No, you're talking about the other people. >> We're talking about Muhammad. >> Uhhuh. All right. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to UMA's election night coverage of the municipal ward races um in the year what
are we 2025. Thank you for joining us. Uh my name is Emanuel Marsh. I will be your host tonight and actually I'm joined with two friends who will also host this with me as well. To my left is my good friend Ed Lucy, uh former counselor at large, former state rep and former mayor of the
city of Malden. Ed, do you want to say hello to uh >> Nice to be here and I'm glad that you're listening to watch the results of tonight's election. >> Yeah, absolutely. And to my right is my friend Greg Lucy. Uh Greg was a school
committee member, a former city councelor at large as well too and also our former city clerk. Thank you for being here. >> My pleasure, Emanuel. And I' I've actually done this a few years. So, uh thank you for being here. This is the first This is the first time at election night that we've had, you know, you as
host. We've gone through Ron Cox. Uh last year there was someone else. So there's quite a few years. So this is your your beginning. >> Hopefully I do a really good job so that you guys ask me to come back and do this again. >> Yeah. Oh, you didn't get a guaranteed long >> No, not yet. I think I got a one-day
contract to do this. So we'll see. Hopefully I don't mess it up too much. Well, I just want to say thank you guys again. Um, I think this is kind of like uh feels like Christmas Eve uh on election night for being the political nerd that I am. Um, a little bit about myself. I'm a former school committee
member. Uh, I am just pretty much active around the city. Uh, I sit on boards uh all around um the city of Malden. And uh tonight we're going to talk about the election results. All three of us have served in some capacity uh for the city
of Malden uh through elected office. And so I kind of want to start off tonight and I think I will def look right to you Greg and ask you um you know what's a we all have some good campaign stories right from being on the trail from door knocking from GOTV from any type of
campaigning but you know is there any stories from when you ran for your various offices is there anything that sticks out in your mind that >> probably be nothing that sticks out greatly in my mind but probably the biggest campaign uh so I have when I was
city clerk we in 2020 in CO when CO was around and it was the first time they did mail in ballots. So we had like 20,000 mail in 20 somehat thousand people voted and I think it was 18,000 mailin ballots. So that was that was quite the process just processing all
that stuff. So I mean you had to kind of live it to understand it. U you know how much work was involved. You know city clerk's office at the time was you know the current uh city clerk Caroline deserio was my assistant. phenomenal election person. She was in the register
of voters for many years. Carol Caroline really knows the ins and outs. And then the other people in the staff, they everyone chips in that night. But uh that and probably um the redistricting when I was city clerk and they redistricting. So you know that was uh in today's election you we have 27 or 20
I'm forgetting 27 pre uh precincts >> used to be 16 but when we redistricted you had to take the whole city of Malden the population went over 65,000 so you had to divide the city differently and then so you took the eight wards you know kind of they can only have so many
per ward we did that and then the state legislators told us we couldn't change their wards which ca made it more difficult That's why today you have these three little wards in ward three >> three five three precincts in three five and seven they're like 3A 5A and 7A
>> yeah yeah >> and that's because we couldn't once we did the the the city map >> the state rep said you can't change our district which is kind of odd because the whole idea of redistricting is you you change where the population is right >> although today I shouldn't say that because Texas seems to vote count yeah
they're doing that right >> but anyways that that's the theory behind it so that really follows called us up a little bit and it was complicated because you had to find, you know, not just the the additional precincts, but you had to get voting machines, you had to get voting places, >> right? Right. >> Um, so we that was very challenging, but we got through it.
>> And so, let me ask you just kind of following up with that, like uh, you know, how should I say, what were the hours like, right? Like the planning process going into for those who may not know, for those who may not remember or who may not have been involved at that time, but what was the planning process like? I know you're saying that. So
obviously there's what the city's doing but then can't conflict with what the state has already put in place. So I mean how did you navigate that? How many man hours? >> Yeah, it used to be reversed. Usually the city the state state uh does their redistric then the city does theirs afterwards, but they had the final say
this time they switched it on us. you know, they're just complicated. And so the the hours it didn't, you know, one thing about the city clerk's office is the hours, you know, for the most part, most of the year, it's pretty much what city hall is, but you come time to election time >> and um I know like when they first did
the mail and ballots, >> we were still they they had moved up to city hall and we were still at 110 Pleasant Street. Yeah. >> And for the month of August, because that was the first time they did it was in the primary and the state election, mail in ballots. >> I can't tell you how many hours weekends And you just do it because you have to
do it. I mean, the last thing you want is election night to have issues. So, you know, everyone pitches in, everyone does their thing and usually you just hope for a good result on election night. >> Agreed. And something seamless, too, right? Like Yeah. >> Which is a lot of which nobody, you know, I think sometimes even as the uh
person who's running for office or even as the uh your voter, you don't think about it, right? You just say, "Okay, time to pop into, you know, my precinct, 89 Pearl Street. I'm just going to go in. Yep. Here I am. Emanuel Marsh. Yep. All right, I live at, you know, this address. See you later. Right. >> And that's true. People think, you know,
okay, yeah, voting day, you just roll in the machines, you vote, and then they roll them out that night and take the count. There's so much preparation to an election that uh you you we have volunteers or we had volunteers. Even they came away shaking their head. They because people don't see it unless
they're they're in the uh day-to-day grind, right? It's a tremendous amount of work >> and the unsung heroes are obviously the backbone of democracy. Again, I mean, you don't realize it. And I think this would be a perfect time to plug in and tell people, hey, look, if you have an opportunity to get involved somehow, right? Whether it be volunteering at the
city clerk's office on election day or on a campaign of some sort, just to see what it's like. I mean, because it it is a lot. It is a lot of work for on your side, right, when you were the city clerk. And it's a lot for a lot of the candidates as well. The preparation going into it and and even the um and on
election day, right? I think a lot of people always think that oh yeah it's just going to the polling places holding signs or like you said wheeling the ballot machines you do your thing but you don't realize that there is so much and it's complex and it's it's for it to go seamless and for it to be such a
smooth day as smooth as it can be I mean it's a it's hats off to everybody that's involved candidates >> no issues that come >> but you guys but but let me tell you but the the the um the composure is is great so let's put it to you that way >> thank you uh thank you Greg for Ed, what
about you? I'll turn to you, you know, from your times as running for office. >> Well, I ran 10 times. >> Yeah, >> I think. Let me think. Five and two. Eight was it? >> Five, two, and three. Eight. >> Eight. >> Eight times. >> Yeah. >> And I think with a lot of candidates, the first time you run is the most
exciting election. >> Yeah. >> Mostly because you're it's trial by era and it's a learning experience. But uh one story that did stick with me over the years was that and this is when I used to have an insurance agency in the Python building, okay,
>> which is almost directly across with 6:30 Salem Street and I was on the other side of the street where 6:30 is located and an older man in the building was walking by and we started chatting and in the middle of the conversation when because I was just talking routine kind
of conversation and uh he said his wife has passed away six weeks before and I mean I was dumbfounded I didn't know it I almost didn't know what to say and uh I was trying to console him at the same time you know trying to grasp the the impact it would have on him and as we
parted company when the election was coming up at the time and he said to me I won't forget you and I thought to myself of all the things to be thinking about and thinking about someone's else's vote that would be more than I would be able to deal with but anyway I thought that was a kind of an unusual
story But uh the other the other story was getting back to the first time I ran. The campaign office was right across the street on the same side as uh 630 Salem Street. And it was a it was going to be a tough election because there was it was a primary, Democratic
primary, and this was state representative. So whoever won would be nominated automatically in November. And um so it was September and we're getting a count from there were five wards in the in the uh district and we had the we
had four um wards already come in and we were leading at that point >> but the one that wasn't in it yet was 630 Salem Street precinct which heavenly senior citizen and I anticipated the my opponent at that time would could have
been doing well even though my office is there and I had of recognition in that area. And we were waiting and there was several of us just sitting in the office because we were planning to go to a a celebration if win lose a draw and and one of the campaign workers and we were waiting for the
results from 6:30 Salem Street and here we are stones throw from there and for some reason there was some kind of a mixup and we weren't getting the count the time was ticking on and one of the campaign workers uh kind of casually walked in to get an update on what was
going on and we said well we still don't know because there's of of uh 630 Seal Street and his he makes just a casual comment. Oh, you won that by 140. So, we you know, everybody's kind of jumping up. We had a a practice celebration
before we got to the uh the location when we had the uh celebration. >> Oh, that's great. >> That's a that's a nice surprise, right? >> Yeah, that's a great surprise. I'll tell you, I have a few to your point, right? like the
very first time that you run for office and uh it's it's it's it's exciting, right? Because you're like, "Oh, here I'm doing something uh going out getting signatures, talking with people if you like to talk to people. I know some people are kind of nervous being on the doors." So, I remember my first time
running for school committee and it was July. I think it was like mid July. It's hot. I mean, I'm like sweating bullets. I have a button down. I have like slacks on. I have shoes on. My Fitbit. I think that was the best shape I was ever in my life at this point, right? And um so I remember I knock on this guy's door and
it's just like I said it's brutally hot out and this is like right after work. So I had worked at the lottery at this time and uh then I'm going out door knocking until I think like 7 8:00 at night while the sun's still up. So this guy comes out and he's in his underwear and I'm just kind of like all right,
what's about to happen here? I'm like >> we invited you in. >> Yeah. Well, that's what I was afraid of. Right. So I was kind of like what do I do here? I'm like in the split-second thought and I'm like okay. I'm like, I could run away. This is the things that nobody prepares you for, right? Nobody tells you about. Yeah. When you go out, you're gonna run into all sorts of crazy
things. Like I think I I walked into cookouts before all this. So, but I got this guy standing and he's just like talking to me in his underwear. And he goes, "Yeah, who are you? You know, what do you want?" And I'm like, you know, I said, "This two things are going to happen here." I go, "I'm not going to get scared off that easily." I said,
"Either he's going to tell me get the f off my porch or I'm going to vote for you." So, I talked with him and we talked and remember I had to keep eye contact because I was just like, "This is so weird that this guy's just standing here naturally in his box of shorts." Shortly right after we had the conversation, the guy goes, "You know
what? I like you. You got my vote." And I said, "Thank God." I was like, "Perfect." Checked that off and kept going. Then, um, on GOTV, so >> excuse me, checked to see if he even voted. >> Yeah, I know. I should have. After that, I I took him at his word. I was so
freaked out. I said, "Yeah, perfect. Thank you." I was afraid that if I called him, he'd be like, "Hey, yeah, you know, come on back to my porch." So, on uh that Sunday going into GOTV, so my friend Jim, my friend Amanda, and my friend Megan and I u we were sitting on
our uh in my living room. So, we're doing uh we have a print out of my uh palm card and we had post-it notes and what we were doing is we were handwriting all of our hey, it's been really nice campaigning around the ward. Thank you so much. I would appreciate your vote on November 4th. So we did
that from I think from the start of the Patriots game all the way until the Sunday night game and then we went out and lit dropped that night. So you talk about that's almost like a 12- 13 hour day going through the neighborhood. But I remember my campaign manager Jim said to me, he goes, "Okay." He goes, "Here's a list of threes." So just to give kind
of what I'm just for the audience at whole uh when I say threes, I just mean that they're undecided voters. So any campaign is going to identify. That's why we go around door knocking is that one means you're supporting me and a five means you're going away from me. Three means you're somewhere in the middle that you're non-committal. And so
the threes so just just to do a little sidetrack there. So my friend Jim gives me a list of threes and he goes, "Okay." He says, "You got to call through these." And I said, "Okay." So I'm sitting on my front porch and then all of a sudden this unmarked Crown Victoria pulls up right in my driveway, >> right? windows are all tinted out and
I'm sitting there and I'm like who you know thinking that I was running against an incumbent thinking that this incumbent was going to beat me up or have you know I was watching House of Cards at this point so of course Hollywood and thinking that this is what campaign life is like which is not anywhere close to that and the windows
roll down and I'm like who is this person and in the strongest Bostononian accent I hear hey are you this marsh kid I'm like oh god I'm like who are you goes come on over here so I you know walk off my porch but still keep enough safe distance so in case they try to like fight me or shoot at me or
something like that, they can't get to me. And um they basically told me who they were. They identified themselves. I already told you guys this. They already identified themselves and they were a former elected official. And they said that the person I was challenging had yelled at their wife uh about I think
like in the at this time this is probably like two years earlier and they said, "Normally I would be voting for your opponent, but they said uh because uh because that person yelled at my wife, that's why we're voting for you." And I said, "Okay, perfect." So that night, right? So, we go into election night and I remember uh we ended up
winning um which you know it was like fell on like uh Christmas. I couldn't even sleep for days. We ended up winning that election that year by I think like 38 votes or something like that and it was it was it was a lot. So, but you're right going back to the whole discussion of you know the first time as a candidate the first time you run you're
not expecting to win. Sometimes you say, "Oh, I hope so." But, you know, it's the excitement, it's the joy, it's it's getting to meet new people in the neighborhood. And uh, you know, you find out that there's more people in the ward besides maybe your inner circle or the people that you know, right? So, like you end up finding out that there's a whole group of voters that you've never
or a whole group of neighbors that you've never met before that are super voters and you get a chance to talk with them and connect with them. So, >> yeah. And the campaigns will that will do it. I mean, when you knock on a door, you don't know what's behind the door, right? >> I mean, now to get people to answer the door is a challenge. And over the years, I mean, campaigns certainly have
changed. You know, 25, 30 years ago, you know, you campaign differently than you do today because, you know, there was a more voting population. So, when you did literature, you drop all the houses. Now, you ID voters and and to your point about um the to me there's a whole bunch
of people in this community are the people no one knows. >> They don't you know, they're not like people that are active here and there, >> right? Uh but they vote, they pay attention, they care about how the city's doing, and they vote. And the eye openening for me was uh 10 years ago
when someone ran for state rep and I was helping him on his campaign. He was using the uh the voter voter the super voter yeah ID >> and I used to just say, "Well, give me give me the give me tell me where to go. Send me the app and I'll just go by myself." >> And I had run three times citywide,
>> right? >> I'm down say in Lyndon and I was going to decent vote down in Lyndon. I'm going by the house. Okay. So, you may go to this house. >> There's five super voters in there. >> I don't know who they are. And they vote. Now, you're skipping the next three houses. You go to the other super
I don't never never saw these people in my life, right? >> And those are people that that are in this city. >> So, it's a lot of time. The people that make the most noise gets the most attention. >> I I I got to tell you, that's not how the the voting population works, right? There's a whole bunch of good people in
the city. They're not on Facebook. They're not on social media. They go to work in the daytime. They care about what's going. They pay attention and they vote. And that's the voters that if you can find them, that's the voters you want. >> Correct. Correct. Absolutely. No, I agree. And you know that that's actually
a good transition point, right? Talking about campaigning and just thinking about how much it's changed since uh since CO, right? Since, you know, obviously when we all held office and even when we ran for office, it's, you know, pre-COVID, right? The world is different in campaigning. And so I turn to you and I ask you how, you know,
since you've been in office, how has um how have campaigns and elections differed from when you were in when you were mayor, state rep, and city council? >> Well, you can just tell I was just thinking coming home, as a matter of fact, uh from doing some remembrance this afternoon, people don't use bumper
stickers anymore. No one uses bumpers. >> Second thing is roof racks aren't even known to the current candidate. And that that used to be a big deal. You'd be putting roof racks on your cast and uh >> would you have the megaphone too blasting at night? >> No, that's Neil Anderson.
>> I would. Yes, he does. >> Hi, Neil. Yeah, he does. >> I was on one of those things with him. It was It was fun to watch. >> Come on out, you people. Come out of the house. Got >> sandwiches. >> Oh, Neil, if you're watching, how you doing? Hope you're doing well.
>> But it was more I would more personal. Yeah. And yet the uh the strategies that are used today when you analyze it, it really is more effective because in theory uh years ago, you just ring a doorbell and you make a judgment and and
you'd meet people for for different ways and different reasons whether you were in a a social club or whatever or an organization or you sometimes you would just be going with someone else in the neighborhood that knew all the neighbors and that introduce you. But now the way
it is they analyze the vote and the and they didn't narrow it down. And so although the polls sometimes aren't right when they do with the big big election, the reality is it's a it's a far more impersonal kind of campaigning.
And although one of the things I I think that is missing, if everybody that was serious about government would run once, they would then appreciate what people go through that do run. and and even the ones that are running this year in the
local election, they're not all obviously going to all be winners because since there's challenges and there's open seats and that sort of thing, >> but what they'll go through to get there in their own way is is a is a strong effort and and an emotional up and down
kind of existence for time before the November 4th and and when it's all said and done, even sometimes when you win there's a let down. Yeah, I I got a good election and if you thought of it, you might have told it. See, see how see how different it is. >> Yeah. >> When they redistricted the house and my
father had to run against the other rep in Malden. >> Yeah. >> Back then for absentee ballots, they had to be notorized. >> Oh, wow. >> So, if they had it, the other side had it down to a science, right? They knew when the ballots was going out and and the the person was with the notary seal
would like if it went to 120 m or whatever, she'd follow the mailman around, right? Oh man. >> So he had won the polls and back then they counted the ballots after. I remember driving up to the moose with you >> and saying, "Hey, you won the election." He said, "No, I lost because the absentee ballots." >> So you beat you had won at the polls,
>> but when they counted all the absentee ballots, you lost. >> Oh man. >> Well, but then as as an extension of that, in those days, the only way that you could legitimately vote by absentee ballot was two. Either
you were out of town and unavailable like a student. Yeah. >> Or you're away on business >> or you were incapacitated and you were unable either in the hospital or you were at home but weren't able to ambulance get out of the house to go to the polls. >> In that particular election there was um
I I was trying to think now there was five wards in the city that made up the the district. >> Yeah. >> So that's like 60 in those that'd be about a little over 60% of the vote. The this was a primary. Now, whoever won the primary in September was going to be automatically elected in November.
>> Yeah. >> There were, I think, 8,000 votes >> in the in in out of the five wards and there were I I think five or 600 after Deep Powers. So, they all couldn't have been out of town. They all couldn't have been. >> Yeah.
>> Like I said, they had the system down pretty good. And ironically, there was another election in um uh in Everett, and the candidate's mother was a uh uh no, excuse me, she was the wife.
She was the because the father and the son both have been up in in politics, but she was a notary as well. Oh, sure. And and she she ended up going into nursing homes, which I think maybe my opponent in that particular election did as well. They had it all covered.
>> It ended up that she lost her notary seal >> cuz she miss misappropriate. Yeah. Yeah. Misappropriate use. >> But but her husband won the election. >> Of course, mass politics, right? That's I'll tell you, you know, just thinking
about and hearing some, you know, hearing your stories and even thinking when I ran, right? So going back to what you're saying, right? So like people don't do the bumper stickers. um and you know the the you know the analyzing of the data and whatnot and and just you know doing your door too and like you
were saying how you campaigned for uh um somebody 10 years ago and just thinking about I remember when so studying this uh I remember Michael Goldman uh Michael Goldman and David Paley Logus and Rachel Cobb all professors I had over at Suffach University political science professors and just reading right you
read the stories or you're reading books about how to run for office but it's so different when you're out there running for the actual office itself and again as being the candidate and I remember uh again going back to my friend Jim who was my campaign manager we when we anal when we were originally before we got on
um the um you know the the mobile network to uh to ID voters I remember we pulled the list from the city clerk's office I think Karen Anderson was a city clerk at this point so we pulled a list from her and I remember Jim and I sitting on my like living room table with a highlighter being like oh Ed Lucy
votes he voted in uh at this point 2009 municipal okay 2010 and this one and so you know having to do that and you're trying to identify your super voters but now I can't imagine and and I'm sorry and also too trying to use social media right so not like in the sense of trying to keep people along so you'd go and you
knock and you leave your leaflet hey follow me on you know Marsha Malden schools or you know Lucy from Malden or whatever right and uh and just watching the social media uptick but it wasn't it was still more or less still in its infancy versus now I've seen some of the candidates candidates how it's it's
impressive how they've used some of their social media. I saw one candidate as of recently here in Malden use a fireside chat, right, where they went Facebook live. I mean, you're sitting there saying, "Wow, this is impressive." Others, they just are very active every day. There's multiple posts. They you basically feel like you're in the
campaign, you're in their war room, and you're and you're working alongside with them as they're, you know, doing their legislation. So, um, it is interesting to see how campaigns always evolve and especially on the municipal level, how they evolve, uh, fairly quickly. With that being said, I think we're going to take a few minutes. We're going to take
a break. We're going to listen to some people on the street interviews and then when we come back, we will have more to talk about. Actually, I think we'll be joined by uh by a few guests that I see in studio. So, when we come back, we'll be joined by a fourth person. Who that f fourth person will be, you'll find out.
Who wants come up first? >> Come on up. You come on up. >> And was there a particular issue that brought you to vote today? >> Yes, my wife is running, so we support her. >> That That's a a great reason. You're a wonderful husband. >> If I didn't support her, yeah, I'd be
out of the house. Are >> are there particular challenges facing Malden that you think are important for uh for local leaders to be focusing on? >> Well, bas basically the kids, you know, the high school kids and support them
every day. There's so many different um kids around here and they need some support cuz they they're going to be our future. >> Couldn't agree more. >> Right. Um, was there a particular uh I have a feeling I know the answer to this question, but was there a particular
source that you went to to find out information about the candidates? >> Great idea. >> It's a great great answer. Um, is there anything aside from aside from the kids, aside from schools, do you
think there are other issues um going on in Malden that are important for candidates or local leaders to be to be focusing on or helping with? >> Well, we need to deal with the um senior people here, the streets, everything else, you know, because, you know, Maldin been around for a while, but it's
changing. It's time for a change. So they needed, you know, just move up with the program. You can't be the old man, you can't be the new one. >> Thank you so much. Appreciate your time. >> All right. What is your name and which w are you voting in?
>> My name is Chris Bergen and I voted in ward four. >> And was there a particular issue that brought you out to vote today? >> Yeah, so there's a few. For one, I am one of the organizers for the Malden Community Coalition and having community involvement with city politics, I think,
is incredibly important. Um, I feel like we need more of that, more interaction between politics and the groups in our community that are trying to help everyday people, keep us safe. Um, there's a few others. financial
situation is dire right now and we really need to have a close look at what we're doing, where we're spending money and I think that it's important for us to use our voice to say who we think would be best of that. >> Where did you go or was there a
particular source that you sought out to get more information about candidates or about issues that they were passionate about? Where did you get more information about this election? >> A few different places. Social media would be the major one. Um, I think a lot of candidates have very good
interaction with voters on social media. So, I really did look a lot there. Otherwise, I have talked to a lot of the candidates personally. I had a few come to my door and I had very nice conversations. And even if I didn't necessarily agree with them, it's still
nice to, you know, be neighborly and actually have a full conversation about what's going on in our community. Do you vote in every election or was there something special about this election that brought you out? >> Oh, I'm an everytime voter. Um, I will say that I think this is a very
important election for the city. Um, and it's not just because there's a lot of people running that I think will make a difference, but because the federal government is doing things that is incredibly dangerous. As much as the state helps, we need strong local
community action. so we can stand up against some of the evils that are going on. >> Thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it. >> All right. >> Pretty uh interesting uh hearing from uh from a couple people so far. Uh I would
like to introduce my next guest or our next guest. My next guest, our next guest um Jen Spataphora from W three. Also, I should actually give her her official title, which is school committee member, Jen better, vice chairperson of the school committee. I mean, you need no introduction for
anybody that's been paying attention to what you're doing around here. Um, I mean, it you don't need an introduction, but we have to give you one anyways, right? >> So, would you like to say a few nice things about yourself? >> I mean, I would love to sit here and listen to you say a few nice things about me over and over. >> What would you like me to say? Right.
Would you like me to keep saying, well, you know, Jen's a friend. You know, obviously I remember from the first time you ran, right? talking about how exciting it was that you had won. We were at Hugh O'Neals that night celebrating and whatnot and uh just you know sitting back and watching everything that you've done on the school committee and all the good work that you've done and you know it's
exciting that knowing at that time uh when you were running to have met you before you became the person you are now and and seeing the good work that you're doing and you know continue the good work. What else would you like me to say? Give me $20 because you know you got to pay me off. Give me give me $20 for saying all that nice things. Huh?
>> Nail on the head. um you know sitting here and listening to the stories that you guys were talking about um and and running elections. I married into a family that um has been in politics. So
my first election I was getting advice based on some older campaigning styles. Um and then um I met Mr. Marsh >> um as well as my campaign manager um Mike Dicola. um Adam Wel died and all of
a sudden that evolved into >> this is kind of how we campaign now and IDs and having turfs and um >> and and I attribute all of that to to winning that very first election. Not to say that um you know
dear friend cards and bumper stickers didn't didn't work years before. Um and today I had on my father-in-law's um you know forward three city council pin from uh I don't want to say eons ago but
quite a while ago. Um but just the evolution of campaigning and what it is now. Um >> so it was really I loved hearing the stories and it was funny. I had lunch with my husband today and he was saying you know we got to bring back roof racks.
>> Roof racks. >> Roof racks. Just got to store them. Don't bring back roof racks. I got to tell you, if I had a roof rack back in the day, I would have gotten myself in so much trouble because I would have attached a microphone, a megaphone, and let me tell you, I would have been parading up and down the streets of War
II or the whole city of Malden. So, I'm glad that roof racks are not are not in right now. >> Probably. It's probably for the better. >> Yeah. If I can ask Jen a question. I'm trying I'm trying to get the cobwebs off my mind. Your first election, you lost the primary.
>> My first election, I lost the primary >> and then you came back and won. came back and won all due to campaigning tactics. >> Yeah. >> And um so when I first decided to run, I think like everybody else, okay, we're
gonna get out there and I'm just going to knock on some doors. >> Um really, you know, I wouldn't say no strategy, but um just gonna talk to people. >> Um and then having lost that primary um
and then having some some really smart people step in and say, "Okay, this is what you weren't doing and this is what you need to do and to actually make a comeback and lose a primary and win the general." >> Most of the time when you lose the primary, you're gone. >> Yeah.
>> You know, I can say like when my father ran for mayor, he he uh won the primary against a very popular person in more than this back in ' 91. Probably the most popular guy >> in the city. And um he ended up winning the primary, correct, but probably a couple hundred votes.
>> Yeah. But then he won by almost a thousand in the final election. >> It's just so hard to because you know it's just difficult. So I mean I remember that now. I just want to make sure I had that right. >> A lot of motin and we wor through >> a a lot of sneakers um getting out
there. But it it can happen. It can happen. It absolutely can. >> Um so and and we've been uh we've been chugging along ever since. So, >> so talk, so I have to ask you, right? Obviously, I've asked the panel, but is there from any election, right, from
whether from the primary, from uh your general, from even going out now, what's something that sticks out to you outside of that, right? Outside of how you're talking about with the primary revamping, um what's something else that has stuck with you that if a new candidate was coming on the scene, kind
of how like we all did with you back in the day, what would you say to that person coming on, like would you tell them the same things that we told you at that time? would you say that because again remember we did this before COVID right things have changed obviously how you would campaign at this point right so I mean what's something that you would advise a new candidate that wants
to come in without giving away your secrets how about that >> I just I would say don't get discouraged there is a big difference um postcoid to the amount of people that answer doors um and just this election getting out um you know not a lot of people are willing
to open doors um and I don't think it's >> for the fact that they don't want to be engaged or involved. I think you know we we have a lot of solicitation >> solar panel solar panels. Oh yeah, get sick of those guys. >> I had to tell one guy to like stop. I
kept saying to this guy he kept coming to my house like 10 times and I was like brother you got to stop. I was like I'm not interested in your solar panels to one guy that they came down. I said look at anyone that doesn't have a solar panel on this house in the street they're not going to buy from you because there's so many of you guys the last couple years that have come by. And
that's, you know, it it can be discouraging. I I would say um when you make that decision to run for office, whether it be school committee, city council, mayoral, >> go to meetings, get out there, really
get involved. Um for me, I am so happy with the amount of friendships I've actually made that there's a lot of people in this city. When we talk about I thought I knew a lot of people, I really didn't know. >> That's true. Yeah.
>> Um and now um I knocked on a door my first campaign and um she noticed I was hot sweaty mess and said come sit down have a glass of water and I ended up sitting at her table for an hour and a
half. She made lunch. Um became one of my my biggest supporters. Um but a friendship evolved as well. >> Yeah. >> And um so don't be afraid to put yourself out there. go to meetings. Um, I would say, you know, you don't know
what's going to get thrown at you. You could have an election day that is sunny, >> rainy, windy. >> I mean, anything could happen. You have to really be able to be flexible. >> Um, roll with the punches. >> Um,
>> thick skin. Yeah. Very thick skin. Very thick skin. And I mean even it's still tough now to not take things to heart or personally. It is. Yeah. No doubt. >> Um but as long as you stand firm on your
beliefs and what you ran on um >> I think um >> integrity is really big. >> Huge. Huge. Yeah. I agree. >> Uh we've all served in some capacity on the school committee, right? Like >> I did. >> Oh, the man was officially a member.
Yeah, I was going to say at some though that's what I was like wait a minute I was like I was like did I vote all I could do is talk to vote >> I was I was like oh my god I was like wait did I have that no so so something you know obviously uh you know we've all
again everybody who's up here has served in some capacity obviously I was on the school committee Greg and you know the former mayor as the ex official right so um talk to us what are some you know what are some um how should I say So, I should preface this by saying
obviously I know that this the last few years that you've been on there have been ups, I know there have been downs, right? You've survived a teacher strike, right? You survived obviously a contract negotiation, two contract negotiations at this point, right? That I think this last one there was almost a threat of
another strike at this point. Correct. So, um you know, so talk to me. So, we've all served, right? We've all we've been through it. I remember the time that I was on, we had a $2.5 million budget gap that we had to cut. And I remember obviously the first time you get on to the school committee, I'm at
the old city hall building. There might have been, I don't know, four people in the audience. And then of course as you get closer to budget discussions, all of a sudden the uptick comes to a little bit more. And then the year that I was on um we had four committee members to the uh sub to the um budget committee.
So of course it was a deadlock each time, right? 22 and they had I remember at the time the budget chairperson voted to uh to get it to the full committee. So now we're going before the whole city. So now we were going to the Salem wood and like I said you know four people in the audience every other time
when you're conducting business then you get closer maybe there's an uptick of maybe like 20. By the time we got to the Salem Wood and I think we were going back like every other day I think that auditorium was packed. So when we had finally said that we were you know we had come to the decision that we were not going to cut anybody at that point
then the following meeting there was nobody there right but that was at that time so talk to me so what are some of the challenges now outside of that right so what are some of the challenges what is I should say no I don't even yeah what are some of the challenges I know this is live people I'm sorry so I
get you know I I can kind of have to rephrase in my head on the spot so um but talk to us so what are some of the challenges right now What are some of the triumphs as well too uh under your tenure? Um not only is Jens Battle for the school committee member but now Jensen Battle for the vice chairperson.
>> I think let's go with triumphs first. Sure. I think right now we have a extremely strong superintendent in place. Um and that um you know strong leadership, strong schools. >> Um I think we should be really proud of
of where we're at um in our leadership. um finances is always going to be, you know, the the biggest um battle for us. And I think, you know, you're hearing it all over the city right now,
>> chapter 70 funding. Um >> we are working with a lot less and trying to do a lot more. Um, and especially coming out of COVID and seeing the uptick in the needs of our students when it comes to mental health,
when it comes to special needs, we don't have enough money to really tackle everything um effectively >> in the way that we want to. So, you know, we're all out there, you know, screaming for the state to do something
when it comes to our chapter 70 funding. Um, >> I I think We this last go round of negotiations didn't end a strike. >> That was fantastic. >> Um we secured a contract before the contract was up. um
>> which is also coming from a little bit about my background now since I've left public office and having been on a few contract uh excuse me negotiation committees to h and I don't think people understand that it's impressive to have renegotiate a contract before you
operate without one because once that happens it's fair game so not to cut you off but I just it's impressive that you were able to do that >> it was a celebration for sure for sure um and it was it was the first time that we had held open um negotiations.
So the general public was could come and sit in, they could watch, they could particip not participate but participate >> um in that manner. >> Um we wanted it to be open and transparent to see what was being said.
Um and I think it really worked to um to both sides advantage. it it holds everybody accountable to what is being set at the table. So I think you know again triumphs that a new superintendent
in place but it all is going to come down to that money >> right >> um >> that's interesting in the open I didn't realize you did that >> that that is a good way of doing it because a lot of times during negotiation >> you get at the end of when no one
settles you get the one side saying something the other side saying something else and it's like who do you believe >> when you can be in the room you you know what you see. I didn't know you did that. >> And it came down to that, you know, three years prior when we went on strike. Of course,
>> there were some questions about, oh, well, we didn't know that you put that offer forward. Um, >> and vice versa. >> So, this time, um, it was put on the table and we said, "Yeah, let's just open it up." And, um, >> you know, people could come if they
wanted to. I will say not many people did, but it allowed us to actually talk about it because it wasn't an executive session. It wasn't behind closed doors. >> So, if we had parents saying um and >> after our our sessions, we put out um
social media blasts and um we use connected to reach out to caregivers and say, "Okay, we we have a tenative agreement and we're now offering or will be having 30 minutes of recess," which >> I remember Mr. Marsh when before I ran.
This was very big um >> on on your um plate and it was one of the reasons that it inspired me to run. I was like, "Yeah, I want my kids to to have more time out on the on the playyard." But um but going back to the negotiations,
>> I think it really did allow um everybody to be a part and and hear um what was what was being asked for, what was needed, what was being put on the table. and you know effectively I think it was I can't remember the exact
date um that we and not ratified the contract but our last session was in July and that contract wasn't up until August 31st >> so almost almost six weeks before our contract end date. So I think that's
something that um we should be proud of. >> Absolutely. And I think going forward we're going to see a lot of um talk about technology in the classroom um AI technology um cell phones
um a lot >> the absence of cell phones >> the the absence or the inclusion of cell phones. So, right now there is a bill being worked in the House. I believe it's passed through um the Senate that
would be a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones. Malden School Committee passed a resolution saying that we support the removal of cell phones in the classroom, but we don't support necessarily the removal of cell phones
um altogether. We want our students um specifically in the high school to be able to carry it into school and be able to maybe check their messages at lunchtime. Um you know, mom might send a text message and say, "Hey, right when you get out, I need you to go pick up
Johnny from the BB um on your way home, I can't make it." Or, uh there may be a message from work saying, "Can you start a half hour earlier today?" Um so, but we don't want it to interrupt the classroom learning. Of course not. But we also want to give our students the
ability to be responsible and learn um how to put away the cell phone, put it in the backpack. We're not going to take it out. If you take it out, there are going to be consequences whether it's going to the principal's office or having it taken away. Um, but also they're
especially in high school at that point where we need to treat them as the young adults that they are because they're going to be going off to college and having or wherever into the workforce and there's this expectation of being responsible for yourself. Um, so we want
them to start to to learn that in school, but at the same time we understand that cell phones are a disruption. There is a time and a place for them. Um, and in the middle of, you know, calculus or >> calculus war,
>> you have to go there with calculus, huh? >> Who knows? Maybe they could be in there because the calculators on. I don't know. But, um, >> yeah. And then, you know, AI technology is everywhere. Um, but, >> you know, do we want our kids being able
to ask something to write a paper for them? >> Yeah. um or take away that creativity. So, these are going to be the big conversations I think coming up um or they're actually happening right now, but um will be going forward that uh
we're going to have to to really dive deep into. >> And you know, I'm getting the wrap-up, so I just want to quickly ask this question. So, you know, lastly, what what are your predictions for the upcoming, you know, obviously we know that municipal elections, they go by so fast, right? Like who would think that
2023 just like that you guys would be everybody would be up for re-election or there would be another election. But what do you what is your prediction for the upcoming year? What do you foresee? I know finances is the big one, right? I mean that's the big that's the big overall topic that we're all going to be discussing here tonight and going
forward, you know, um with what the city is fight facing. But outside of finances, I mean, what is something that you could predict for the upcoming year um for the school system? Oh gosh. >> I'm not to put you on the spot like that, but I am. >> But you are because I truly believe, you
know, >> you need a commercial. >> Yeah. >> Perfect. Let's go. >> That exit left. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> I mean, I hate to say finances because you said anything outside of that, but let's be realistic, right?
>> You know, a lot of what we do and what we rely on takes um money. I think creativity, thinking out of the box, making sure that um we have the right people in the right places um to I don't know, maybe go after some grant money.
Um >> but unfortunately, I think >> that's where we're going to be. >> I think that's where we're going to be. So, >> that's probably a good segue to turn it over to maybe somebody else that can talk about how we can >> You are You are a true politician. There
you are. Huh. Jen, thank you so much for joining us. Oh, thank it was great. Good luck. Yeah, good luck and congratulations tonight. I know that, you know, Yeah. Thank you for Thank you for joining here, too. You know, sometimes I think when people see my name, >> you might never come back. >> I know. That's what I That's what I Well, I'm surprised she even said yes.
Most times people see my name and they're like, "Oh, God, no. No way." >> He continues to compliment me the way he did when I first got up there. I I'll come back. >> All right. But make sure you throw $20 in the coffers when you leave. Huh. All right. All right, we're going to listen to some more interviews and then we'll be joined with the next guest, Jen. Thank you again and thank you.
>> Yeah, anytime. Yeah, anytime. All right, enjoy it. >> Hi. Could you please tell me your name and what you're voting in? >> Uh, Valerie Ryman. I guess it's w. >> And was there a particular issue that brought you out to vote today?
>> No, I just generally vote. >> Okay, it's probably a good idea. Are there challenges facing you think are important for the local leaders to be focusing on? >> I don't really follow politics very much.
>> Okay. What what makes you feel like voting is important even if you don't closely follow. >> It's just a matter of principle. >> Okay. Are there particular principles that you think are important in a in a community or the community that you're
living in? Yes, decency, kindness sort of thing that's kind of missing on a simple and national level. >> I couldn't agree more. I I find that well that frustrations with sort of the bigger scale issues are the national we
can focus on our community and sometimes that makes our day-to-day life a little bit a little bit better. >> Um do you expect uh turnout to be particularly high today? Do you know have friends or family who are voting today?
>> Um, I'm not really sure. Probably not all that. >> Oh, sorry. >> Usually it's >> okay. Um, all right. Well, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it. >> What is your name, sir? >> I am Mark Lahan. >> And what w do you vote in?
>> I vote in ward three. >> What would you say is the most important issue that brought you to vote tonight? Uh well, my roommate, city councelor Amanda Lenningan, would be very upset with me if I did not come down and vote. Uh but honestly, there are so many
different issues that are affecting the city and the Commonwealth and the entire country. And many of these issues are many of the issues that affect people's daily lives are city and local issues. And turnout has been down the last few years. Uh my big concern is that we're going to go below the 20% threshold. We
were at 20% uh two years ago. And so I I really want to make sure that people get out and vote. Whatever you're passionate about, whatever you care about, um it is amazing that we get to choose our own leaders. So anyone watching this, please get out and vote. Uh you can check the city clerk's website for your nearest
polling place. Make sure that you register to vote and come out and vote today. The polls are open till 8:00 p.m. >> What would you say is the biggest challenge facing Malden these days? I mean, I feel like 2025 is, you know, the the challenges come fast and furious
and there's a new one every single day and there's so many and it's sometimes it's hard to tell whether or not something is a distraction or a serious issue that we need to be grappling with. I think everyone is struggling with affordability, um the cost of living, it's, you know,
there are basic basic needs and basic services that we all need. We need to be able to live and raise a family. We need to be able to get to work. We need to be able to you know hope hopefully work one job in order to support our lives um and
you know raise our children uh safe and healthy and there are so many different challenges. I mean I think I think people can prioritize different issues for themselves but I don't think that there's any such thing as a single issue even you know a single dozen issues.
There's so many different challenges and every voter gets to weigh what's important to them. But um as I know, you know, being married to a city council, I know that there are always a hundred things going on at any one time. >> And there there are always multiple multiple challenges that you're
constantly having to weigh and deal with. And so there's very rarely a moment where any elected official is dealing with one thing at one time. So, and there are a lot of different challenges ahead. know we have the we have the city budget and the override issue coming up uh in the next couple
months. So um the city has the city has a lot of challenges and we need pe we need serious people to face those challenges and who can collaborate and work together and and create the solutions that are best for the city. That's interesting, too. I think a lot of people think there's only ever two
ideas or two solutions to any one problem. But on the local level, you need the collaboration of all your neighbors. And we're so lucky that we get to live in this incredibly diverse city where there is no shortage of imagination and backgrounds who can create different solutions that benefit
the entire city. >> Thank you so much. It >> is my pleasure. >> She keeps talking. >> Hey, that's perfect. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, that's perfect. Welcome back. Uh, man, shout out to Mark Lahan, who uh, all you have to do is just give him a
microphone and let him go. So, I like the whole roommate thing, too, which is great. So, uh, who actually just texted me, too, saying that he was watching. So, yeah, he said he put a Google alert. So, thank you, Mark. >> We're joined here by Council Lahan, Council President Amanda Lanahan from Ward 3. Amanda, thank you so much for
joining us. >> Thank you for having me. >> Not a problem. Amanda, uh, also, uh, somebody also I I also knew too before, uh, running, right? I think we had helped out in your campaign back in that day too >> or we had talked at somehow. I don't think I don't remember but um but Amanda
I you know obviously welcome. Um before we get into any like really serious conversation what is something that you remember from the first time you ran like any >> oh my gosh >> fun stories you didn't have anybody in their underwear talking to you like I do. >> I did unfortunately you know everybody was it I wonder if it's the same person
that just moved from different parts of the city. >> I don't know. I wish I could say there was no people semi- naked, but I had a couple actually. Um, you know, you wonder what's going through people's heads when they answer the door like that. I'm like, I don't answer the door if I'm not like completely dressed and
ready to encounter people. But >> no, I value people that answer the door because like you all said, you know, people don't really answer the door as much anymore. It's the change from my first campaign in 2019 to now is unbelievable. Everybody's got a Ring doorbell. people even though they work
from home a lot more. That's the funny thing. They're home more, but you actually don't get as many people that answer. Um, >> uh, you know, my first campaign was very intense. It was an open seat. It was the only open seat on the council that year. So, it drew all the attention it felt
like in the city, >> right? In war, highest turnout, very active. Um, it was intense. And, you know, I I have a full-time job like so many people do when they run. I know you mentioned that. Um, it's a lot. I had a 5-year-old at the time. She's now 12.
Um, time flies, but it's it's a lot when you've got young kids, you know, your spouse is working full-time, you're trying to do your job, coming home door knocking, like you said, at night, and when it's still light out, and, you know, you're trying to crank until like 78 at night. Um, it's it's it was an
intense memory, but I look back on it very fondly because, you know, like my counterpart on the school committee said, you make friends, you meet people that I there's people that volunteered for me that are still dear friends today. Um, my whole life changed after running for office. It's just not just
because, you know, you're busier and your whole world is different, but it opened up people in the city that I never, you know, never knew were out there. Um, it was a it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. And that election night, you just you cannot
believe it when you win when you win by a small margin. Like you said, I think I won by 31 votes. So, it's like really similar. And you just, >> you know, it's mindboggling. You wake up the next day and you get hundreds of text messages. >> I can't believe you went to sleep. I couldn't. >> Oh, no. I was up for days. >> Yeah. It's it is really an unbelievable
experience. Um, I don't know that there's any one memory that that stands out, but um, you know, I get you get sworn in and then like two months later the pandemic hit. >> I was going to say that I was city clerk at the time. I always felt bad for Amanda >> because she won. So now a lot of this
coming to city council back then. You probably didn't know a lot bit about him. You didn't know him, right? >> And then the pandemic they closed the hall off for a year or whatever. So she never got to, you know, know her colleagues, you know, get to know them. Anyways, I always felt bad about that. >> Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's I never even thought about that either at that time.
Yeah, that's true. >> Yeah, it was a it was a challenge definitely. And we had a lot of, you know, lunches and coffees booked that were sort of just about to start taking off >> and then everything closed down. And being on camera is just not the same. Yes. >> It's uh it's definitely you act
differently. You don't connect. >> Um we did the best we could, but it was it was a highly unusual way to enter city council doubt. That's for sure. Just before we get into any deep discussion, I do want to remind everybody outside of us just talking, we will be getting your results. The polls are still open for another minute and a
half, I believe. So, as soon as the results start coming in, we will uh we will obviously let the city know. So, please don't tune us out. I hope you're enjoying this conversation. I hope you're just liking my little round brown face on camera, but if not, just stay tuned. And as soon as that >> Yeah, I hope so. I don't know.
>> Remember, you're on a one day con. Yeah, I I'm going to I'm pretty sure it's not going to get renewed after that comment. So, but uh if uh you know, please stick around and you know, you can tune off as soon as we give you the results. You can log right off and you don't have to listen to my annoying voice going. So, I'm sorry, but yes, I just wanted to
tell people that just to let everybody know. So, >> close. >> Um I know it's like kind of like like I said, it's like Christmas morning. Like, you know, you get very excited on these days. You're like, "Oh, here we go." So, so um obviously with that being said, so giving your credentials. So, I think we're just going to kind of jump right
into it, right? >> The big conversation that I think that everybody wants to know from their elected official, right? And I think we heard the comments from the uh the voter uh interactions that we just heard, >> the biggest um topic that we keep hearing city finances. >> Yep.
>> Talk to us about that. What's going on? >> Well, it is the reality. We are not in the world of COVID recovery funds, you know, flowing into the city coffers anymore. um we're in a moment of inflation not keeping up with what we can raise on our taxes. That's just the
tough reality and we in my opinion really have no choice but to be talking about raising the taxes and going to the voters and giving them the choice to ask if that's how they want to handle the predicament that we're in. Um I would say to anybody watching, we're not
alone. We're not the only city facing this. There was a Globe article just last week um that talked about how there are dozens of communities that are having to go to the voters with this very question. I think Melrose and Stonem tonight are um setting records
with how much money they're going to the voters for to fill budget gaps. Um the good news is that we have balanced our budget. We've passed a balanced budget every year. Um we've done, I think, very well. We did fill the budget with dipping into our free cash last year. Um, but we obviously don't want to do
that. Again, that wouldn't be a prudent way to be budgeting for the city's future. Um, we did, you know, I think if folks have been watching recent meetings, we did convene the council over the summer to do a pretty historic vote to switch the city employees onto a
new insurance pool that is projected to save between three to five million. So, the city employees are stepping up to proactively be part of the solution to save some money. Um the city departments did have to come and make some cuts last year to again be part of that solution
going into what we knew was going to be a tough budget year, but we have to do more. Um so the council I expect will be taking up a vote by the end of November, early December um to most likely to put this on the ballot over this winter. I did have a lot of people asking me leaving the polls today, why wasn't it
on today's ballot? So I think that's one tough thing that's I think it's already confusing for folks. So, we're going to have to do a lot of education to make sure voters understand that this is going to be a most likely a special election this winter to come out and say whether that is something that we want
to do um to fill that budget gap this year. So, what we would be looking to ask voters to do this winter is to vote on an override for about $5.5 million. Um the other thing I did want to mention is that the council last week did vote to increase the owner occupancy
exemption. So, um, in Malden, if you live in your home, instead of renting it out, you do get a, um, a discount on your taxes. That's a simplified way of explaining it. And we increase that, um, by 5%. So, for folks whose homes are assessed up to about $850,000,
the effect of the override will essentially be a wash. So, we shifted the burden of that tax increase onto properties worth over about $850,000. So, that's one thing that I think is important to note for folks that'll be going to the polls um in February to
vote on this. Um we are hoping that that lessens the impact a little bit, but it is a shared burden that we are going to have all have to think about filling this year. So, it's tough news, but I think when the state has really tied one hand behind our back, we can't raise our
taxes more than two and a half% every year. So when inflation goes up more than that, um we don't have a lot of good options other than going to the voters in this way. >> Is there any more money left in the rainy day fund the city has other than what they've used this year to balance the budget?
>> There is. And unfortunately, the state doesn't really give guidance on what is a rule of thumb of what you want to keep in your rainy day fund. Obviously, you don't want to deplete it entirely. Um, one of the things that we've been talking about is moving that into a different type of fund, like an enterprise fund that would allow us to
actually set it aside and then have the council vote on how to spend that instead of just having it into so it's in an account now that's called free cash, which I think the voters hear that and they think, "Oh, that's like free money or like fund money." Um, I think if you move it into a fund that requires
a little bit more of an intentional vote of the council to spend it, it gives a little bit more confidence that we're being intentional about how we spend that and set that aside. So, that's something that we've been talking about doing. >> Now, the council voted, they've already voted for the increase the exemption on
on residents. >> Yeah, we did that last week up to 35%. >> And so, presuming the mayor will sign that. >> Yeah, presuming that that goes according to plan, that would be in effect. One of the things I think that confuses people is that ultimately in the in the budget
for the city, for instance, from from real estate taxes, you get the same amount of money regardless how it's redistributed. And you mentioned about the the the uh the wash that's if you own the property and you get the increased exemption. >> Yeah.
That in theory would suggest that the the people that have invested property in the community will then raise the rent of the people who don't own property. So they'll be the ones that will indirectly maybe paying for that. >> It could be increase taxes. >> We talked about that at council and I
think um our assessor and our finance chair both made the point that the rents are driven by the market, what the market can bear. So, if they raise rents and folks can't pay it, then they're not going to be able to fill those tenencies. Um, we already have one of the most expensive rental markets in the
region. And don't forget also that folks who live in their one, two, and three families and rent out, like let's say you live on the ground floor and you rent out the other two units, you still get the owner occupancy exemption for the two for the for the full three
units, right? So, I think that as long as you don't if that property is still valued under the limit of that exemption, um, you still get that discount. So, I think that what it really shifts it to is the folks who are landlords who have much larger buildings
or who don't live here and are really, you know, what people often say are absentee landlords. Um, and you know, it it could be that some of them choose to pass that along in rent, but we'll have to see if that is something that the market can bear. I think we, like I
said, we already have a really high rental market, but we also have comparatively low property taxes compared to a lot of cities around. So, I sometimes feel like it's hard to make the argument that someone who owns property here is forced to raise rent
because of that. If you own rental property here versus Ravier, Chelsea, and Everett, you're already paying much lower taxes here. So, I think that argument sometimes doesn't hold as much water for me. >> And that's a good point actually. I I think when we they first got the
residential tax exemption in the city, I don't think enough credit was given to the city to push it forward. And they did it in increments. So, you know, before I think we started out like five or 10%. Then it went to 20. >> No, it started out with 20. >> No, it went to 20. Because I remember she Mike Sheen's the one that proposed
it or Neil Kenn one of those guys and Mike Sheen >> but it went to 20 then it went to 30. Yep. >> And then they found out I think the max is 35 >> I think it is. Yeah. >> So that's the highest you can go and you know to me as a homeowner in Malden I tell people all the time
>> my taxes are cheap. I can't believe how you know you get the you get the tax rates good anyways and then you get the residential exemption. Yeah. So what I pay it for taxes, I've, you know, talked to other people's in other communities and it's just not even close. >> Yeah. And I hear that a lot from newer folks who've just moved in and of course
they've paid a lot for their houses because our housing market is very expensive. What I often hear from them is, "Wow, I looked at, you know, houses in a lot of different communities and the taxes here are so much lower." It did maybe help them make the choice to move here if they are in a position to
make that choice. if they're privileged enough to have a budget that they can look in multiple places. They're actually coming to me concerned because they feel like, wow, the taxes are so low, it can't possibly support, you know, what I know the schools are going to need or what city services are going to need. So, obviously, we have a wide
range of incomes here. Not everybody is in that position where they're saying, "Please raise my taxes." But some folks are because they're just doing that math and they're wanting to make sure the community can continue to be healthy and provide the services that we have now. So, And so you what so even staying on
on this topic I some of the forums that I was listening to right from some of the city councilors uh I think it was the council at large is mostly or I think it was the city council forums and >> um something I heard about was uh getting creative right so obviously we know it we're going to have to do this
one way or another right like it's coming >> but something I also heard too was getting creative about attracting new businesses so what's the discussion around that I mean >> let's say the vote goes through right I mean, obviously, it's hard to tell what's going to happen, right? But let's say the vote goes through, the clock is ticking,
>> right? >> So, what's the next move after that? >> Yeah. I think one positive takeaway that I heard is that our council, which we have a lot of diverse opinions, we had consensus around the fact that economic development has got to be our top priority moving forward. I will say as
council president, I think we need to immediately form a committee around economic development because we need to move quickly on it. Um, we do have a master plan or comprehensive plan that's underway that we're about to start, but those typically have a two-year horizon. So, we all agree we can't wait two
years. As much as it would be great to be strategic and build that longer term vision, as we're doing that, we need to work on a shorter horizon as well. So, some of the things that I heard folks wanting to work on on the council in that shorter term is working with our office of strategic planning and
community development to identify some key corridors that we could work to attract some really quick changes in our zoning that if we could work with some developers, we could bring in the stuff that we need. I heard a lot of consensus around not wanting the developers to
drive the bus, but the city to sit down and say, "What do we want to see? what kind of development do we want to see? And then let's quickly draft the zoning that can support that because then we can bring the developers to the table. And if you know, taking something like Commercial Street as an example, there's
a lot of property owners that already own property there. >> If we were to reszone that to attract the type of economic development that we want, if those property owners are aligned with that, then that would be a great alignment. We could work with them. If they're not, then we need to move in a different direction. So, I
think we've had a mentality of, oh, we're we're really held back by who owns what. >> I think we need to flip that a little bit and think about let's get the zoning in place that will drive the development we need. And if the owners want to work with that, great. But we actually can
drive that conversation instead of waiting for the current owners to build something that they want to build. So, I was encouraged by that because I think it's rare that you have the council >> all saying, you know, we need to do this and we need to do it quickly. So I think we can move on this. >> I think so too. It sounds that you know
it sounds like everybody is on the same page. I think whether you're an elected official or a reg right I think that one of the other things I heard too and it speaks to my heart is uh being on the Malden River Works right and being >> part of that committee and and one thing I heard was developing the river. So,
and and it's actually amazing how many people actually didn't realize that we do have a river in Malden, which is kind of like crazy, but hearing um that to um how should highlight our one of our assets in the city. And so, I'm like, yeah, this is that would be great. I
mean, I think I heard the proposal of putting a hotel uh down, you know, down the street from the casino or down the river from the casino, which >> I mean, for me, I'm kind of like, hey, that's that's great, you know? I mean, I think it's I think that's a nice little attraction. >> Yeah. So man, so so so like on the on
the ballot today in Melrose, they give you three options. One, one they uh one is say for 13 point something million, the second one's 11 something. The third one's 9 something point something. So they give you the menu. Okay, this is
what you'll get if you vote for it. >> In in Stonem they're doing the same thing, but their vote is like in December. >> So the same idea. It's like although Stonem they just tried to last year they tried to do an override for 14 million and it and it didn't pass by 500 votes. So it got close but it didn't. So
they're doing the same thing. Yeah. >> Is there a chance and I'm sure you have to >> the the issue you're going to have and you guys got to figure out is if >> you you go to the voters and say look if things passes we're not going to have this this problem. >> Yeah. >> Then all of a sudden you got some of the
problem anyway. So the last thing you want to do is have the vote is vote on something and then it doesn't solve the the problem you're trying to get them to. Is there a chance like Maldin could that the the end the end thing have a couple menu items or >> I we certainly could and we we talked about that. We felt like for the time
frame that we were looking at because we really want to try to do this to solve this year's budget. So in order to do that we have to have a special election this winter. We talked about doing a larger number to build us a couple of years. We talked about a menu of options. We've ultimately felt like
that's confusing. That's really a lot to try to message in a short time frame to give people that A, B, and C kind of thing that Melrose >> is doing. Um, we felt like that we could be most successful filling a one-year gap >> and keeping it to one number. And if we
are not ultimately successful, there's nothing that precludes us from going back to the voters again. Unfortunately, we are going to have to make cuts if it fails. So, that's going to be jobs. that's going to be cuts to city services. Um I hope that that message gets out that folks understand that that
is a real thing that is going to result from this not passing if we do ultimately put it on the ballot. Um because once those cuts are made obviously it's very hard to get those positions back. >> Yeah. And I would just urge people to go on city of malden.org. Yeah. >> They have all this information on there.
They have a prop two and a half um thing you can you know press on and you can get all this information. I would just urge people absolutely >> you know I know they the the note folks have got the lawn signs going out real quick but in the end it's got to be a discussion and so I just urge people to
go on citym.org at least look at the information you know just so you know what the understanding of >> Yes. And I know we're adding to it all the time and I know there's going to be you know printed materials that'll be coming with it. Um, I think with the election, with this today's election, it's been a lot trying to get everything
stood up, but there will be more coming to supplement the website. So, I'm hearing that a lot from folks. They want more information. More is coming. Um, but that's a great point. I would definitely encourage folks to visit that web page. >> Agreed. All right. I Amanda, thank you for your time. I'm getting to wrap it
up. Yeah. Thank you. Huh. It wasn't Actually, I was going to ask, you know what? I'll ask you quickly because obviously I asked uh uh vice chairperson spat, but I'll ask you. What is your prediction? Obviously, I mean, I know f again, I know finance is the big one, but what is your prediction for the uh the upcoming year in the city?
>> You know, I >> and it could be anything, I should say. I should I should have prefaced it. It could be anything, but what is your Yeah. What is it? >> I think Malden is still on a really amazing trajectory. I think it's an exciting place to live. And I think even with everything going on in the world, I
think I think we can handle the financial stuff. I think it's a place that people are still moving to. We're still growing. It's still a place that I see. If you look at, you know, like we started off talking about elections and how things change. >> There's still a lot of turnover. We still have a lot of new people moving
in. I think Malden is on the upswing. I think you're going to see new businesses still coming in. I really do think like you're going to see a lot of exciting things happening in the downtown. I think Malden is is going to continue to grow and I think we're still going to be the place to be. >> I agree. I agree with that. I absolutely
agree. Well, counselor, thank you so much. Go enjoy your time down the street. >> Hope to see you there in a little while. >> I'll be there. I will be there. I already I already told uh if my daughter's still awake. Yes. And that's right, Malden. Yes. If Miss Camila Marsh is awake right now, >> daddy's not coming home for another
hour. I already got the I already got I asked for permission. So, yeah. So, council, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. And we'll talk to you soon, I'm sure. >> Got a result coming yet? Uh the so I should actually tell everybody the results are slowly coming in. I if you
see me looking down at my laptop is just because the unofficial results are coming in. >> I got something coming up. >> You got So I don't want to announce anything yet. I'm just kind of watching these being filled in as we speak. So um I'm not sure if we have another interview or if we're just going to keep talking. >> We have one more interview. Okay. So
we're going to cut to one more interview and then um we'll be right back with another guest. here with >> Sean Le. >> And uh why did you vote today? >> Uh I try and make sure I vote every year because back when I was um in high school, I was a part of the mayor's
youth summer program where we led an initiative to lower the voting age for municipal elections to 16. Didn't end up passing, but I think it was good work and work well done. >> Yeah. >> So I always want to make sure every year it extra my right to vote and uh because I believe it's important. I'd like to
get more people involved in our community, make sure that we succeed, and I'd like to have a say in what goes on. >> Excellent. All good reasons, right? Um, what where do you get your information about the elections? >> Uh, I usually just read online, talk to
other people, >> social media. >> Yeah. >> How do you think the candidates did um in terms of getting information out about themselves? >> I'd say it was all right. I didn't see a VO lot this year, but I think, you know,
uh there's a lot of stuff going on in the news cycle nowadays, so that might be espe especially hard right now. So, I wouldn't hold it against any of them. >> Yep. >> Is there a particular issue or something in the community that you care about
that you would like to see the um ects address? Uh, I mean, I bet there's probably something out there. I've been really focused on other things right now, so >> nothing too pressing, but I know Google takes an active like step in our
community. So, I'm sure to show my support for them this year. >> And because you're civically minded, even though you're of a younger demographic, see your friends, your folks that you know that are around your age, um, as involved?
>> I like to think more of them are getting involved now. I think I might have been a little early to it with the the employment program, but I think more of them are getting involved, which is nice to see. >> What do you think brings them out to vote? >> Uh, I think where
>> not that you can speak for your whole demographic, but >> I think nowadays you start to see a lot more younger people get involved because they want to see like real tangible change and >> they realize now that they actually have the power to do so if you get enough of us out there.
>> Yeah. So, I always think it's important. I think the hardest thing to do is get people out there to vote. Usually, the people that do go out are a lot older, been doing it for years. >> So, it's important just as important for them to get out as it is important get out. >> Exactly. >> I hope more of my friends do it. I'd
like to see more of us out there. >> Yeah. Anything else you want to say about the election? >> Uh, no. I don't have anything. Uh, >> well, thanks for voting today. >> Of course. Thank you. >> Appreciate it. So glad I went out instead of sitting around. >> I just wrote a quick eight miles,
right? >> Yeah. They're going to make myself >> They have counter large ward one. So you're going to get these right now. >> Yes. Should I announce the other one? >> Is are these the same numbers you have?
>> Um yeah, so far. So, uh, Thank you. >> Welcome back everybody. Um obviously your uh favorite hosts here. Uh we're just watching the uh unofficial results coming in. Uh the reason why that they are unofficial is because they are not
coming from the city clerk's office. Uh, as I had told you earlier, if you see me looking at my laptop, I'm just watching the, uh, unofficial results coming in, uh, from people throughout the city. Uh, I think it's pretty safe to call it that the, uh, you know what, do I do that? Do
I make the >> call? You can give the numbers. >> Yeah. All right. So, uh, as of right now in ward one, the total count is Crow 354, Gity 233, uh, two writeins, zero blanks. Uh that's what I see so far
that has come in. Uh right now I'm also watching the ward six council race. Uh and those numbers are slowly trickling in. So as soon as I see the final unofficial update on my spreadsheet, I will uh >> break away in discussion just to give you guys all an update. >> That ward one is that one precinct or is
that >> that's all three? That's three. Yeah, that's all three. That just that's on the >> All three. Yeah, that was all that many votes. >> Yeah, it's an off year. It's not a mayoral election year. It's not a presidential year. >> So pretty. >> How what would approximate registered
voters in Met? >> There's there's 38,000 in the city now. >> Registered voters. >> I can go back to 2023. >> Uh >> but before you do that, I want to I want to announce our guest that's here so people aren't like who's that?
>> So uh joining us right now is uh uh Bin Garity. Right. I'm saying your last name correctly. Y I always listen. >> Actually, it's the first name that really tricks people out. >> Really? Well, what do they say? Byron or something like that. >> Brian, I respond to any approximation. >> Trust me, I people call me all sorts of
names and I respond to those. Sometimes it's not even names I can't say. >> Talking to me, I will respond. >> I've had people talk in my direction. So, uh, but we're joined here with Bren Garity. Bren, uh, welcome. Thank you for joining us. Um, you know, obviously I, you know, I'm just going to let you do a
little of, uh, your, um, I'm gonna let you, uh, take it away. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about who you are. Uh well, yeah, Bin Gity. I um am a new Malden resident. Um officially five years, but I've been around for eight. Um when I
started dating my now husband who bought in Molden back in 2017, 2016, you know, a while ago. >> Um and as I, you know, I lived in Porter Square when I met him and I was like,
Malden, why? No. And then as soon as I got to know the city, I was like, "Oh, this is this is so good. This is such a great spot, and we love it here." So, >> excellent. Welcome. >> Yeah, it's been awesome. And we we've established quite um a little network of
friends for ourselves here. Um, like, uh, counselor Lahan was talking about, this is sort of the last, one of the last places where young couples, young families can buy homes and a lot of our friends have taken advantage of that um, when they can. Some are unfortunately
not as lucky as others. Um, but we have a nice group of friends here and we are happy to get together after this. I'm going to have a little celebratory drink to end the campaign bed, right? >> Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, the I had this
concoction of circumstances um this summer that allowed this campaign to happen. Um I got I had back surgery in July. >> Um and leading up to that, I was not working full-time because I could not walk or stand for long periods of time.
>> Wow. >> Yeah. It was really hard. >> Yeah. >> Um and so through that, I was like, what can I do? And um in the middle of the day, I went to the uh meeting at Anony's, the 10:00 a.m. Wednesday
morning meeting. And that made me so I was irked. I was like, "Wow, if this is what this city is going through, oh boy." And so I decided to run. >> And I was just going to ask, so like, you know, obviously it takes a lot for
somebody to run for again, as we've all talked about, right? I take a certain personality type. I think to be successful, you have to have a strong Now that I've got surgery on my spine, I have the strong back. But yeah, you really you have to have a thick skin.
You have to be amendable to other opinions. Um, abrasive people, people who immediately ask you like, "Are you a Democrat or Republican?" I'm like, "I'm neither actually. I'm uh I've always been an independent. I've never been
registered with a single party. Um, and you know, finding middle ground with people that >> I otherwise would not interact with. >> Right. Right. >> It's very interesting. Um, and it's stressful and it's hard and um, I in hindsight, I wish that I had decided
earlier. >> Um, but circumstances didn't allow that. And then my surgery came up really suddenly. And so I actually was getting my last signatures to put my name on the ballot 3 days after surgery. >> Wow.
>> Uh so that was I was like I'm going out for 16 signatures. So I have a buffer and then I am done. I'm cutting it off. Like I need to go to bed. And I slept for like 24 hours. >> So let me ask you so what from just obviously campaigning just this time. What is something what is a lesson that
you've learned? What's an experience that you're excited about and will you run again? I know I threw three questions at you. >> No, it's totally fine. So, um, from the experience, one of the great things about this, like I said, I was in a really weird part of my life.
>> Um, not working, uh, kind of laying about, but that's the only thing that I really could do. >> Um, and even when I was walking, I was carrying a little stool with my my a little like fold up stool so I could sit down when I was talking to people. Um,
and one thing that this has reignited for me is before co I did so much service-based um, activities. I volunteered at Rosy's place every week for years and years and then I upped
that to two times a week and then three times a week I was teaching ESL three days a week there. I would ride my bike from my apartment in Somerville and I would teach English classes there. And I uh volunteered in their kitchen. I volunteered in their food bank. Um and
service has always been a big part of what drives me and what makes me happy. Um and part of that goes all the way back to college. I went to Villanova and Villanova University has a a huge um a huge emphasis on service and giving back
and uh there's actually an entire service day where there are no classes and everybody picks something that they do and the school hires buses and everybody goes out and you spend an entire day doing something for any organization in need. Um, and it's
really cool. And, uh, I have like dug gardens and I do manual labor. I was a a division one athlete. >> Oh, there you go. >> They they took all the athletes and they were like, you're going to be lifting all day. >> Impressive. Actually, not to cut you off, Bren. I just also want to give a little update as the numbers are coming
in unofficially, we have the ward 4 school committee, uh, Mlin 288, uh, ANIB 200. Uh, we also have the Ward 7 update as well too. Bernard 349, Mosulam 215. Uh, so I just want to give a little up.
Let me just make sure that there are no other Nope, that's it. Those are the ones that are contested. So, congratulations to all those people that have won. Congratulations to the people also who decide to put themselves out uh and run as well, too. So, um, I'm getting the wrap it up. So, I will I
will ask you this last question. So, Bren, can what can we expect from you in the next few months? Will you be sticking around? I mean, I know it's tough to when you >> Yeah. So, my background, my career background is in um engineering, specifically commercial property insurance. And I don't think that I'm
going to be returning to that when I return to work full-time. Okay. >> Um I'm This has really made me rethink what I've been doing for the last 11 years where I liked my job and what I liked the most was the paycheck, but it really didn't light any sort of fire in
me. Um, and I this this campaign has opened up a lot of doors. I've met a lot of people that I would not have met otherwise who want to work with me, who want to keep me around. So, yeah, you will definitely be seeing me and I will be at council meetings giving my opinion. I will be a
thorn in the side. >> That's okay. That's what we want, right? >> Brenn, thank you so much for joining us. >> Thank you so much. >> And uh we'll see I'm sure we'll see you around town. Absolutely will. >> Absolutely. All right. Thank you for joining us. >> Good. Good job. >> Thank you. Yeah. And congratulations for running as well, too. Yeah. Thank you for running. >> Yeah. Seriously, we need
>> We need We need more people. Yeah. And I know I have nothing I mean obviously I I ran against Peg Crow um for reasons, but mostly um it was to make her step up. >> Yeah. >> And she did. >> Yeah. >> And I'm happy with that. >> Good. All right. We'll uh uh we'll cut
away to um actually we have no more interviews, so um the camera will we'll just I don't know what the hell we'll do. We'll just talk to Don, I guess, right? We'll talk to Don. I don't know. I was trying to think of like an easy transition so that like we didn't awkwardly see Bren walking off.
I had a rough >> I guess. All right, welcome back everybody. Um, ward one, in case I did not say, ward one school committee, uh, the unofficial of results, Drummy 274, Gillette 260. I think again we can very
close very close. Yeah. Right. By 14 votes, right? >> You know what what outside of uh obviously the close elections and I should also say too we're joined here with Don Mlin, Ward 4 school committee member uh just reelected again. So congratulations. >> Congratulations.
>> So but one thing I do want to say is and again as former elected officials, right? I mean going back to the whole door knockocking, right? So on election day, so you ramp up, you get the signatures, you go out door knocking, you talk with people, but people don't realize that on the get out the vote
that you start two weekends ahead and then you have to do it on election day itself. And so trying to talk to people, reminding people, but then we see the results that come in like this and you see that it's such a low turnout, right? I mean, you know, if I'm by simple malt height math, we are under what three oh
god like 314 for uh and here we are right here. Here's the results, right? by um by 12 votes. Uh no, I'm sorry. That's um >> that was at the senior center. >> Yep. That's that's at the uh I'm sorry, that's coming those are coming in. >> That's not total votes. >> No, that's not total votes. I'm sorry. >> That was the total at the senior center. >> That's by precinct. Yeah. And so as we
see these coming in, you know, one has to ask, right, as as former elected officials, and I hope you guys can still hear my voice, or as elected officials or whatever you want to say, what more can be done to get people out there, right? I mean, you you do everything, right? You bust your hump, you work
tirelessly, you get into the dog days of the summertime, you, you know, you'd rather be anywhere else swimming than knocking on doors. But as an elected official or as somebody who's watching this, is it hard not to get frustrated or kind of concerned being like, what else can we do? How how e how much
easier how much what else do we need to do to get people out, especially municipal elections to get the numbers up, right? I mean, I pose that to the panel. I think the uh the next election may reflect more visibility and more
response from the public and and you know if you were holding office currently and you were looking at those numbers, you'd have to say to yourself, well maybe people for the most part are contented with who the people who currently are serving and there's no
great issue that are forcing them to look for alternatives and and you would wonder why people uh although a lot of the seats were unopposed. >> So that's another suggestion that you don't have the community involvement that you used to have. But that the
reality if you had the position similar to a fourth four school committee and you won if there wasn't a lot of votes out there and and the schools are usually the first thing that people are concerned about then you say well whatever's being done is being
done at least to the satisfaction of the public. Otherwise, they'd be out there putting someone else in office. On the other hand, the person that ran for the office is arguing with it. Why? >> Yeah. Why make the change? >> Let's make a change. Yeah. Yeah. But I do think with uh with what's coming up,
I think that the u the override is going to be more turnout. Although in the winter time that's an issue, too. But what's hard to fathom though is that years ago in in my time, and you have to go back a long long time ago to say my
time, the only two reasons why you could vote absentee was that you're out of the area or you're incapacitated. That was it. And uh now you can get over the counter voting. You can also obviously uh mail in the vote. So making
it so easy. And yet in spite of all that convenience, people just aren't voting. And you say, "Why?" >> Right? And that's that's to me, and not we got to get Dawn into this conversation, but that to me is the most frustrating part because you take it like the city election. Not only have
you don't need the excuse to vote anymore, right? >> So I I I Carolyn told me yesterday they sent out 500 512 applications. They got back about half that. >> Okay. They have uh they had eight days
of early voting. So city hall hours for two weeks before the election, you know, from 8 in the morning till 5 and then on Tuesdays 8 to 7. And there's so much more opportunity to vote now. And the numbers are just it's discouraging. People just don't vote. I mean, it's
amazing to me. >> It is. I mean, it's particularly discouraging in W four because we notoriously have a low turnout. And I think >> the lowest rate, I think, in the city, right? >> Probably. And I think I think >> probably because >> that's not just now W for was not a big
voting ward even years ago. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean notoriously we have a low turnout and I think part of that is due to the transient demographic that we have. Um I used to manage two highrises right in the center and you know a lot of those folks were international
students or international workers who weren't registered voters and then we have the businesses as well. So, you know, it's limited opportunity for um to even get the voters. But, you know, I mean, this time my my team, my squad, we you know, mobilized and
>> within the last month, we reached out to over 900 super voters and and you know, out of those 900, we see how many actually turned out and and came out to vote. So, um you know, I just I don't know where that apathy comes from. um
and what we need to do to turn it around. I mean, in particularly on the school committee, right, because >> folks and my message to the voters um this time around was you you don't need to have children in Malden public schools to be concerned about what's going on in
Malden public schools, particularly when that's the largest chunk of the city budget, right? Um, and I think it's just a learning curve that we need to to educate the voters that um, regardless of whether you have children in in the
public school or not, there should be an interest in in you know just voting for school committee. Um, >> so hold on before you I just want to update everybody on the W six council race. Uh unofficial Winslow uh Steve W
council Winslow 567 Leone uh 315 seven writeins zero blanks. So I'm sorry as I come in I just want to make sure that everybody's up to date as >> do you think part of the problem say w four when they went to the ward based school committee
>> so in ward five there's an elementary actually two elementary schools Salem was in five and people think it's in six you know have you have the ferry in one and seven you got but four is the high school uh >> the high school's considered four as well as the ELC but the ELC you know
they have um >> parents and caretakers that may live out of district. >> Right. Right. So, so I know in some of these other where you have the other schools, you get PTO's, you get so the school person can interact with the PTO, you get some, you know, get some life
with the parent, right? And some feedback. It's it's a little it's a little tougher in mor for for sure. Um, but you know, I've had because of just the other work that I do um in Malden, I've always had, you know, parents and caretakers from across the wards reach
out to me and you know, I'll consult with their school committee member um and typically because I have that relationship um they let me take the lead. So, it's we know that we have our specific wards, but you know, I'm certainly open to to serve all of
Maltton. >> And so, um, you know, I guess I guess I'll just ask as everybody I've asked that's come up here. So, now you've been in office is it is this your third term now that you're going on to? Wow. Huh. >> Third term. >> Wow. Time flies.
>> It does. >> So, let me ask you, right? So, we've talked about uh the very first time how exciting how you get yourself out there. You're meeting new people that you never knew even lived in your neighborhood, right? You just think that your bubble and then all of a sudden you realize there's a whole other universe. So, talk
to us. What are some of uh what's some memorable experiences from your campaign from the first time even up to this time, right? This time around >> this time was totally different. So, the first time, you know, of course, I ran against um Lenny Aino and
had no hopes of winning. I mean, even going to the ferry way, my eldest grandson, um, I'd go there for meetings, uh, his IEP meetings, and the secretary is like, "You're running against Iina, are you crazy?" So, like, I had no expectation of winning, right? But, um,
but I came close and so, you know, that was encouraging for me to come back again in two years. And, you know, um, Lenny decided to, uh, retire and so I ran unopposed. of wasn't a whole lot of work that I had to do uh for the last
two terms. Um this term was totally different. I had such a super star squad that just stepped up and knocked doors with me and >> um this is the first time I got vote builder and so I was able to build upon
that and see you know the um >> difference right yeah >> because I think also too to that point right I think that um people think when running for office and I forgot to mention this as well too I think what people always think is that you can go
and knock on everybody's door, but you end up finding out that that's just a complete waste of time. Not every door will vote on top of not every door will answer. So it's like you're almost wasting your energy at that point. >> So to identify those that vote in all of the municipals, not just presidentials
was essential >> because as we know >> because we had limited time. >> Well, and as we know too, just because you know voters just vote in the presidential does not necessarily mean they're going to vote municipal >> in the municipal. >> Same thing with state, right? Sometimes you realize that not just because they come out and they vote for a state rep
or a state senator, they don't always necessarily come and vote municipal municipal. Correct. And particularly if there's not a mayoral candidate >> and it gets even the universe gets even smaller. Correct. Correct. So I'm sorry. So I in case you know of course as the the political uh nerd that I am um
that's you know I wanted to clarify for anybody who can hear me. But yes, so going back to what you so and and let me ask you so when you ran if I remember if memory stores me correct was it 2017 or 2019 when you first 2019 >> 2019 okay so talk to us right so one of
the things that we've talked about is how campaigning looks very different precoid and to current times right now in the middle of co and you know where we are contemporary >> right >> what has have you noticed that difference and if so what was the biggest takeaway from when you first ran
in 2019 to all of a sudden Now in 2025, >> 2019, you know, I was completely out of my element. Um I was just urged by neighbors to to run for school committee and that they, you know, wanted to see a change. Um
I took it seriously and again I was unsuccessful. But when I came back in 2021 and it was co um that was completely different like how do we knock doors, right? Um people aren't going to open their doors. the >> um so it's um it was completely
different. Um 2023 we emerged from CO so there was a little more comfort >> um with door knockocking and getting out there and speaking to folks. um but to all three of those uh election campaigns to this current one um because
it was a rush job for me. You know, I originally started out in two >> um so it it was invigorating, it was exhausting, it was all of those things. >> Right. Right. Right. Yeah. It's so you know it's it's it's it's that So let me
actually you brought up a good point. So let me ask. Right. So coming out of uh coming out of coming out of um >> co in 2023 right did you notice that so during co obviously you couldn't really go doornocking everybody's kind of afraid that uh you know of uh
>> even collecting signatures it was like you know because I managed the two highrises I went to people that I knew. >> Yeah. Did you notice that in so coming out of co was the response better on the door because now we had come out of isolation right we had been in lockdown. Did you notice that people were willing
and you know were more willing to be open and be like oh my god I'll sign because it's human interaction and then all of a sudden now two years later like yeah please don't bother me more like you know have you is there that kind of difference >> you still get that at the doors right so you still get you're walking up to the
doors the doors open and people are like what is she trying to sell and they just automatically close the door so it's um >> door knocking is not for the faint of heart for sure >> correct Um, you just have to have thick skin. >> Yeah. That and telephone calls.
>> Yeah. >> Well, I resorted to that. I was just like, you know, at some point because I moved to a new building um this summer as well. So, you know, a lot of my neighbors I didn't know, but it it felt like a different demographic that wasn't
so transient. um although a whole lot younger. Um and so yeah, those through vote builder I texted um with my you know with my lit and >> um asked for their vote and those that I didn't have numbers for I
>> did a personalized note slid it under the doors and I saw someone today on the elevator and he saw me with the stakes and my signs and he's like oh you're protesting today. I was like >> it's election day. >> That's great. I'm on the ballot. Yeah, that's great. >> Oh, I think we got we got some stuff
from you and I'm like, please get out and vote. >> Yeah, go vote. Yeah, go vote. Well, Don, thank you. So, I'm getting to wrap it up. So, Don, thank you so much for your time. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations again. >> So much. I appreciate it. >> And uh the people of Ward 4 have a good representative in you. I know that obviously. So, uh so um yeah, thank you
so much. >> All right, everybody. >> Take care. >> Thank you. Have So, we're we're just still waiting for the counselor at large. I don't think there's any other I mean I could there's I could call some other think I've called the other >> I have two stories for today. >> Okay. >> Kind of interesting and maybe >> I like that he said
>> it uh I'm I can't hear you. So that's >> No, I think you're talking to me. >> Anyway, I was standing at the poll for someone today. >> Yeah. >> And the city has a rule which is a law I think which you have to be 150 ft away from the polling place.
>> Yes. that's really never been enforced aggressively. I saw today that in the pre precinct that I was standing, which was the Irish American, I won't name the precinct. Um, but when I got there, there were a couple of
people there, one of whom left almost nothing to do with me, but he left about the time I came. So there was only one left, but others that were not there uh had signs stuck in the in the uh tennis court fence there that and whatever.
>> And I was given a a message when they u when they asked me, they said, "Don't leave the sign exposed. Lay it down flat if you if no one has come to after you're done and pick it up." >> It turns out that someone came out. Now, this is quite a
distance from the front entrance of the of the Irish American >> and they were advised, meaning the two of us that were standing there, the other person was there before me, they were advised, you're not 150 ft away from from the entrance. So, we had and
there's a painted piece in the uh there was a spot in the street that was painted in in the driveway leading in the Irish American. So I walked over there and I went to that spot because was told you're not 150 ft. The other
thing was that now the other thing was someone pulled up to to go vote and the other person that was standing for another candidate knew the person in the car and chitchated for a bit and then that person went in. Now that person is
is a member of a of a well-known Edgeworth family. >> Okay. who lives very close to the voting precinct. >> Yeah. >> And when they went in, that was the end of them, I thought. A little while later, they came back. And it turns out
they went in and they had no ID on them and they were listed as inactive. >> Oh, shoot. >> So, they had to go home. Years ago, routinely, the people working the polls would be often time neighbors and local residents. In fact, often time obviously residents of the ward. So as soon as the
person came in whether they came in with or without any act active evidence and say, "Oh, I know her. I know." Right. Right. Right. >> So she had to go back and get get go home and get the was kind of interesting and and uh >> and apparently she didn't send back the census or the family didn't send back
the senses for the so and maybe I guess the other thing is you didn't vote the last time and therefore that makes you inactive and then you better prepared to have some of identification regardless of who you are, >> right? Yeah. You know, like the old saying, you know who I am. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> You know, me that gets me thrown out of
a lot of places when I say that. >> I was thinking that the person that was trying to get on an airplane, there was no room. Yeah. >> And they and they finally said, "Do you know who I am?" >> If I were if I were president, Senator Kennedy, would you give me his seat? >> Yeah. Exactly.
>> Well, he's not taking it. So, >> yeah. So, you're right. >> This this at large race, which you have almost all the results astonishing. It would be Craig spanned better forward would be out. >> Yeah. Yeah. I'm >> That's amazing. >> Which I'm So I So we're actually watching right now the last race that we haven't called it because all the
>> there's only one precinct. >> There's only one precinct that hasn't been reported to us yet. Um but right now it's looking that I mean can I you think? >> Yeah, you can because it it looks like uh so it looks like right now it looks like if uh if the numbers hold the way they do, you're looking at the counselor
at large would be Colen Hayes, McDonald and Luong. um would be your three city councils at large. >> Yeah. >> And spat four would place fourth. >> And after all my experience that shows you how little I know, I was thinking in
my own mind that Craig, who had finished second the last election and first the prior election to that, I kind of thought today he he dropped the ticket. >> Yeah. Yeah. You just never know, right? I mean, that's >> and uh Colin Hayes was was third the
last election. Now she's first. She's first gone who was first is out second. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Pretty interesting results. >> No, that's why you try to predict races and you can't. I mean, I would have done the same thing. I would have thought Craig came up first. >> Yes. >> I did talk to someone today. I'm not going to mention his name.
>> And he thought that Cage was going to come in first, which I said, "Wow, that's a that's a I said, if if that's not the case, I'll erase that text." >> And he said, "But if if it happens," he goes, "I want you I want everyone to know." >> So, that person should go play the lottery tonight then. Well, either that or he knows more than we know. >> Yeah, exactly.
>> It's uh you know, I mean, I know Michelle Long worked very hard. Give her a lot of credit because you know, you talk about beating incumbents, it is difficult citywide. It's hard and and you get someone like Craig that's been in there 22 years. >> Exactly. Has a name. >> 11 uh
>> 11 terms. >> Yeah, that's >> that's astonishing. >> Very I'm Yeah, I agree with you. >> All right. Well, excuse me. as an observer going based on that. What would be a factor that would make such a difference between the last election? >> I don't know.
>> Yeah, that's I don't know. It's astonishing. >> It's funny. He he punched all the right uh issues the uh he he said the kinds of things that people like to hear that you know uh balanced budgets and no he voted against the budget because of the he
didn't agree with it. And then top of that u he uh had two issues. One is that I think it was publicly as opposed an override which I think to my mind might not pass and I would think those are the issues.
If you saving it on paper you're not really saving but people think it's still the taxes will be less than other. >> Yes. So if you look at his you know this is not this official record. >> It's 2096 right? Yeah. >> I have you guys can talk. Let me just see what Craig got last time
>> and I'm going to bring on u someone else here. >> You get two on the list of McDonald. We're going to take a break. All right. So, sorry again, folks. This is live. So, we're going to take a quick break right now and then you live right here. >> All right. So, >> yeah, those are the numbers we just said. >> So, the numbers were just posted up. We're going to take a short break. Um
going to collect our thoughts for the final uh leg of this conversation and um when we come back, we'll have another guest sitting right here. >> What is it? >> 429. [Music]
Pretty heat. Heat. Heat. [Music]
[Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music]
[Music] [Music] [Music] All right, welcome back everybody. Thank you for allowing us to have a quick uh break. But you know what? We're troopers and we made this through two hours. I can't believe that we made it through
two hours. And the entire time today, I go, I hope I pray that it's not awkward and that I just like running a marathon, right? >> Yeah. I never stopped talking. That's my aunt told me this uh who was actually watching right now. My aunt told me that um one time uh they thought that I
couldn't speak at all. And so my aunt was >> Unfortunately, they were wrong >> and they were very wrong. Well, that's what she said. She said all of a sudden one time my aunt sneezed and I said uh I said, "Auntie, are are you okay?" And they said, "Wait, you can talk." And my aunt said after that, so there you go. which is hence why I went into politics
long. >> You were 11 years old as I said. >> Yeah, exactly. Actually, I was 21, but who's counted? Right. All right. Welcome back everybody. Uh, now you see there are two room people here. Um, we're joined by councelor of W 4 Rhino Mali and we are count we are
joined by uh reelect I should say re-elected council of W 4 Ryan Ali and reelected council of W 5 Ari Taylor. Welcome to the both of you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you guys for joining us. Uh so um you know so what we've been talking about you know obviously we have a few more minutes left and but something that
we've been talking about something that we've been hearing a lot with that's going on with the city is uh the finances right and um so just kind of want to get both of your takes on it right I know every ward is very different um and so you may be hearing different things inside of your collective your respective neighborhoods
but we just want to speak on that so I'll let you guys open the floor or I should say I'll open the floor for discussion and whoever wants to start just go for ladies first. >> Oh, thank you. Um, yeah, I mean I I think every municipality is kind of dealing with this at this point and it's
it's really difficult to pinpoint one area of how this started or you know who or what's at fault. I think there are multiple things. You know, the city budget isn't unlike your own budget at home where you know could I skip a a
coffee being bought out every day? Yes. Um, is that grossly overspending? Depends on where you go for coffee. Um, you know, >> I'm a market basket guy. It's like 99 cents. >> There you go. You know, but there are always things that we can do to tighten
our budget. Um, we desperately need economic development. I think that is something, you know, for focusing on our commercial tax base is going to be helpful for everybody. Um, but I do think that an override is probably necessary. I mean, or not even probably
like it it is necessary. If you consider giving yourself a 2 and a.5% raise since 1980, you're not going to catch up with inflation. Um, but I don't think it's the only thing that needs to be done and it won't solve all of our problems. So,
um, I look forward to finding multiple solutions to this problem to not only keep Malden going where it is, but add to to where we're going and bring it up one step further. Agreed. Great. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of work,
right? I mean, it's a lot it's a it's a long road ahead. >> It is a long road ahead. >> But I think that we can get through it, right? I mean, I think we're all >> I think that's what I think you could say that about any community, but I think that that's what makes this community unique is that I think that we will persevere. We'll group together,
right? We'll support everybody as we'll support >> where we need to obviously. And and I think we will we'll get through this, right? I think we will. I I am optimistic about that. Councelor Ali, I turn to you for your uh any of your thoughts and feedback on the current
finance of the city while we have a few minutes. >> I have I have a lot of thoughts. I first want to say thank you to the residents of W 4 for your vote of confidence. You know, Ari and I were not challenged this this year. So our our our vote total is our our our job approval rating and I
really appreciate that and I take it to heart. So I do appreciate all the support that was shown in Ward 4. Um we have a lot of challenges as a city. Absolutely. Um I have to agree with Mayor with Mayor Lucy. Um I I don't think that the override is going to be successful. Uh and I think one of the
reasons being is I don't think people know where the money is going to go. Um you know, I'm a supporter of debt exclusions. Um you know, Prop 2 and a half override is permanent and and it's and it's completely unrestricted. Uh whereas if you have a debt exclusion, you can specifically raise funds for
capital improvements. So we can say we want to deledd Roosevelt Park with a debt excursion. We want to deled our our water pipes with a debt excursion. We can build a new school. We can build a new park. Um these are the thing we can pay for the vote. This would allow us to free up our general funds to actually
spend it on what the general funds are supposed to be used for which is not capital improvements but the operative of the city. Um so I have to say I agree with you. I think the timing of it is also a concern. Um I think there's a lack of trust in the middle of winter.
Uh we just don't have elections in the middle of winter. It's not fair to the residents. Um so if this was an emergency, it should have been on the ballot today. >> Understood. Understood. Um yeah, I mean it's it's it's definitely going to be a very interesting uh I think as somebody who
is sitting obviously in the community and I think I could speak for a lot of people, maybe not, maybe just myself, but I am curious to see as how um the information or how that election is going to look, right? like what is a communication going to be like? Like again thinking about um uh like
campaigns, right? You go out, you do your goot, you do your door knockocking, you do your campaigning. What is something like this look like? Right? Like how do we get the information out there to voters to to have a fair turnout? Right? Again, we're talking about turnout on the municipal level, right? We're talking about turnout in a in a year that the mayor's not on the
ballot and there's no ballot question and we're seeing the voter turnout of 38,000 voters registered voters and we only have I don't know maybe less than I mean I'm just doing simple maybe less than 5% of the city that's turned out to vote. So, what is that going to look like uh whenever that ballot initiative
gets on for us, right? And and is the city going to respond or are we going to run back into the same thing where turnout is low, it either passes or it doesn't, but then people will be up in arms, right? So, >> well, that'll be interesting to see because if there's one thing that should motivate people to vote either if you're
for it or against it is something like that. So whether it's February, I mean they did the voke >> uh the vote for it was like January 2% turned up but that's that's that was an issue that >> if you didn't have anything going on with the vote you had no interest in
voting as we see like today's numbers people aren't voting anyways but >> if if you do a prop two and a half override if people can't get jazzed up about voting about that I don't know what to tell you. >> Yeah I agree. Well, one area that might make a difference in in the winter or
not is that uh the ones that going to benefit from based on what Fred said tonight that if you're a property owner and you're getting an an increased exemption and your tax increase is equivalent to
what your exemption is, it's a wash. So human nature and the economics would suggest that the uh the commercial property people who are apartment owners and also the non-owner occupied property will be making up the difference because you have to you get the same amount of
money. So the people that live in the city would have a motivating reason to vote. They don't own the property owners and the tenants don't know the impact of of that vote because they don't if they don't vote in in the city election in November or in September, they're not going to shovel the walk to go to vote
in in in February if that's when they're going to have the the uh the election. So I would think there may be if a lower turnout the ones that will come out are the people that have a permanent or long range commitment to the city like the property owners and they would vote for
it because it it appears on the math basis that they're not going to be paid any more money whereas uh they often times have family members or they have other people who work for the city and having had experience when I was first a term of office we
laid off firefighters we laid off police and cut back programs in schools and uh obviously it was a and I reme recall getting a phone call from a from a firefighter who had been in the little league with one of my children and I just said gee you know he was being laid
off because they start from the bottom and his seniority >> and I said if you have the patience I know you're going to get on later in the year because we'll be able to figure something out but right in July 1 we have to balance the budget and uh he did get on and someone else that get laid
got trans got a position with another the community and never came back. So, you know, it's it's a it's it's heart-wrenching for those people that have made the commitment to be a policeman or a teacher or a firefighter and all of a sudden that job has just been evaporated.
>> May I ask what is the vote uh turnout this >> I have to do the ad? I have to I was trying to figure that out. So, there's 38,000 registered voters in Malden now. >> We don't this thing's not adding it up like that. So just giving you the vote totals,
>> but you know, so if it's if they get 20% that's 7,600. I don't think we got there. >> I don't think we have no idea. >> So it's not even 20%. >> 6,000 because on on an at large race it comes out people vote about two. Some vote for three, some vote for two, some
vote for one, but it averages two. So on that basis, you'd end up with about 6,000 votes. >> Let's see something. >> 6,000. How's the large? >> That's it. Oh, no. Actually, I'm sorry. So, the war totals, it did total it up right here. So, the ward totals, uh, for
everybody, the counts are a large race is what I can see. You have about 12,151 people that came out. >> So, divide that by three if that's counting the blanks because blanks too, as well. That's that's so minus 43 off of 151. Uh, which would be
>> I don't know. >> Four. What was the total? Do you know what the total vote in 14 was? >> How many blanks? >> 43. >> 43 black. 43. No, just 43 blanks >> for the large. >> Yeah, for the large race. Yeah, >> that's not correct. >> Probably more, you think? >> No way. There's only 40.
>> 544. >> 544. >> That's probably not bad, right? And >> I guess >> there's only 500 new planks. >> No, no, no, no. In W four, there was 544 votes. That's That's not That's not bad considering if you look around the city,
you know, what what the vote totals were. >> Yeah. W four. >> Yeah. W four. Yeah. So, well, this brings us to the end of the night, unless you get I mean, are there any Actually, I could open it up for any closing thoughts. We'll start with our guests first, right? So, Council Taylor, I'll start with you. Any
closing thoughts on uh on this evening? >> Um I have spent a lot of time working on various elections and then also on my own. Um and I hope to see increased civic engagement and voting in the
future. I feel like every year we've we've lost the amount of voters that come out. Um, and I know we had a lot of candidates that worked very hard and did a lot of outreach. Um, which usually we see an increase in that voter turnout. Um, so hopefully the next time we're
sitting up here, we're talking about what a great increase we've seen in people coming out to vote. >> Agreed. Council Mali, >> you know, I just want to congratulate councelor Coen Hes. You know, I I think that what the atlarge race is showing is
what the people of Malden expect of their elected officials. You know, Karen takes very strong opinions and she does what she truly thinks is right. And not everyone agrees with what Karen does. Some people don't think what she's doing is right. But it's clear that the people do.
>> And I will def I will look to you. >> No, I would say the the big takeaway tonight is the council race. There's no doubt to me. Mhm. >> You know, I you know, if you had a challenger that worked hard, >> and we talked about beating an incumbent's top, especially citywide,
>> and you know, Michelle Long was able to do that. And then in turn, Craig, who's done well in voting totals for, you know, 11 elections >> and to see the decline in his vote this time than what he even got last time, >> it's something that, you know, you'd
have to kind of think about. >> Agree. >> That's the biggest take. I'm I'm shocked at that race. What happened there? >> Agreed. >> The U Dear Abby did a column years ago to answer someone's question and I I was so
impressed with that column and this is many years ago. I cut it out and I saved it. And subsequent to that, a lady is her daughter continued the column when the when her mother passed away and she ended up with a question about some life's issue and she referred to that
particular column that her mother had printed out as a response from many years previous and again uh and it was the man in the mirror and in those days no not to forget women but that was the way kind of things were going and I like
to read that Because politicians at a local level, state level, and national level often times have a very negative p perception on the part of the voting public. And maybe that's part of the reason there's low turnout. But in the
man in the mirror, when you get what you want and you struggle for self and the world makes you king for a day, just go to the mirror and look at yourself and see what that man has to say. For for it isn't your father or mother or wife
whose judgment upon you must you must pass. The fellow whose verdict cometh most in your life is the one staring back from the glass. You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum and think you're a wonderful guy, but this man in
the M glass says you're only a bum if you don't look him straight in the eye. It's the fella to please never all the rest. for he is with you clear to the end. And if you pass, you must dangerously the most difficult text. If
this man in the class is your friend, you may be you may feel the whole world down the you may you may fool the whole world down the path of life and just get on the back as
your path. But if you find reward, but your final reward will be heartache and tears if you've cheated the man in the glass. So political people, if they live by that tenant, they would do great things for the public and for for the people that put them in office.
>> So agreed. >> I just want to say there's a couple other elections countrywide and stuff we got to pay attention to. Couple governor's races is that Prop 50 in California. There's that race in New York City. >> That's going to be interesting to watch. So, >> and so my final thoughts is to that
point actually that's a great point. So my my final takeaway from election night and what I'm thinking is obviously we know municipal races they come so quick every two years before you know it we're going to be you guys are going to be right back on the ballot plus uh the mayor's race will be up
right so um and something I want to take away and I want to look at is does the mayor's race in New York City set precedent moving forward for what we're we are going to expect out of our politicians right are we going to see a rise in you know uh people like Mando
who are going to run? Is he going to influence others to to who have the same similar background to get involved? Because again, going back to what he's campaigning on and hearing what's going on in New York City could almost be translated to any city, right? Maldin's not exempt from that. Obviously, we're
not the size of New York City, but we are a city nonetheless that is facing uh financial uh hardships just like any other place uh in the country. And so my curiosity is with if if Mandami is to be elected uh the mayor of New York and his ideas
work, are we going to see a rise of >> work? Well, right. Well, we'll find out. I mean, that's the thing, right? >> No, you got to give that guyy's 34 years old, too, right? May New York City, I forget the exact thing, but if you took the population of New York City and made it into a state, it'd be like the 11th
most populous state. Something like that. It's crazy, right? a city. Yeah. Because you got all those other states that no one lives in. >> Yeah. >> So, it's quite a thing. If he does, if he and I think he's gonna win. >> Yeah. I do too, actually. >> You know, if he wins, I think it's quite >> be a lot closer than the polls. It doesn't matter. They're close. You
thought >> I still I mean, they may have called the race, but I do think that he's going to win, but I am curious, right? I mean, if a lot of his if a lot of things that he implements, right, within the first year or two of his mayoral uh candidacy and if they are proven to be successful, is that the blueprint for other cities and
towns? Well, you'd have to look at it if you're the Democrats. >> Exactly. Well, that's the thing. Or is the pendulum going to swing even harder to the right because you're going to have a referendum, right? Exactly. Exactly. >> If he did all that he said he's going to do, you'll be the you'll be the nominee for the you'll be the the Democratic
nominee in 28. >> Yeah, that's right. Exactly. And then my final takeaway is and I think it's been said and I think that all of us are all in agreement and I think everybody who is sitting here um my my other thought too is that do programs like this right not just on
election night coverage right I know that UMA community access television they do their best to try to involve the community and try to update the community as much as they can but I also wonder too going forward with these results with what's going to come up with the ballot initiative what's going to come up with city finances I do
wonder and I think you had mentioned this Ari uh that the turnout is just depreciating each year and so I do wonder if programs like this or doing something where the community access television which we know is the heart of every community if there should be more civic engagement programs such as this
like not just on election night but something whatever the case may be does that re-engage the voters you know I'm going to talk about them all then is this going to re-engage people you were saying that when you were you know back in the day when you were running for office there was more involvement and
then as the years go on it depreciates. So, um I am curious about that. I I obviously would like to hear what you have to say. I know there's so many Facebook forums. I read all of them. And so, uh I am curious to hear what the people of Mullen if that's something that they would want to see out of, uh
you know, the community access television. So >> the idea I I throw out there is that sometimes at the city council, it can be uh too too many voices at once to really fully digest a a a topic. And so if if
Uma could host debates about particular topics where it's like pro con in the middle so that you're getting a different view of for instance the ballot question, I think that could really help the public understand what's going on. Otherwise, it's kind of a lot of voices talking over each other at the
city council sometimes. >> One thing that maybe the you can take back to the council that I think might have some effect at a positive level and that is at the at the national level or the state level when you have a debate or a difference of opinion within the
forum of a of a process of legislative meeting or whatever you they they don't mention the person's name. It's the the state representative from Athal. It's the senator from Wisconsin. It's the and and on and on. In other words, you
sometimes in watching city council meetings and I'm sure it's true in other communities, it gets personalized and therefore it takes away a little from the point of being there. So if they would have a rule of the council that you can't mention someone's name other than the counselor from war two or the
counselor at large and you deal with it on an impersonal basis that if you're in if you're on the losing end it's it's not as personal it is when they start naming you and criticizing you as an individual with your name. And I just think that maybe if they implemented
that as a as a legislative rule, you might help them just a little bit at least depersonalizing the the differences opinion is true. >> You'll be happy to know that we actually do have that as a rule. The trouble is following the rules.
>> Yeah, rules can always be broken. >> Spoken like a true lawyer, huh? >> All right, folks. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for allowing us to talk tonight. Thank you. I want to say thank you to you guys. Uh, thank you to Aaliyah Dominguez who actually put this together. Thank you to Tina Lagard.
Thank you to Hilda Torres, Greg, Ed. Thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you to everybody who showed up. Thank you to my buddy Mark Adams who wanted me to shout him out, so I had to throw that in there. Thank you to my family for watching. Thank you. >> One last Call Di Maria lost in. >> Oh wow. >> Just one last.
>> Wow. I was Wow. I was not expecting that. >> All right. Well, that's it. >> Tonight is full of surprises. Thank you everybody and I hope you enjoy your night and please stay engaged and please come out to vote. Thank you. [Music]
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