THE MALDEN ADVOCATE – Friday, December 1, 2017

Page 1

Tree Lighting Ceremony at Malden Public Library

Vol. 20, No. 48

-FREE-

www.advocatenews.net

Published Every Friday

Army Recruiting Center celebrates Thanksgiving

Shown, from left to right, are Alexander Castillo-Nunez of State Senator Jason Lewis’ office, Mayor Gary Christenson, Second Lieutenant Lisa DeLacey, Councillor-at-Large Debbie DeMaria, Veterans’ Services Officer Kevin Jarvis, and Sergeant First Class Norberto Ochoa.

By Barbara Taormina alden’s Army Recruiting Center had some special help over the Thanksgiving holiday. Second Lieutenant Lisa DeLacey, who graduated from West Point last spring and recently completed officer leader training in army logistics, was back in Malden for a brief hometown recruiting visit. DeLacey visited with students at Everett and Chelsea High Schools and made several stops at her alma mater, Malden High. She also attended a meeting with Sergeant First Class Norberto Ochoa, who is the army recruiting station commander, Mayor Gary Christenson, Councillor-atLarge Debbie DeMaria and oth-

M

$2.14 GALLON *$//21

:H DFFHSW 0DVWHU&DUG 9LVD 'LVFRYHU

3ULFH 6XEMHFW WR &KDQJH ZLWKRXW QRWLFH

*DO 0LQ +U 6HUYLFH

er city officials to discuss ways the city might help the center spread the word about the opportunities the army offers. Ochoa said that the recruiting center on Main Street is one of the oldest recruiting stations in New England and in addition to Malden, it serves about a dozen surrounding communities. “Malden has been really receptive,� said Ochoa. “It’s a great location.� “We’re going to try to make it even better,� said Christenson, who promised to look into additional parking for the center. There was also talk about recruiters visiting and participating in different city events to highlight the army’s presence in the city. “We are here to help, and this is a great way to kick off the New Year,� said DeMaria. Although official city help is always welcomed, the army probably got its biggest boost from DeLacey, who was able to share her own experience

IRU D &RQWDFW XV DWLRQ J OL E 1R 2

with students looking ahead to their next step after graduation. “I think everyone was a little surprised,� said DeLacey about her decision to apply to West Point and pursue a career in the military. “I was drawn to do something different.� And her experience at West Point is a little surprising. She majored in German, studied abroad in Munich and was introduced to scores of other academic and professional opportunities. “I even learned to ski,� she said. DeLacey said that when she talks with students about the army she tries to understand what they want and expect. “I don’t think I knew that when I went into West Point,� she said, adding that the opportunities that the army offers are almost unimaginable. Her visit home gave DeLac-

ARMY | SEE PAGE 10

tĂŜƚ ƚŽ ĹŹĹśĹ˝Ç ĆšĹšÄž ǀĂůƾĞ ŽĨ LJŽƾĆŒ ĹšŽƾĆ?Äž Ĺ?Ĺś ƚŽĚĂLJ͛Ć? ĆŒÄžÄ‚ĹŻ ÄžĆ?ƚĂƚĞ ĹľÄ‚ĆŒĹŹÄžĆšÍ?

)5(( 0DUNHW $QDO\VLV 2I <RXU +RPH

Ä‚ĹŻĹŻ hĹśĹ?ƚĞĚ ĆŒŽŏÄžĆŒĆ? Ä‚Ćš ϲϭϳͲϰϲϭͲϰώϯϴ

617-387-2200

See page 11

Friday, December 1, 2017

Parade of Holiday Traditions

Aleksey and Angelina Villasmil are showing getting into the spirt of the season at Malden’s Annual Parade of Holiday Traditions. See more photo highlights from the event on pages 12 & 13. (Advocate photo by Al Terminiello)

City Council approves new property tax rates By Barbara Taormina he City Council approved new, slightly lower, tax rates for 2018. The rate for residential property owners is set to drop from $14.17 to $14.09. Commercial property owners will pay $21. 84 for every $1,000 of assessed value, down from this year’s rate of $22.04. Both rates are subject to approval by the state’s Department of Revenue. Despite the slightly lower rates, taxpayers will probably be paying a little more because the assessed value of property has been rising steadily. Still, Malden’s elected officials continue to take steps to rein in property taxes for homeowners. Assessor James O’Brien met with the council this week for the annual public hearing on tax rates, residential exemptions and tax classification, a mechanism that allows communities to adopt two different tax rates and shift some of the tax burden from residential property owners to those who own commercial and industrial properties. Malden is one of 125 cities and towns in Massachusetts that uses tax classification to give home-

T

owners a break on property taxes. “Malden has historically split the rate and done it to the maximum allowed,� said O’Brien. The state caps the total increase the city can demand in property taxes to 2 1/2 percent a year with the exception of new growth. Rather than dividing the total amount of taxes that the city can collect equally among all property owners and charging the same flat rate, the city uses a ratio, or factor, of 1.75 to calculate different rates for residential and commercial property. O’Brien said the split rate allows the city to offer some financial relief to families and seniors by shifting the burden to commercial and industrial property owners. Some business associations oppose tax classification, arguing that it places a disproportionate tax burden on small businesses and can potentially hamper commercial growth. However, no one from Malden’s business community attended the hearing to oppose the split rates. Councillors also approved the 30 percent owner-occu-

TAX RATES | SEE PAGE 10

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.