a proud transgender woman who moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, from Pennsylvania in 2009. While I loved Pennsylvania, I have never felt more at home than here in New Bedford. New Bedford embraced me and gave me the courage to truly be myself without fear of repercussion. With your support, I believe I’m posed to be New Bedford's first- ever transgender City Councilor and one of Bristol County’s first transgender elected officials. My goal as Councilor is to show you my passion and appreciation for your efforts by fighting tirelessly for you every day.

I know firsthand the struggles of the working class. For most of my adult life, I have worked in some form of customer service. Many of you know me from my time at SRTA (the downtown bus terminal) or at Jackson Hewitt on the Ave. Even if you don't immediately know my name, you will probably look at me and say "Hey, I know her." It's that familiarity and approachability that makes me an ideal candidate. Anyone who has met me knows that I am easy to talk to, nonjudgmental, and someone you can voice your concerns, knowing I’ll help you fix any problem.

In my personal life, I love to sing and am a regular at Thursday night karaoke at LePlace. However, I don’t claim to be a talented singer, so if you come, bring ear plugs. I am also passionate about professional wrestling (perhaps way too much) and have been a writer/reporter for various websites since 2010 and a podcaster. My hobbies show all who encounter me that when I am passionate about something, I do it with an overabundance of enthusiasm. By supporting my campaign for City Council, you will have someone in your corner for every fight and will be the first to mark out for our community’s successes.