Pavel Payano's family came to Lawrence in the late 80s in search of the American dream. For the past several decades his parents worked as teachers in the Lawrence Public Schools. As a product of the Lawrence Public School system, the son of two Lawrence Public School Teachers, he is deeply committed to improving K-12 education and making higher education more affordable and accessible to working class families.
I am committed to focus on creating and supporting current initiatives that target our current rise in violent crimes and the opium addiction epidemic we face. As a former social worker and public education advocate I understand how lack of economic opportunities and poor education systems play a contributing factor to the rise in violent crimes and drug addictions. To successfully target this epidemic that is crippling our city we need to targets the roots of the problem and also ensure that our Lawrence Police Officers have the resources, training, and support they need to keep our community safe. An important factor in this will be to work with our state delegation to build a desperately needed police station.