Have a Happy & Safe Fourth of July!
Vol. 20, No. 26
-FREE-
www.advocatenews.net
Published Every Friday
617-387-2200
Friday, June 29, 2018
Council approves FY19 city budget
Mass. Commission on the By Barbara Taormina Status of Women announced he City Council signed off on Tnext year’s budget, which included a last-minute change 2018 Unsung Heroines geared toward diversifying the Special Assistant to the Mayor Maria Luise honored
State Rep. Steve Ultrino presents the 2018 Unsung Heroines Award to Special Assistant to the Mayor Maria Luise.
aria Luise of Malden was honored as a member of the 2018 class of Unsung Heroines of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW). State Representative Steven Ultrino recommended her for this recognition because of her outstanding contributions to Malden. On Wednesday, June 20, she was honored with 130 other Unsung Heroines for her outstanding
M
IRU D &RQWDFW XV DWLRQ J OL E 1R 2
contributions to her organization/community in a ceremony in the Great Hall at the State House in Boston. Maria Luise is the special assistant to Mayor Gary Christenson. She has been a dedicated government employee for many years as well as an active member of the Malden community. “Maria Luise has made sig-
MCSW | SEE PAGE 16
tĂŜƚ ƚŽ ĹŹĹśĹ˝Ç ĆšĹšÄž ǀĂůƾĞ ŽĨ Ç‡Ĺ˝ĆľĆŒ ŚŽƾĆ?Äž Ĺ?Ĺś ƚŽĚĂLJ͛Ć? ĆŒÄžÄ‚ĹŻ ÄžĆ?ƚĂƚĞ ĹľÄ‚ĆŒĹŹÄžĆšÍ?
)5((
city’s workforce. Councillors unanimously approved the $177.9 million budget with amendments that will allow the city to spend $24,000 to hire a part-time public health nurse, and $50,000 to install a snow catcher at Forestdale School. The city will also channel $5,000 to the Human Resources Department to help Director Anthony Chiccuarelli advertise and recruit more talent to fill city jobs. “I’m hoping we will be working harder as a community to diversify our workforce,� said Councillor-at-Large Steve Winslow. Finance Committee Chairman Paul Condon said the money to cover the cost of the three budget amendments will be taken from reserve accounts so there are no changes to the budget totals. The council offered a chorus of praise for Condon, the Finance Committee and this year’s budget process, which several members said was the smoothest review of city spend-
PAUL CONDON Finance Committee Chair
ing in recent memory. “This is one of the best budgets we’ve seen in the past nine years,� said Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy. Ward 6 Councillor David Camell highlighted the fact that next year’s budget uses $2.6 million in city reserves, a significant improvement over this year’s budget, which was balanced with $6.5 million in reserve funds. “If the trends hold, we’ll probably have a $3 million budget surplus, which brings us close to a balanced budget,� he said. Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson said this year’s budget isn’t as bumpy as years past because Malden’s financial prospects have improved.
“That’s partially because of our drop in debt,� he said, cautioning fellow councillors from incurring more debt. Interestingly, several minutes after approving the budget, councillors voted unanimously to allow the city treasurer to borrow $8.8 million for energy-efficiency improvements and upgrades in schools, public buildings and parks throughout the city. The work will be done by Honeywell, which has guaranteed the city will save $11 million in energy costs over the next 15 years, or the company will make up the difference. “It’s ironic that we talked about reduction of debt, and now we’re talking about more debt,� said Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora. Still, Spadafora who has been involved in reviewing proposals to upgrade public buildings and facilities, said the deal with Honeywell is a solid investment. Heating and cooling systems in schools and other buildings are approaching the end of their life cycles, and Spadafora said, one way or another, the city will spend the money. Spadafora said the contract with Honeywell is a proactive step that’s good for the city, and good for the environment.
City moves forward with retail marijuana regulations By Barbara Taormina he city’s new rules to regulate retail marijuana shops and other marijuana-related
T
0DUNHW $QDO\VLV 2I <RXU +RPH
Ä&#x201A;ĹŻĹŻ hĹśĹ?Ć&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x161; Ć&#x152;ŽŏÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć? Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161; ϲĎϳͲϰϲĎͲϰώϯϴ
$2.35 GALLON *$//21
:H DFFHSW 0DVWHU&DUG 9LVD 'LVFRYHU
3ULFH 6XEMHFW WR &KDQJH ZLWKRXW QRWLFH
*DO 0LQ +U 6HUYLFH
businesses are now one final vote away from becoming local law. This week, at their last meeting before their summer break, city councillors voted to enroll a set of zoning regulations that define the locations, dimensional controls, parking requirements and permitting procedures for marijuana establishments in Malden. The City Council must vote again when they meet in September to ordain the regulations to make everything official. The Ordinance Committee rejected the Planning Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommendations against a marijuana overlay district that includes 17 parcels that run from 616 to 709 Broadway. The committee also rejected the boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommendation for a 150-foot buffer zone be-
tween residences and marijuana businesses. Instead, Ordinance Committee members recommended reducing the residential buffer to 75 feet, the same buffer set for religious facilities, substance abuse treatment centers and daycare centers. The new zoning regulations also include a 500-foot buffer for schools and a 250-foot buffer for parks and playgrounds. The Ordinance Committee also recommended establishing the overlay zone with no residential buffers although the other buffer zones would apply. Councillors who supported those changes said it would offer more options for marijuana businesses along the commercial corridor and would unlock
MARIJUANA | SEE PAGE 19