Today I’m looking into Dhruba Sen, the third candidate who will be listed on the ballot. Sen does not seem to have a traditional static homepage with issues, about page, etc., so it is a little challenging to collect basic background information. My main sources of information for this post are his Facebook page (linked above), a MetroWest Daily News article about his candidacy, and the Framingham Now interview video below.

Sen has some experience in local government but seems to have a background in technology, specifically as a software consultant and manager of software developers. He also has experience as a Framingham town meeting member, and is known locally as a political and civil rights activist. His platform and what I can glean from his temperament seem to reflect this background: A focus on technology to improve Framingham, with emphasis on social justice and making the city a high tech hub.

One thing that is clear from the video is that he does not have the mannerisms and visual style of a practiced politician. He clearly reads from notes in answer to interviewer questions. He is not wearing the generic grey suit and blue tie of the political class. He is not oozing with charisma. Not to judge any of this — I’m not sure how useful any of it is.

As for practical policies, there are only a few things I could recognize. He will implement a resident-facing website(?) where Framingham residents can enter in issues that concern them, “wishlists” for city policies. It would all be open so that everyone can see everyone else’s entries. Then there would be something called “multi-criteria decision making” that would help make decisions based on all these entries? Without further detail I’m not sure what to make of it. It almost sounds like delegating the mayor’s decision-making duties to algorithms. I would need more detail to even think if this was a good thing, let alone whether it’s possible and cost effective.

He also pledges to make Framingham a “sanctuary city” in the sense that local law enforcement will not be tasked with being immigration agents, but instead will focus on local issues. That sounds good to me!

Finally, he has some mentions on being in favor of universal healthcare and the Paris agreement. Mayors can sign on to support the latter, but I’m not sure what he can do about the former.

Dhruba Sen is an interesting candidate, who I think I agree with on many issues of substance. My concerns about voting for him are: Does he know enough or can he learn enough about the internal workings of the city before leading it? Does he care about the day-to-day “boring” stuff of being a small city mayor or is he too focused on the “sexy” smart city stuff? Is he actually a good leader or just practiced in management lingo? In addition, I would like to see more details of his proposed plans. What exactly does it mean to be a smart city? Will the use of technology be compatible with an inclusive governance (e.g., include non-English speakers and those without access to computers)?