Good evening, Molden and welcome to our youth flood forum with city council candidates. My name is Beatatric Olivivera >> and I'm Kian Morris and we will be your moderators for the night. Joining us tonight at large candidates Carrie McDonald, Craig Spataphora, Karen Colin Hayes, Solomon David off, and Michelle
Leong, W one candidates Peg Crow and Brian Gerity, and W six candidate Steven Winslow. >> In the interest of time, we will be skipping over opening statements and jumping right into questions. We'll be asking five questions to each candidates with two minutes for each candidate to
answer the question followed by audience questions. Finally, each candidate will get another two minutes for closing arguments. Thank you for joining us tonight in amplifying molden youth voices and in for informing Molden voters about their choices this coming November.
>> Before we begin, we'd like to give a brief overview of the function of city council for the viewers in the studio and at home. Councilors on the city council work together to set policy, adopt ordinances, orders, and resolutions. They review and approve the city's annual budget, approve or confirm
appropriations, appointments, and other matters proposed by the mayor, and perform many other legislative related tasks. City council are the spokespeople for the community and our future. >> And without further ado, we will jump into our questions. >> Question one, as we all know, budgets
are shrinking and prices are skyrocketing. As young kids involved, we want to make sure things stay affordable as we enter young adulthood. >> What ideas do you have to support new income streams for the city? Starting with Carrie McDonald. >> Thank you. Can I just understand where I
should which camera should I be looking at? This one right here. Okay, great. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for having me today. Uh, and this is a key question for our city. And as the chair of the finance committee, I have uh helped lead open conversation,
transparent process for the last two years about this exact issue. We do have budget challenges in Malden like many cities and towns. And Malden has the additional unique challenge that we are investing more in our schools and that's really important. I'm a parent. I have
two kids in school in the in Malden public schools. And so making sure that we can invest in our schools and in our parks and our public services while also uh balancing our budget as we're required to do by law and this with the constraints that the state gives us is really important. So we're having a
conversation right now in the finance committee uh about how to close what has been a structural so year-over-year gap in our budget. Uh and we're talking about uh both ways to continue to reduce expenses because Malden already has one of the lowest kind of expenses in the
non all the other areas of city hall compared to our peers. But also to consider uh new sources of of income as you said. One of those may be going to the voters and asking to approve an increase in the tax rate. That's called an override. And the tradeoff would be
to allow the voters to decide whether we need to make dramatic cuts or not. Long term though on the timeline you're talking about, I really want to see us do more commercial development, mixeduse development to build the tax base so that we are not in this situation in the future. So, we need a bridge to get from here to there. Um, we've talked about
this a lot in the city council meetings. I'm sure we'll we'll hear similar um sentiments from my colleagues, but I think it's really important to figure out how to avoid massive cuts to services in the short term so that we don't undermine ourselves in the long term to give ourselves a bridge to the future where we can really build the tax
base that will sustain our city for your generation to come. >> Mr. Scott for >> Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks for the audience. Thanks for the the forum. Uh I think you're probably going to hear a lot of similar answers to that because it is a timely topic. Um like council
McDonald said, we are not unique in that situation. So that's I guess we're in good company that way. Uh it is challenging through the country too when you have interest rates, excuse me, uh insurance rates and and gasoline and clothing and food going up more than two and a half% which is our tax levy
maximum. It's really hard to sustain that budget. Um yes, we're going to be asking the taxpayers for money. I also think we should participate in some of that. And we are looking as a as a a body to look at all expenditures that might not be necessarily critical but
important, but take an opportunity to look at them and say maybe we'll skip it this year. I think things like, you know, we spend a lot of money in Fourth of July, maybe we cut down some of that for the next couple years so that we can save that and save some jobs. That's the last thing we want to do as a community. Like council McDonald said, you know, I've been an advocate is looking at the
tax base. The old adage, you don't want all your eggs in one basket. The same thing in Malden. We have three taxes bases. You have commercial, industrial, and residential. Commercial, industrial uh bring in not only just the taxes, a higher tax base. It's about a 58% tax difference between the commercial base
and the residential, but it also brings permits, fees, tax uses, right? So, if you have you sell liquor, you get a liquor license every year. It's $5,000. You get sales tax, you get user tax, you build a hotel, you have all these other taxes that come with it. And more importantly, you might have jobs. And as
speaking to young ch young kids here, you know, we want to have more jobs for the youth and we've been doing it as a community. We really need the private sector to help us both from the taxes as well as helping us get those jobs for the kids. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Hi, I'm Karen Cologne Hayes.
Um I know the city council at large. So uh my colleagues here talked a lot about um how we got here and yeah, we are in um a financial crunch right now. Um, we they talked about the possibility of a prop override. So, what I'm going to
talk about then is how some ideas that I've had on how we can increase revenue because that's what we need to do, right? We can't just get everything done and balance our budget by cutting people um services to Malden. Um, you know, we're a gateway city. We need our services. Um, the people here, it's going to be very hard if we place any
kind of um financial tax on them over what they're already doing. Um, so I've been working and trying to think about ideas. We have a lot of open storefronts. Um, here we have businesses. We need to really get back at luring people in and and and showing
them what Malden has to offer. Um, these open businesses, we have storefronts that have been um open for a long time. And so one thing that I brought up was having a either a um a fine or something that legally talking to legal I brought this up in a financial meeting that we
could get money from them. Um also but also something recently we're starting to look at short-term rentals any way that we can get additional revenue into our city. We have Airbnbs here that have been use um people have been using for years over 300 of them and we're not collecting anything on that. So, my
focus has really been trying to figure out how we can bring more revenue in um so that we're not just looking at cutting um services, which is going to be hard. I mean, I'm not saying that we're not going to have to do that, but I'd really like to look at do both at
once. Thank you. >> Probably the most difficult position in one of these forums is to be near the end of a question because you hear all the great answers. So I'm I'm in the middle this time. It makes it a little easier
question >> rather than just repeat what has already been said again >> because these have been some very good answers. >> I really think what we need to do is similarly address the open storefronts and look and see what we can do with
them. working with the people who own them, see whether they can be rented out for smaller popup businesses. Maybe uh there's a thing I've seen more often in Florida, the idea of not quite antique
malls, but malls where they have small businesses. an idea of a structure being used to house many businesses at once or allowing a variety of people to form and practice with their own businesses.
>> What we're talking about when you suggest people want to see what they have available for them in the future, what we are doing, I think that's a place where we can all get involved. And so young adults who want
to try their hand, start their first businesses, might have an opportunity there, might have a way to bring in, start a small business, perhaps find something on the city level to help instruct them in what goes into that
sort of business, what prep is actually needed, and have as an end result an actual business they can run for a while. Hi, I'm Michelle Wong and thank you so much for organizing this. This is a great opportunity for all of us and so I
can agree with Carrie and I can agree with Craig and Karen and and Solomon. But the bottom line is is that we all have to work together to fix the problem that we have. And when I mean everyone, I mean that school committee, city
council, administration, residents, we all have to come together to solve what we have. And that's going to be future planning. We we've all been talking about, you know, building income streams and um making it viable and this our city viable for youth to be able to
afford to live here and afford to do business here and afford to thrive. And I think that the steps that we take now is going to matter. And I think it can be from cutting costs as far as we can cut them. It is increasing in building a
business development office in our city that's going to help small businesses be creative and thrive and sustain themselves. It's going to be having a stronger relationship with our Malden Chamber of Commerce, which is a great resource for all our small businesses,
but it needs to have everybody working together for the goal. And the goal is to build a stronger Malden for everyone. And that's going to take everybody. And for the youth, I would love to see the youth at the high school more involved with the Chamber of Commerce, more involved with small businesses. How are
they created? How how do you sustain them? And I think it's going to take all of us to solve the budget problem. It's going to take all of us to, you know, work together and it's going to be cutting expenditures where we have to cut them. And hopefully if we have to cut jobs, we have to make sure our
response times are there for fire and for police and for making sure our schools are fully staffed. It's going to take everyone and I look forward to being part of that. Thank you. >> Thank you. And I'm Peg for W1. Um yes,
it is tough Solomon and so yeah, we'll get there. the um you know we've been looking at this and on the council we've been talking about sort of building the commercial tax base and that takes years. It it doesn't happen overnight. you know, unfortunately. And I do think,
you know, some of the smaller business and figuring how we use some even the um the storefronts, but I have a couple places I'm talking to the property owner, see if we could do something instead of having it just blank piece of land. The um in the short term so that
things can get ramped up. I do think actually I we going to have to really identify our capital end needs and our small end needs because it's not needs and wants. We all need this, but I need a vacation, but that's a smaller need at the moment. The um and I think we have
to really look at that and see what we're going to do as a community. I know that um I'm really hopeful with the Malden River Works, I think the next great hope is the river and um with the Malden River Works and do all the work that that's happening um might really
inspire some of those property owners to kind of rethink, redevelop, reimagine. Um, as council spat and I have talked about, you know, it might be the right spot for a hotel. Imagine being right down from the casino. They stay in Malden, they can go gamble there, but
they come back here with the meals tax, um, hotel tax and do some of their business here. So, we need to have a vision and not just wait for who's coming to us, but have a vision so that we can, um, help guide what's going to happen to us. Thank you.
>> Hi, I'm Brity. I'm running in word one. Uh I think that this issue has layers that all need to be happening concurrently. So we need to be thinking about the immediate future while also setting ourselves up for success as inflation keeps rising as things keep
costing more. New tariffs are hitting at the end of this year. Um we're going to be constantly battling the cost of living with uh trying to pay our employees uh city employees. um you know, some of them are pensions, some of
them are unions. We have to be attentive to their needs. Uh so I think I'm as a property owner, as a resident, I'm uh in total favor of the prop override. I think that we need to lean on our residential base. Um the demographics of
Malden are changing wildly and the younger generation is willing to step up and make these changes. Uh, our age category, the median age now is 37. There is no one younger than 37 on the council. And
the people that I know who are new homeowners or young families in Malden are willing to step up and pay a little bit more if that secures future for the youth, if that helps with school funding, if that helps bring in new business. Um, we also love third spaces.
There is a lack of third spaces, especially for youth who don't have a ton of money to spend. We have Bodaborg. That's kind of it. Bodaborg is teeming with teams >> every Saturday night. And we can do more. We can do food halls in empty
spaces. I would love to see um LOL has a a shop like a shared creative space where you can rent booths. Um you can rent equipment, you can rent, you know, woodworking equipment that you obviously don't want to have in your tiny apartment. Um, there are so many avenues
that we can look into. I do agree with the hotel. I'm a huge fan of the Oh, I'm sorry. You're blocked. >> Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you knew. >> Yeah, I did not see that. Uh, ultimately, uh, we have to be paying attention to the now and the future and
work to both. So, um, Councelor Steve Winsel, I represent the Maplewood Square, which is the city's second largest retail area. So, some of the things we're talking about there is I'm working now to try to consolidate some bus stops so we could open up some curb space, particularly
for our restaurants who have, you know, people coming and going and picking up food. That will increase meals tax. One of the things when I was in Malden, England, I was surprised about on their main street was how many vintage stores and some some of our ordinances related to secondhand sales
are very burdensome. So, it might be something we visit and try to tweak those to make it a little bit bigger and that's a big popular thing. We've had we had someone on Highland Avenue who left and someone in Maplewood Square left just because that didn't work out. Um, you know, the other thing I think of is
sometimes you have to, you know, with the new economy, you have to figure out how to get resources and and a few things at the state level municipal empowerment act, you know, that is up for consideration again. working with our state delegation to find other ways that we can get
resources. And the other thing I actually sent over to Senator Lewis the other day was there's some communities, you know, we actually right now if you have a ride share, there's I think 20 cents every ride in Malden that goes to the city and we're using that to fix our traffic signals and other things. Some
communities are are doing that for for food deliveries. I actually think there's, you know, we should basically consider trying to have um, you know, we have to pay more for trash and recycling because of more takeout businesses and more deliveries. So, that's a burden on
the city. So, having some revenue that helps offset that. So, it's just not all on bag fees and that type of thing. Something that we should ask our state delegation to look at. And in the long run, I think it is Boulder development. I I mean I worked in community development here in Malden in Somerville
as well as in Gloucester and um it's it's hard to really anticipate and uh how that works but Boulder I mean really understanding that if we want mixed use we have to look at higher scale buildings because three stories doesn't work for that. So I think it is we have
to you have these short medium and longterm things we got to look at um and there's a lot of options. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Now for question two. Action speaks louder than words. What is something that you have personally done for the community and or what will you continue to do on the council that
serves Malden residents from left to right starting with Steve Wilson? >> So um when my wife and I moved to Malden, one of the things we like to do was bicycle and it was very unsafe. We found very quickly. So when we bought a
home um and saw that this rail bed through Malden was uh was not being utilized um we um had seen like the Minute Man Trail over. So we formed the organization Bike to the Sea and we worked for well over 20 years and um to
get the Northern Strand Trail to happen. So that just shows there was a lot of grit and determination I had to put in that and and I worked with you know pretty much everybody on this panel in some way. Um I remember councelor Spataphor I think was one of the first people to step up and that type of thing. So um working with that is a big
thing and and now one of the things I sort of turned more towards um transportation. Um I'm working in the Maplewood area and this is something all our counselors have to work on. Um the MBTA is really looking and rejiggering bus routes through Balden and we just had one that uh you know we we got a
direct connection out to Logan airport and we have a direct direct a correct connection to Harvard Square and there's some more things. So that's one of the other things to look at that as an opportunity as well as a challenge to improve our bus service to get some bus
shelters to maybe consolidate some bus stops that just cause congestion. So that's the other type of thing I'm working on in terms of transportation. And um you know the other thing in locally in in the Maplewood area I'm you know I'm proud um to have worked a lot on Trappon Park and that's turned a big
success and I know when I was councelor Lar working uh initially on some of the plans for Kurstead Park um and that councelor Simmonelli's really taken that to another level and great to see all those type of things. So I've been very you know successful and I really want to continue those things going forward.
One of the things that I'm involved with in not just Malden, but in this area, uh, is rowing. I row on the Malden River several times a week. I coach at Somerville High School on the Miss and Malden Rivers. Um, I participate in
cleanups. I am I've been invited to join a steering committee to help plan the boat house that's going in. I know and support the Malden coaches and the rowing program there. Uh, and something that I'm very invested in is getting
kids not just outside, but active outside. Uh, I also, um, have been involved in river cleanups. I've been involved with the, um, Friends of the Molden River for a couple years now. Um,
through my work with rowing, I opened up a studio here in town that offers youth classes. It offers PAR classes. There are not very many places where people with disabilities can go and be active. Uh, and so I've been involved not just
in Malden, but uh, getting involved over the greater Boston area with multiple groups that work with disabled athletes. uh and something that I really want to do as a council member that wouldn't that's not necessarily you know an activity but I really think that we need
to uh be more connected to our residents and what they need and I want to implement polling and surveys and doorto-d dooror knocking that is word specific and also city in citywide in general so we know what the important issues are uh a lot of people don't feel
heard and we want them to feel heard but also be heard their voices matter. We need to know what the issues are. And honestly, for working with the general public, there are plenty of cheap, slam dunk projects that we can do that will
make residents really, really happy and it won't cost us a lot of money. So, those are things that I think are super important that we need to pay attention to. >> Thank you. Um so um involved in lots of things as we all have um across the
board here but I think some of the things that I have done is around listening to residents around safety. Safety has always been sort of a kind of an issue and a while ago before it was even um allowed in in communities I actually went to the state house and
testified against for for lowering the speed limit to 25. And um I worked with Senator Jaylen actually in um Somerville to sort of get that in. And then finally, you got to have a local. So we did that slowing people down and really
help safety. Additionally, there's lots of other little projects that um when residents come to me, this is a concern, we have this problem. Um trying to think outside of the box and find new ways to address some of these issues that aren't that um maybe people didn't think about.
So we did at the intersection of Bell Rock um Madison and Green Street. It's just very strange. You have to go down there to find out. But um triangle thing and with the oneways and they go in the wrong way. And so to test it out, we
actually a lot of the councils here um came and painted. We painted it to see if it could um direct the flow and it did. And the neighbors really were um appreciative of that. And now when we just redid um that intersection, we build out not so it's not just paint,
there's a little more in there. So things like that. I actually just um worked with uh the office of strategic planning um in the city of Maldon, OSPCD um to submit um a uh for safe roots to
school um a grant to look at well make some major improvements to the Ferry Street and Cross Street intersections right near the near the Februaryway school. It is a really difficult situation and that grant could be upwards of a million dollars. So, it is
some of those things that that helps the residents. I try to be responsive to people that um that come to me with an idea. Think outside the box. Let's see how we can get this done. So, lost my train of thought for a second.
So, I actually spent um a term on our school committee from 2020 to 2022. And while I was on the school committee, I actually put in a special education audit and as well as an ant and and revitalized our bullying prevention and
an anti-bully task force as well. So I've also spent during that time frame as an educational advocate um across our city helping many families as well as my own things >> to navigate our system and to navigate our school system and making sure the
most vulnerable of our students have what they need to succeed. One of the other things I worked at the state level um and sat on the mass coalition to end child marriage which not only benefited Malda but benefited our entire commonwealth since um when it was passed
in 2022. Malden was actually the seventh only the seventh state to ban child marriage under the age of 18 and we currently have only 14 states across the country. So and it's really and that's something that's um very important to
make sure that our children are safe. So I can assure you that, you know, safety is going to be a big thing for me on the council as well as affordable housing and making sure that everything that we do is is balanced and that people feel safe. They from traffic to our response
times being on the doors. I've talked to people in Ward 5 that have extended extended um response times for fire and for police. So, we have to work on that and the different pockets around our city that that's a problem. So those are some of the things that I've worked on,
continue to work on. I work with disability commission on visual services and visual aids for um working with the library. So I'm very passionate about those things and I will continue to work on that stuff going forward. A lot of the work I've been doing over
the past 15 years or so has been within my congregation. uh we reach out, we work outside of the congregation as well, but I've volunteered as our congregational librarian. I'm one of the people who
started up our new security details, which we've had to put in place in the last six months. I've been involved in our clothing drives and those we actually currently take out to the Lynden School since one of the only places that still do
collect. >> Uh so I actually another bag of shoes I have to bring out there next week. >> I can't take it. You're looking at me. I'm not going to take it. >> But I associate with the school. I participated actually with the backpack giveaway
>> with Craig at the school. Uh done a variety of small things around town in that respect. I've also taught most of this has been in the Brooklyn area doing some enrichment programs call them for some
schools there and a lot of my time has been taking up taken up honestly that I teach on the adjunct level. So my busiest semester in the past number of years was teaching at
four colleges, eight different classes in seven different disciplines. And I make myself available to my students. So I was putting in probably about another 25 to 30 hours per week just meeting with students and commuting
with them online. I also do tutoring on the side free of charge and college advising again free of charge because that's important. It's the only way to actually we expect
people to know what they're going to do with their lives by 17. And the statistics show that people are generally not going to work within their majors. So they need flexible college plans. Stop there.
Okay. So, I am a community organizer. I've always been. Um, it's who I am at my heart. Um, I like bringing people together. Um, one of my core values is just yeah, bringing making sure that people are heard. And so, the first thing I did when I moved to Malden uh 30
years ago was form a group, Friends of Oakrove. And what that was was it started out as a neighborhood group where we all came together because I think that is really important especially like it you're in this is a large city but you can make it feel smaller and homey by doing things like that. We looked out for each other. We
threw block parties. Um very proud of that. And then the next thing I did was um because we are a diverse um city here I um there was another group that Malden core community organizing for racial equity. Um, so we got uh members across this city which probably was some of the
biggest community conversations that we have had in this city. Over 200 people would show up and we really worked hard on trying to bring our community together uh because that's what makes us stronger and I was really proud of doing those, you know, having those conversations. Um, so it really is about
bringing voices um to the government to the table. So, my biggest thing that I'm going to say that I've been proud about this past year and a half was the Malden Youth Council. Um, very much involved with bringing youth voices up to the council to wherever I work. I always want to involve youth and so that is
something that we did this year. It had a lot of push back. Um, we were very resilient. It taught our youth how to work through difficult situations. Um, but they're learning and being civically involved is very important, especially now this way in the world where we're
going. We need to all come together and the youth, you're all going to bring us forward. You're our future. So, um, we look to you. You're smarter than we are. You, um, and we look to you for your answers. And so, that is something that I am extremely proud of. Um, thank you.
>> Ready? >> Uh, you know, the first thing I would say as a counselor at large, what I'm proud of is is um what I've done I've never done by myself. So, I think I use the word I. It's what we've done. Um because you can't pass a bill in the
city without without great comrades uh and co-workers. And sometimes you start an idea and somebody takes it and picks it up or vice versa. So it's hard honestly from the city and reflect and say what have I done because I'm not a person who say I I usually say we let's get it done. Uh from my perspective I tell you there's three big ones that
stick out of me. The first one is going to be uh like council wins mentioned we we had the opportunity to pass the males tax and originally we were somewhat the last community around to do it. We didn't want to put a burden on the residents, but we came up with with there was a couple councils that came up with a great idea to pass the mills tax and use that money to buy a piece of
property in council wins ward as conservation land. So, they wouldn't put a housing development up there because that's what the resident wanted. There's a lot of wildlife up there at the time in Malden. We didn't have it like we do now. The second thing is we helped finance the bike path. So, that was one of one of the big ones. The second one I would tell you is the water pipes. Uh I
worked on a law that when you sell your home or you do a mon upgrade, you have to upgrade that water line to from a lead line to a copper line. That's the second big one. Uh the third big one is really I would say um I I just actually lost my train of thought is is uh I forgot my third big one. Wow. But I
would say this the two most impactful things that I've done since my council not from a bill perspective of sitting up in the council. It's really finding the bread of life in the moral warming center. The reason why I mentioned those is I went there as a political achievement, right? You go there, you take the pictures. I never left those
organizations because I came home with more than I went there giving. And I will tell you as youths, the bread of life, I've we've been delivering Thanksgiving meals for years and I complained so much they gave me the role to do it. The warming center, I went there once, wanted to try it out. I actually came home feeling obviously
very humbled by it. Uh, and that was, I think, a great achievement because those are the those are those are two great organizations, the city of Maldin, that give back. >> So, I'll give you an example of something I'm really proud of working on before I was the city councelor because I think we'll talk about our our council
records a lot, too. Um, so I was part of the a small team of residents who started a project called the um the Molden people's budget back in 2021. and it was like a community survey that says this is what the city spends on the budget. What do you think the priorities of the city should be? And hundreds of
people took the survey. Uh and we presented it to the city to the to the mayor and the finance team and and presented the results as part of the city council hearings. Um maybe that's why I'm interested in in finance and budget stuff now. And so uh after I was on the council that you know I I stepped
back from that project because I had a different role. It continued for another two years. And in the next year, one of the results of the survey was that um people wanted to see more investment in the teen center. So I brought that forward and we made a an investment of
$10,000 in the operating budget for this teen center. So they expenses the teen center as folks know of course raises money. Many of my colleagues contribute. Um, so that was really important to me to see that, you know, the that when our people get involved that there's an
outcome to that and that their leaders are listening. And I do think that the council does a good job of making a lot of information available, but that doesn't always mean that it's accessible for people. They can really understand what's happening. You can tune into a meeting and be completely lost. Half the time things come on the agenda that I've
never heard of. Um, and I'm only in my sec, you know, I'm only in my second term. So, I think it's really important for us to design more ways to meaningfully engage people and then really honor their feedback and act on it. We've done that with some of the really good plans we've had like the Molden River Works Plan, the Climate Action Plan. I hope we'll get to talk
about today. Um, to really go where people are, speak literally in the languages that make sense to them, and then really receive and honor that feedback when we get it. >> Thank you for that. Question three. In today's day and age, there's a lot of disagreement about what is best for the
city. How do you or will you tackle voting for what you want versus what you what your constituents want? Starting with um Carrie McDonald. >> This is a great question and I think it actually gets to what is democracy mean because we have a representative government. You elect us and we make a
hundred decisions, little decisions in a week. And so what guides us for me and what I hope for all of us guides us is is our values. And we have to be transparent about that. We'd be clear with the voters, this is what I'm about. This is what I stand for. Um so for me,
those values are um transparency and inclusivity and safety and accessibility and and honoring diversity. And you know, there's a quote that I love from um I think it's a Maya Angelou quote that is uh courage is the most important
of all your values because without it, you cannot practice your other values consistently. So the real questions are often when there are tough votes, can you take a vote that aligns with your values even when you have political pressure? I don't believe I know all the answers coming in the door. I actually think it's important to be able to learn
to change your mind. It's also important to be outvoted sometimes. Uh democracy means in general the will of the people should govern and there may be things that you know a majority of Maldans disagree with me about and that is okay. We're a diverse community. We're going to disagree sometimes. we can disagree
in a way that also learns from one another and that honors one another's humanity without tearing each other down. Uh my kids watch the city council meetings and I want them to be proud of their leaders wrestling with it and working it out. Um so I really want to
be transparent with voters about my values, uh what I'm willing to stand up for. you're you have to look yourself in the mirror every day um and make sure that you honored what you um you know the values that brought you there and then learn from your colleagues and be willing to try a new way and be flexible
about how we actually get things done. Uh and I think that's shown to be really effective for getting uh actual change to happen that impacts the lives of our residents. >> I know she's got to reset the clock. Um, you know, this is this is a question that I think we we have to look at every
time we take a vote, right? Is is the decisions being uh made with inside the council and also a reflection. I I will tell you, Council McDonald knows this uh well, is we want to have people in the audience just like we do now. We have a public meeting for the finance which is about a $300 million vote. uh at the end
of the year we have a requirement that the public comes in and and they have the option to uh uh have discussion talk about and literally the joke is and it's not a joke nobody shows up so I think that is is engaging the community to be part of it and there's a lot of challenge that we've heard that right is
information vocabulary terminology and there's going to be times where council McDonald is right we're going to make a mistake we're going to vote the wrong way but I think it's how you react to that laws are are funible right if we make a mistake we can go back and do Now, there's going to be some some some changes or some votes we make. Not all
the communities going to understand that, right? And I think there's going to be votes probably in the next 6 to 12 months that I think everybody in this room will understand what I mean is there. We're going to have to take some hard votes. We're not going to agree with those votes probably personally and from our own value system, but from a community and our sustainability and
growing and balancing that budget, we're probably going to have to take those votes that way. So those are the things where I think you take a step back. We're going to try everything we can do. But at the end of the day, we have to make decisions for the greater good. And some some residents are going to like those and some are not. But I think the important thing too as as a council,
it's important you have to work together and understand that even if I don't agree with councelor McDonald, he doesn't agree with me. It's you go out after and you laugh and you talk about it and you move on. And I think that's just as important as the vote, but the outcome of the vote and what happens when you disagree, you walk out and
you're still friends and you're still residents in this community and that's how you make this place better. And that's how honestly the rules get better, right? Because you take input. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, so I'm a very much a missiondriven person. Um, I'm driven by my ethics and my mission and I'm very
vocal about them. So to me, what I do is I put it out there. Anybody who knows me, I I every week I put the uh agendas out there. I put what my thoughts are out there on the agendas so that you can all read them. I ask for your feedback and that is how um I base all of my
decisions. I'd like to take everybody's um you know, as many as I can. Um you know, considerations and feedback from everyone, youth included. People can't attend um meetings. There are so many reasons why, you know, people can't show up. I know my parents couldn't. They
were both working parents. they couldn't show up to a meeting at six o'clock at night. Um, wasn't gonna happen. So, I try to reach out and go to the where the people are and bring their voices back with me. And yeah, um, I want to be able to put my head down at night and know that I did what I thought was right. I
stuck by my values and I asked for feedback. But in the end, if I do have to change my mind, and I have done that, and I've done that this year on a big one. Um, something that I didn't think I'd find myself in, but when I listen to people, my my mind was changed. Um, and it really is all about making things
easier. Um, for hardworking folks that don't have time to be connected. So, I make it a point to go out in the community. I am everywhere I can be. I ask people all the time. Um, you know, what do you think? How we're doing? Um, I did a survey. I put out surveys. I do
newsletters. Um, I really try hard to get feedback before I make any decision on the city council. But um also knowing I am mission driven and I'm pretty clear about where I am and and my decisions were to be made. There's 11 of us up there. I always say we should have
different opinions. Um but you'll always know where I stand. I'll always be honest and clear and upfront. I learned early that the the the old standard that a committee shouldn't be over three people because once you get up to about five people, you can't
decide on dinner, let alone get anything done. >> It's true. >> We have a rather large city council for a reason because of how many people we represent. But that's where compromise comes in. That's how you get things done. Are you
going to please everyone all the time? No, it is impossible. It really is. But if you can do the greatest good for the greatest number, that's a that's a starting point. What I would like to bring to council is
an effort toward communication. And I think that's something that has been somewhat lacking. Obviously, not at all or nothing would get done at all. But I've noticed watching city council meetings, talking with people who have been on council, people who have paid
attention to it, you see people on council arguing their point of view with passion, with caring, but I think sometimes people tend not to listen as much to everyone else. I think
it can happen. You get so focused on your message that you forget to pay attention to the other messages in the room. I would like to serve as a bridge in that respect. That's what I've been able to do in other organizations I've been in.
Also along the idea, I'm an educator. Office hours are a part of my life. I've already pledged that I will be holding regular meetings with constituents by preference spread out throughout the year. by great preference
at least one in each ward with the ward counselor who's there and by greatest preference with the other at large counselors so we can give another opportunity because some people are just more comfortable speaking on a one-on-one one-on-one basis some people
are more comfortable speaking in a small group my campaign as long has been has always always been about community. And what I found surprising was that at my kickoff, I had
people that would normally never be in the room together, never might speak to each other. And what was really humbling for me was that they were there to help me to kick off my campaign. My campaign is based on I grew up in Malden. I've lived here my entire life. I live in the
most racially, economically, and religiously diverse section of Malden where everything was just based on community and working together. And it's and it's that community and that type of environment that I want from Malden to
continue to be and to work towards being. And on the council, I feel like we have had, you can see there's passionate people and passionate opinions. And I feel that it's time for everybody to come to the table. And that's what I'm best at. It's about bringing people together. It's about
listening first. It's about teaching our young our young people coming up that there's not one way to look at it to look at a problem. To make an actual decision, you need to look at both sides. You need to look at this side. You need to look at this side and decide
in your heart where you stand on that issue. And for me, it will be the greater good. It will be what is best for the city to move it forward and to build and to make sure we can all work together. And I promise that I will work with people. I will see the other side.
I'm not always going to agree with everybody, but I promise to be the person that's going to say, "Okay, I'll hear your side. Let's talk about this." Because somewhere in the middle is the solution that's going to be best for everyone. But my campaign, my nonprofit work, um what how I work my own small
business that I've owned for over 25 years, um has always been collaboration, working together, and that's what I bring that's what I bring to the city council. >> Thank you. I try when I see some things that are coming and to do my homework
first and then I you do have to listen to everybody because as many people we have in the city or in each ward we have as many different opinions about any subject mostly the um and you know I've tried to listen and talk to people especially the ones that that might not
agree we might see it differently because I do think there's been lots of times and I think said that I never thought about it like that or I could convince them I never thought about it like that. And so it's kind of you know looking at it you know sort of holistically because there's within any
decision there is so much that goes on into it. So I try to you know I stick with my values. I um try to you know again listen and communicate. Um my mother used to say you have two um ears and only one month. So you do a lot more listening than you do talking, which is
what I try to do because I I really want to I want to hear and feel and have those conversations. And they are a lot of times one-on-one, you know, when you're out walking, when you're doing some of the things you you shopping is a little long, usually at at Stop and Shop
because you find somebody that has an opinion about things. And I love those things. It's meeting people where they are. instead of them coming to me, I try to go with them and and be out there and I want to continue to kind of um be there for the people and my ears are
always open. Ready? >> All right. Uh for me, there are several things that are not a compromise. They don't have two sides. There is for me the right way. protecting our most vulnerable people with disabilities, the
LGBTQ community, trans rights, immigrants rights, and safety. I think that everyone, no matter who they are, what their age is, their abilities, whether you know they are highly educated or they never got an education and they they are on disability because
they were never able to do, you know, more than that. They should be able to live with safety and dignity and comfort in Malden. That is not something I can compromise on ever. So aside from that, I do believe as a
representative of Ward One and by extension the city, but mostly W one, I need to come to the table knowing what my constituents want. And as long as it doesn't violate human rights, I need to fight for that regardless of what my opinion might be. That's the bottom
line. And for our young people here who are coming of voting age, if your elected officials are not doing what you want and they're not listening to you, use your voice. Vote them out. >> Even better, run for office. >> Run for office. That is what I did. I
got sick and tired of complaining and I decided I'm going to do something and not rest on my laurels and let things happen around me. It's time to step up and be involved. Sorry that really passionate.
>> Nice. >> All right. Um, yeah. So, you know, one of the great challenges of democracy but also its greatness is that we working to take individual ideas and opinions and work together to take collective action.
So, that is really what we try to do. And you know, for me, I just actually got this question from someone the other night about um dropping someone off at the airport with my granddaughter. And uh her friend asked like, "Why did you run for city council?" And and some of it I said I was frustrated that I went
to our traffic commission whose uh responsibility is is safety. I showed them a plan for a road that was going to make it 75% safer and they did not step up and do their work. Um they they kind of pushed that off. And then also um I
worked with a group um preserve malden to get the community preservation act and then I was very frustrated particularly with one counselor who was trying to basically take over the community involvement part of that and
not have the community involved in making the decisions about what to do with the money we just voted collectively to um you know tax ourselves on. So those were things that motivated me individually um to get out there and run for office.
Um but then it was, you know, I I know that getting out there and running by getting elected is is is a demonstration that there is support for what you're trying to do. So that is one of the things. But, you know, it is um you know, so you know, I do always know that
having worked in Malden, Somerville, other communities that um working to make sure you have input in community decisions. um that taking the best ideas is is what we need to strive for and that makes a
better community and that's what gives me confidence about you know what we try to do is really making sure we have good uh input from the community listening to that and makes our community better. So that's really what I I strive for. Thanks. >> Thank you so much for that. And for
question four, what inspired you to run for council? to think of something new. >> All right. Well, well, I answered that a little bit on that. >> You want to come with You're dropping somebody off. >> Well, you know, I think it is I, you
know, partly I've always like, uh, serving. So, my career, um, you know, coming out of both undergraduate and law school, I made the decision to get involved in public service. um you know, particularly at my my background is in
engineering and and environmental law and I just thought it was very important to have um people with high qualifications working for the public good. Um I think my my one of my first bosses out in California, Harmon Wangi, we were working to make some decisions
about how to clean up the lead in the air in in Los Angeles. And um he said, you know, we have Chevron on one side and the you know lung association on the other side and ei neither one's quite satisfied. I think we're doing the right thing. So that's a little bit of what I
I want to bring is that um to you know serve the public listen and uh and and work collectively to to do good and you know I trust that anybody who elected you have to really respect that they put the time in to listen. Uh I I mean I do
in somewhat wish more people would make that decision. You look decades ago there might be six or seven people running for each one of these offices and now it's you know I have a kind of an opponent out there. I don't know. I guess his mom finally put up a sign, so I guess there's some work there that
he's doing. But, um, so, but more people can make that choice to run. Um, and we should, um, you know, that's something we should encourage and and welcome. And I I never discourage um, anyone from stepping up to run. I really respect
that. It's not an easy decision where people are both, you know, both, you know, many people in the family are working, jobs are demanding, um, jobs are 247. It's not an easy decision to make. So, so it is a big personal decision, but for me it's I've enjoyed it. I've learned a lot about my
community and it's something that's uh been rewarding for myself as well as it's so happy to see when someone says you did a good job. You got the light on my street fixed or something like that. That's both the small things and the big things that that makes it rewarding. So,
>> my career watch that you are in from the edge. You got you made me nervous, too. Don't move your seats. >> I was over here. >> So, my career background is in uh mechanical engineering. I work in commercial
property insurance. I've been doing it for 11 years. I like it. It's a great paycheck. Uh, but a couple years ago, I was having a conversation with my very supportive husband about how I was jealous that he was so electrified and
so passionate about his job and I was not the same. And something had to change. I started coaching rowing. I started expanding more into that part of my life. I've been rowing for 20 years.
Um, I'm a damn good coach and I really like working with people and I really like working with with kids. I coach high school boys, which is very entertaining. >> Yeah. Um, and as I started delving into my
passions, I realized at my core, I am a problem solver, a doer, and I like working with people. And so I was in this concoction of life events this summer that opened up the opportunity to
run and to actually participate in a campaign around the coaching and back surgery and trying to rehab for head of the Charles and all the other things that I juggle. Um but I had this opening and I thought I've been complaining for
years just do something about it. You you can do it better. maybe and if not see you in two years. But something has to change. Nothing will change if nothing changes. And you either have to decide to be the change or sit back and
let change happen around you. And I decided to be the change. >> Thank you. Um well, I um I actually kind of came into it a little organically. I am um I work in a nonprofit at the YW.CA CA in Malden and you know um I was on
the school committee for us and the reason I started um that is we were overseeing out of school time programs and and one of them was Ferryway we still do the um but I'd have people sort of coming and having concerns about the schools and what's going on and have
questions and and so I then I started reaching out and doing a lot more of that work and working with the the the school committee member at the time and uh when the seat opened up I felt like I've been trying to do this art work already without sort of being the school
community member. So the um so that's how I started getting into it and then it started getting me even more involved because of a school community member in my ward and all the things that were going on and you know being really a part of that. So again want to take took that next step and it really was because
I was doing a lot of work anyway. Well not anyway but the um and I really felt like I was making a difference. I feel like I'm still making a difference. And the um and so it was really something that kind of came organically. Wasn't something that I really aspired to or
thought about. And then um then I was encouraged to say why don't you I actually the words were now it's time put your money where your mouth is. So when um when I asked you know a lot of questions and getting those things answered. So um I take it very seriously. Um I am open to anybody that
wants to talk and make some changes. I'm happy I'm happy to work with anybody to um to improve our ward our ward in our community. >> Thank you. When I decided to run for um school
committee, it was an open seat >> and I had already spent a lot of time advocating for my own daughter's special education services. And I was slowly helping other families and what I was teaching them to do is to have a voice. I wasn't doing the work for them. I was
showing them how to do it and how to be successful and how to properly advocate for what you need with passion, with clarity and being professional because you have to work as a team with the teachers with the administration and
that was my passion to come on to the school committee. It was also I'm a bully survi I'm a bully child. I was a bully child. So that was really um significant for me. I take those things that happened in my past with me as an adult. So that was one of the other
things that was very important to me in our school to make sure bully prevention and that young voices were heard and that we had a clear path for um every child to feel safe. Bringing on and working on, you know, to end child marriage brought me more to
working with the state contingency. And then I ran for office and I lost. But then that didn't stop me because I supported my war counselor and I worked handinhand with him on some good projects and four years later I decided, you know, I was watching council
meetings and I was there in the audience and I saw a clear division and I saw our city divided with them versus us and decided as a collaborator and how I grew up and the passion that you know everybody that did grow up and knowing that we all work together for common
goals. That's why I'm running. I'm running to bring people together. I'm running to show people and to show our students and give good examples that this is how it can all be. As a counselor at large, I do not plan on jumping into somebody's ward and telling them what to do. I plan on calling and
saying, "How can I help you? What can I do to help you? Do you need a grant I can help you with is what can I do to support you? What can I do to support Malden to be successful?" That's why I'm That's why I'm running. I'm passionate. I'm experienced. I have leadership skills. I own my own business. Budgets
and money are important to me and I know I can make a change from Alden. >> Running for office was not something I planned for. I was once asked though by a student what I considered a truly filthy joke
and my response was >> Where we going with this? My response was one I heard where somebody said, "Oh, I never vote because they say people who don't vote have voted for the winner
and I always like a winner, so I don't vote." To my mind, that was a filthy joke. It was a ridiculous concept. You need to be involved. I've seen a number of the city council meetings online
and as Michelle just said, there have been some divisive ones and I've been very honest in saying I felt city council should be working on the issues that relate to the city. City council is the best example of the
city working for the need and the good of the city as a whole. We need to unite and improve our lives. As city councilors, the job is representing those 65,000 residents of Malden, the
over 70 languages spoken, the countless cultures. So, what what made me decide to run was a feeling that I could do something that I could hopefully help to bring everyone together. Okay.
So, um I am I never thought I'd be um a city counselor. I'm a social worker. I'm a collaborator. I'm a community builder. Um I was raised by my father who's Puerto Rican in the Bronx. I was and my mother was a first generation immigrant. Um in the projects in the Bronx, we were
fighters. Um they raised us to be fight for our rights, our um for equity, for inclusion. That's how I was raised. Going to rallies, I don't kid myself that we aren't always going to agree. And sometimes um there isn't a middle
ground. Something to what uh Brim was saying. There isn't. there are sometimes things that you just you have to boldly go forward to fight for the underdog, for the marginalized people, for the people whose voices aren't heard. And so when I was the human um services
director here in Malden, um I started to do that and I was working on things that I saw and heard from Malden that were doing um doing a great service here. It might ruffle feathers, but it's making good trouble. And it's naive to think
that you're going to make everyone sing like kumbaya together. Um there's 11 of us up here and that's why we should be um working together, but we're not always going to agree. I I ran for office after I was not appointed um to
my position and I thought, "Oh, I'm I'm still going to fight for this city because I am resilient and I bring your voices, all of you, with me to the city council. That's all I ever think about. It's not, you know, I can get along with anybody. I sit on the side, you know, with anyone. I was, I always said I
would sit aside from the um devil himself is going to help this city, right? But you are my priority. The youth, the people out here, those are the voices that are in my head. And that is why I continue to fight and I always will, no matter what, win or lose.
>> Thank you. >> Uh how why city council? I mean, I think if I look back and um you know, I was never interested in politics, but I say when I look back, my grandfather was a state rep, my uncle was a ward counselor. So, I think it was naturally in your blood. I I was finishing up grad
school and there was going to be a race and you know, I you know, I think if you say enough things and say I can do that, somebody says do it, you try it. And that's what happened. Uh it was a a long race and council on WZO mentioned there was seven or eight people running in that race at one point. It was a long race and you know I can tell you the
reason why I ran for office then and the reason why I'm still here now was completely different things. I think as you get older, you mature. Uh you see the world from a different light. The world has certainly changed sometimes for the better, sometimes the worse. When I first ran, I ran for myself to be quite honest. You try to represent the people and you you you think you know everything and you don't. uh as a first
year counselor and a younger adult, but then as you have children, you start to see the world from their perspective and making sure that parks that I kind of outgrew and now have to be important and the streets are safe and and it it's crime and the schools are good. And then then I look reflect on my parents as they get older, right? Can they stay here? Can they make sure the same thing?
Can they afford to live here? Can they still, you know, get around the city with with um their mobility issues in in getting older and they're not public? Let me just say that before they kill me, I get home. But you start looking at from that perspective. I would just echo everybody up here. We all have day jobs.
There's only Steve's retired, but we all have day jobs. This is not a full-time job, but everybody up here has the passion to do something. And I would, you know, reach out and tell you the youth, you are very young and get active and and and and be involved, but we all may not agree on the issue, but I think we're doing it for the right reason. We
want to bring change in in stability to the city of Malden in our own little way, right? And I think that's very important. But I also think it's important that when you look at representation, it's just not one or four or the 11, but how those 11 work together, just like your family, just like your your your local churches and
your house of worship and your school, you have to work together for that. And so I'm just as passionate now as I was when I first got elected. And you know, while things have changed and I some things I can please see the different um the problems unfortunately are still there and unfortunately getting a little bit bigger. Uh but the values I think
have changed from my perspective and I I really believe uh Mland is a great place for all uh that live here from the youth to the to the elderly. >> So my standard answer to the question of why did you run for office is that well it was the pandemic and we were all
asking what do we do with our lives and uh and so I decided to run for office and it was something I knew I could do. I'd worked in and out of politics and campaigns. my day job. I'm a nonprofit executive. I knew I had skills that I could bring to the city. So, that's my standard answer. But I will tell you all
the deeper truth underneath that answer, which is that during the pandemic in the summer of 2020, I lost my father to co very tragically. And I watched my kids who were very young, my eldest was in kindergarten, and virtual kindergarten is not a thing I would ever recommend.
>> And I watched and I watched how hard it was for them. And I said, "We have to do more. I have to do more in this city to invest that and make it the community that I want to raise my kids in. Sorry, I'm just a little emotional. And then someone asked me because I was
involved in volunteering and someone said, "Have you thought about running for office? Your voice could really matter." And I had not intended to. I hadn't thought about it. I didn't grow up in Malden. I didn't have a I didn't know that many people in the city. Um I I didn't My parents didn't know anybody. I
didn't have a lot of money. But I said, "Yeah, I think that's something I can do." And my first campaign was one of the greatest gifts was how many people showed their faith in me by donated in my campaign and volunteering. And it and every day that I, you know, I won and
which is rare to win on your first time out. And I worked really hard for that. And so every day that I serve, I try to honor both my dad as well as all the people who have donated and volunteered and helped out and shared their hopes and their dreams with me when I knocked on their door or I ran to them at the
grocery store. Um, and it's a great honor to do that. The reason I keep running is because I think I can make an impact. And if I ever can't make an impact on behalf of the city, I won't run. But uh that's my hope is to continue to honor the folks who have invested in me and continue to make an
impact for my kids. Thank you. >> Thank you all. Um question five. What makes Malden come home to you starting concert >> after all that emotional right? >> Jeez, >> Malden is a really Malden is a really special place. >> And I tell people about Malden and I
say, you know, we're only five square miles, but we're we're so it's such a mix of people here. The Malden mix is just unparalleled, I tell you. Uh and and that's really beautiful for us. So, I'm I'm a I'm a multi-racial person and
and I know many folks who are in mixed religion, mixed race families. Um, and it means a lot to raise my kids in a place where that is valued and they have peers who can relate to and talk to about that. Um, I am also an outtransgender person and elected
official and there are not that many of us in Massachusetts uh or in the country and it means a lot to be able to be in a place where I feel like I can be safe walking down the street, where I feel like I have supporters and allies and I can help be uh hold space for people to be themselves in their own context,
young, old, any age. I think that we have incredible assets in Malden and not just the parks or the tea access, but the fact that people really care and volunteer here at a rate I just haven't seen other places. They
give so much. I volunteer at the warming center. I donate to I I deliver some meals on Thanksgiving. But Malden shows up for one another, including and explicitly across that difference. I do think we have something special here that models what diverse community and
multi-racial democracy can look like. And we see it in the schools which are, you know, some of the most diverse in the entire Commonwealth. Um, but we also see it in the way that we try to work things out. We there's more we can do. We got challenges. We got places we can grow. Uh, but there's something magical
about the mix of people that are here and the way folks invest in this community that I I'm really proud to be a part of. >> You got to repeat the question because I wasn't listening. I was talking with council m when he said it. >> Question five. What makes Malden home to you? >> Well, I mean I think from a standpoint my perspective I was born here and
that's not always you know got to be the standard answer but I I've known no other home right even college I went locally into Boston with some of the best universities and you know sometimes I regret that but the same token is I I think Massachusetts is a great state. I think Boston is one of the greatest cities in the world but I think Malden
uh it's my home. Uh but but the the ethnicity here is important too. I completely I have three kids and I would not want to have my kids grow up anywhere else. I believe it's it's good to be in a diverse crowd. They learn that it's not as septic uh you know and everybody looks the same. That's that's not the way the world's going to be especially when they go in into the real
world and they have to work and they have to understand that. I think we have all education types. So we have private, we have vocational, we have charter, we have public. I think it's a great opportunity from there. We are a workingclass uh community. Um we have trains that get us into one of the greatest cities in the Like I mentioned, we have we have great parks. We have
great resource. There's a ton of history, right? Converse rebel was started here. That history is still here. The That's right. I mean, it's it's it's it's where America was started and there's all that that history there. And I think that's the balance, right? Is keeping some of that history and that those traditions and and and growing in
a way that makes it liveable and certainly uh affordable for all. And that's a challenge these days. But I I think it's a community where we fight, you know, with passion, not physically. And everybody has that that voice and that and that talent. And that's
important, right? Uh you see it with the diversity of the group. You even see it within in the areas, right? You have Lynon and you have Edgeworth and you have these are these are little towns within themselves and they you carry that pride. Um and that's what excites me here. And and the other thing that really excites me is we have the river.
We're talking about the river project, right? To me, that's the jewel. That is the next step for this city in terms of making recreation. I'm I'm I I when the when they were doing that study, I wanted to do still time, but you know what's funny is is like Providence, you go down to Rhode Island, they have the arts and the water, right? I envision a
time where we put sculptures in the middle of that of that river or on the side there to have those communities. Everett's done a great job. There's a lot of great things we have. I think by being a sister city to a great city like Boston, we should be able to work together. universities and arts and
sports. It's all about where we are location. So, for me, it's it's about just growing up here. Um, seeing that mix of diversity and having uh I think that passion that that's the the old Yankee or the New Englander in >> Thank you. So, um I already told you I
was uh from I'm from New York, from the Bronx, and um I came here for school. I did not land right in Malden right away. My husband was going to the Boston Architectural Center. We landed somehow, I don't know, in Newton. And I knew right out of the gate, this this is um no offense to Newton, I have good
friends there, but it's not what I was used to. I am used to I grew up in a very diverse um community. And so we started looking and and and we chose Malden after a lot of places that we look. And we chose it for a lot of reasons. We're very careful. Um we chose
it because of the the train. Um we didn't have cars. We only took trains. Um, and we rode our bikes, so we needed somewhere with good public transportation, so we looked at that. We're very, we're avid hikers. Um, we go hiking all the time. We picked a house that was right near the Middle Sex
Fells. We go in hiking every weekend to try and pretend like we're not in the city. It's it's very healthy. Um, and then also the Malden River. We canoe, we kayak. I'm also on the Malden River all the time. Um, and these were things that when we moved here, the people living here didn't even know existed. Like I
have some friends that we took into the fells like how could we not have hiked in here? Um so we chose Malden because it was um something it felt home immediately to me when I pulled in here. I'm like this is it. We've looked around enough. This is where we're going to raise our kids. Although I I did kind of
think we might go back to New York, but it's a little um too big of a city. So we've landed here. All three of our kids have gone to um the public schools here. And uh it's just felt like home from the the the second I got off that train and we started looking around. I'm like, "Yeah, we got it. We chose Walden. Um,
and we love it." >> My family jokes that uh my wife imported. I grew up in Ohio in Cincinnati and she grew up locally in in the Boston area. When we got married, we first got a
condo in the Brighton area because looking at it from for my perspective, a religious point of view within Orthodox Judaism on the Sabbath, on holidays, you have to walk, you cannot drive, you cannot ride. So you need to be within walking distance of
your congregation. So we looked at the communities that had Orthodox congregations and we visited them. We looked at them and Malden was the jewel. It was the
friendliest, the most diverse, the most admittedly convenient and we just felt at home here. So much so that friends of mine left. We had a small uh storage cube because a relative of my wife's was putting stuff
in. Didn't have uh anyone who needed some furniture. We were allowed to have so we had a storage cube. We moved that from Brighton to Molden a year and a half before we found our house because we knew we wanted to be here and then we found our house and we moved
here. I will admit the housing costs were also an issue. We sold a condo, we bought a house. Uh we're still paying on both on it seems. But we found
a community that had everything and has everything. Anywhere I need to get, I can get by the tea. Where we were in Brighton, the the commute I had to long to the Longwood area to the various colleges there was decreased when I moved to
Malden, taking the orange line. distance was quadrupled, but got here much f got there much faster. We love the friendliness, the openness, and the difference.
It's what attracted us most. >> Thank you. So, it's funny because um people really don't believe me or my children when we say I still live on the street I grew up in and that I was born from and I promised my husband it was a five-year plan. Yeah, it really isn't.
It's more like 25 years later and we're still here. And it was really where we chose I could not imagine living any place else but where I live. And it's funny because my husband's from Vietnam originally. So diversity was always key
on how I grew up and it was really important for my children to have both of that because he's also Vietnamese but he's also Buddhist. So we needed religious diversity as well. So um that was really important. And it was also it's my whole family. my parents here,
my sister still lives here, my brother's up here, my aunt's across the street, you know, and I wanted my children to move to grow up in that type of community where your parents and your grandparents and cousins are like within steps of each other and we continue on that and it's just Malden has everything
I've ever needed. my children. My oldest is severely dyslexic and severely ADHD and she couldn't have had a more successful experience in that we had, you know, going through Malden public schools and we didn't have some of the horror stories that other people had because of how Malden just treated its
residents in the youngest of people. So, it's really, you know, it's funny when Chris with Council Simelly and I ran against each other. We went to kindergarten together. So it was so it was really it was really difficult for people in our area to be like who do we choose? So and we're still great friends
and you know it's it's that type of community and it's that type of feel that makes Malden home to me. It really is. So I wouldn't change it for the world. Well I too grew up in Malden and I did move out and then um you know made the
conscious decision to move back. There's just no other place like it. I um and really commit to my community as I've lived I lived in California. I lived in Wuben. I lived I forget where else now but one other place. And um the um again
I really wanted to be here in Malden and commit to it. Working in a nonprofit um that really works with with the neighbors, the friends, the everybody in Malden that really as you talk about the vulnerable populations. That's who I serve. Um with youth, their families,
teens, residents, you know, the everybody. The um Maldon, I think we've talked about it like the diversity and we have not only diversity in um culture and race, but economically, ideologically, um we just have everything and that's
the tapestry of what makes us so important and what makes us so special. I do think council McDonald's right when he said we do show up for each other. We have almost that small town feel sometimes because people are here and when someone makes the call, people show
up. I want to be a part of that. Um, I like to bring people together that to continue to do that and I like to make sure I make a difference in the community that I love and I call home. So, um I'm 33 and for my age group, it's
actually really hard to stay where you grew up. Life is so expensive. If I wanted to live across the street from my parents, I would need to buy a very expensive home and I would need to drive everywhere. I'm a city person. I don't like the suburbs. I don't want to have
to drive everywhere. Um, Malden for the last 10, five years has been sort of the last stronghold of sort of kind of affordable housing for people my age. Um, we have a couple friends who got in
in the last 5 to 10 years. Uh, but we just had friends who moved from Maplewood to Lemonster because they cannot afford to buy here. Um, we have a group chat called Molden and surrounding areas the second because we have added
friends that we've met along the way. Um, there's so much that Malden has to offer. So much so last year, two years ago. When did we get married? 2024. Yeah, last year. >> Last year. >> You knew that was good.
>> Yes. Last year we actually did a Jack and Jill uh bachelor bachelorette party completely in Molden. I started with karaoke brunch karaoke at Franny's and Patrick's. Uh we did Bodaborg. We had a big group dinner with like 35 people at
all seasons. Uh we went to Faces and Hugh O'Neals afterwards. Back to Patrick's for karaoke. It was a Saturday night. >> A pub crawl pub crawl. >> Yeah. >> And you know what? Everyone was like, "You don't want to go anywhere?" And it
was so much fun to be in our town at the local businesses at any given moment. Even after this, I'm meeting up with friends after this. I'm going to have a cold one somewhere. Probably Mystic. >> I'm of legal drinking age. >> But one of the fun things about Malden
is, you know, it's such a small place, but it has so much to offer. You can text your friends, "What do we want to do? Hiking, skiing, going to the beach. I'm eight minutes from my boat house. It's great. I love love living here. It is so awesome and I'll be here for a
while. >> Thanks. I guess I get the last word on this. So, um well, one of the things, you know, my wife and I I happened to get a job um moving from taking me from Sacramento, California out here. Um and
we initially lived in Reading. Um Malden was very convenient because we were both working in town. Um and so we rented actually next to where Karen lives. So um so we we landed here for the convenience initially because of the transit was great and it was working for us. >> But um immediately we found very welcome
I don't know maybe councelor spaphor maybe peg and and Michelle remember Arthur Bole Jr. >> um was a counselor >> and and yeah that's right Peg was it Peg was grand marshall right at our 350th. So we felt very welcomed right away
which was nice. Um so that that was an initial thing and then um so we rented you know we looked around the area. We we did want to sort of stay a little bit north of Boston. Um and Malden ended up being affordable. I mean that was the type of thing. It was the type of thing we found a great home. The the the
Melanie McCusker family had the house we have in for hundred years. So it just shows you that you know places in Malden are very desirable and and this house that we live in was created in a great way very comfortable. I think the other thing is like you know I grew up you know sort of probably in a community
like you a wealthy suburb now in out in California part of Silicon Valley and it was sort of you know all these folks that moved west uh to take advantage of the great opportunities in California in the 50s and 60s but it's all the same
and you had to drive everywhere and you know one of the things I like particularly about Malden Dickoret it is the type of place where a lot of immigrants come and they can take that step up the ladder and it's actually I think there's actually been studies like Malden is one of those step up you call
gateway communities but it's also it's a place where people can come and step up the ladder of of of the American dream. So that's the type of thing I like. And then you just living here over the course of time of really getting to know more of the the diversity and I know
like the core program you ran Karen and just you know that there so our our do granddaughter getting involved in Wam Kung Fu and that's just it's just an enriching community and it really does ultimately I just say often we are a
model of what America needs to become. America is becoming more diverse and it's a struggle. I mean, this is this is the thing you'll see on our council. We as a city struggle with language access and and integrating the the diverse cultural and uh you know and and
economic things, but we are all committed and we're up here running because we want to make that happen. And that's, you know, what what I see and that's uh you know, really what keeps me here to um really be a part of that. So, thank you. >> Thank you all for your responses. We
have one final question from the audience. So, what's one mistake you've learned from that you will you will make uh that will make you a better counselor? >> Um, you know, you know, one of the things I'm closely associated with is
the Roosevelt project where we were we were working to um to improve um Roosevelt field for the the students and community. Um, and I mean I think one of the things I think people would say it's kind of a failure. So it is one of those things how do you make that happen? But
but I think that the thing I learned is that even in struggling um to try to do something like that we got a lot of community input and I think there are some you know we still need to clean up the lead there but there's some other good good that's going to spin out of that in terms of um some improvements
down at Maplewood Park. Kirststead Park would not have happened the way it did unless I really saw the opportunity to have a string of parks from Roosevelt to Lincoln Common. And so there's so there's these type of things. Sometimes the struggle you may not always be successful, but there's side things that
come out of that. So that's that's a little bit what I learned. So so so we struggle as a community. We get that input. Um, and you know that I I I learned that that that's you know it's you got to try sometimes and that it's failure can happen but there are good
things that come out of that. So that's it. >> This is a really interesting question to answer as someone with not a lick of political experience whatsoever. Uh I think there's going to be a point to
this ramble. uh something that I uh advise younger people uh even when I was first you know a couple years into my career uh and especially now that I am talking to high schoolers all the time um something that my parents taught me
was finding out what you are not interested in and what you don't want to do can be just as valuable as figuring out what you do want to do. So if you are unsure, you should try everything and maybe you'll make some mistakes, maybe you won't like it and you can
pivot. Uh so as someone who doesn't have a political career at all, uh what I will say is I look forward to making those mistakes and making those decisions that maybe aren't the right
ones for me. Uh and pivoting and learning from those. that's gonna be my future. >> So, I think you know early on you do kind of think you know everything and you kind of make the the decisions and so sometimes the mistakes are really not
and we've talked about this a lot really getting everyone's perspectives and listening to you know what is going on before you make that decision to make sure that you are representing your community. You do it with heart. you do it with compassion that you do it um
morally and ethically and um and so it's you know sometimes that's usually the beginning of you know make those decisions. So now it's really about making sure that I do my homework that um I know all the I always say the devil's in the details and if you don't have everyone's perspectives at that you
easily can make some mistakes along the way. So, I think, you know, learning from that and making sure that I do have all the information that I need to make an informed decision um for the best of my community and my ward.
One of the mistakes as you call as we could say um was really when we were kick when I was chairing representing Zanta for the child marriage ban and one of the mistakes I made um was that not kind of thinking out of the box enough
because there's not just one Z is just not in Malden it's actually global but in Massachusetts there's actually seven Zanta clubs so and what I should should have realized was that we were better together. >> So, one of the things that um I quickly
realized in my era was that had I from the beginning because it took us five years to get this passed, seven years in total, but the five years for the first two years it was like all these little clubs were working sim you know working simultaneously but once we started to
work together in all seven clubs 75 zoned women actually had the speaker of the house on a on a zoom call and asking Mr. Speaker, when they were going to put the vote before the um the House and we really and then I quickly realized collaboration and working and bringing
all of all of the ZAR clubs across the Commonwealth together, we were able to achieve what we wanted to achieve. And the lesson I learned from that was that to take a step back, who else might be working on the same project? Who else has similar ideas? And how can we, you know, take one idea and two ideas and
maybe it's a bigger maybe it's a bigger success and it's a bigger project. I'm not about me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. So if I've said I in the past, I agree it's I is there's no I in team and I've said that always. Um so for me that that's really what it was. It was really realizing that collaboration is key and um respecting
people's position on on where they are in their own projects and understanding they put in just as much as work as you did. So it's really that's really what it's going to be and that's how Molden's going to be successful. is how we're going to come out of this much stronger,
better, more in a financial stability and um we're going to be around for a while for you guys. So hopefully we can set that example. It's an interesting question. For me, I think it comes from
expectation. I've had classes I've gone into to teach where I think I know how the students will behave, what expectations they'll have, and I start presenting based on that and then realize, no, that's not
what's going on here. Trust me, as you said, this will veer back and make more sense. I've taught in a number of different areas. I've had students from incredibly diverse backgrounds, but there's an early lesson in this I
learned and then forgot and learned again. I may be one of the last generations where people used to still say to kids in high school, "Oh, these are the best years of your life." And it was later I realized what they
were going for, what their thought was, and that was these are the best years of your life because you have no real responsibility. When I started in a public high school, I was 14. Two seats ahead of me
was another new high school freshman who was also at that point about six months pregnant. Don't tell me she knew nothing. These were the carefree years of her life. Drugs were rampant throughout schools. I can't tell you how many friends of
mine were helping the family income while working full-time while they were freshman or sophomores. But still, they got that common comment. Oh, these are the best years of your life while they're surrounded by teen suicide
and other travesties that society went left to pass. You have to be careful in what you say and think about people around you and what they're living. >> Okay. So, um, let's see. When I first
got on the city council, um, I was probably the the thing that I probably struggled with and learned a lot, um, was politics. I know that's going to sound funny, but I never considered myself a politician. I'm a
community builder, um, a social worker. I'm used to collaborating, having ideas that, um, it's a great idea. Why wouldn't everybody of course this is a great idea. Why isn't everybody voting for it? But I learned that actually with the youth council. I put up a um a youth
council with a group. We worked really hard um with young people from um Maltton High School. Seriously, I think four years we worked on this and I put it together. Obviously not in the greatest way because it didn't pass. But um I we worked so hard and hearing the
nos it was so um I I just couldn't understand, you know. um how somebody could vote no to that. So I think learning and I would um even though I did call all the counselors um trying to think why would someone maybe think why would someone say no to this and then
coming forward with the answers you know what I mean just to make sure that you explain that better and taking all um um everybody's viewpoints into consideration because that was a hard that was a hard thing I um you know having that first come out
and and not pass and so I learned a lot from that um stuck to it uh with the other youth and um some of my fellow counselors here and we brought it back up again. It might have failed twice, I don't remember. But um ultimately it passed um and we're still working to
make it better. It's the first of its kind here in Malden. So we were bound to make mistakes. Um but that was a that was a tough one right here that got me because working with youth are one of my favorite things to do. >> Yeah, I appreciate being second to last for this question to be honest. had time
for me to reflect on my votes. Uh I would say there's two votes that I say that I wish I could take back. The first one was uh early on was the the trash vote. I didn't support the page and throw program initially. Uh and it was not because of the actual program and and cycling with the recycling
increasing was really the city was in a financial uh situation not similar to now because this one's a little bit more serious. But, uh, my debate with the mayor was we should be cutting, uh, a couple things before we asked the residents to do page throw. And I think
when I look back in that vote, um, I supported ever since, and I know why we did it, and thank God we have it, to be quite honest with you, because we've saved a lot more jobs having it. We certainly saved uh, the environment. So, it wasn't against that, but I think that's you have to say you got to have the tunnel vision and and move on from that from that decision. So, I'd say
that's that's one I I kind of always look back on uh, and and have supported ever since. The the other vote is the Rose Quarry, which is the development of the old Rose Quarry, which is split between Malden and Everett. Uh, you know, there was grandiose plans for that. There was a state uh highway was going to go through. There's going to be
a hotel and mixeduse community and condos and apartments and, you know, the the economy always gets in the way and things shift from that perspective. But, uh, that project really, it's a great community. uh but it wasn't what we were sold in terms of tax base and retail and
residential and ownership and um hotel and that changes the money from us from our perspective and it certainly creates a city within a city there. Um I I think personally if I could go back I wouldn't have allowed them to change that. I would have been very much more persistent. I think you need to have
patience not only as a human being but also as a council sometimes because things have been flowing the economy. nobody could predict, you know, the uh the pandemic, but I think from that perspective, I wish we held them to their their role. Now, they've done some stuff with 55 and older community, but I
think that's where we have to be strong as a as a council in a community where if we want to do something, a project or a building or whatever it may be, and we are that passionate about it and we think it's going to happen, then we have to stand up and make sure it happens. It might be we might want it next year, but
it might not come from five years. And that's what I think that that that conviction there and that patience is part of the process. >> So I'll tell you about the first time I went before the planning board and uh this was for a paper that was not
I was not the sponsor of I was working with councelor Lahan and it was about cannabis dispensaries and making the rules what we thought was more fair for businesses trying to start out. It was about changing kind of the what they call the use regulations of of where you can you can site some of these shops and
trying to preference social equity applicants. So I had done my homework. I talked to city staff. I was prepared. Um and I was the only person there from the council who was speaking on behalf of that um paper or or council was not there as the sponsor. So you know I went up and I and I gave my spiel and I got
my butt handed to me. That was by the planning board. >> You may remember that. I do. Uh they were not uh generous or friendly. Uh I knew that there was I knew there was opposition. I knew there were a range of opinions. They just tore me a new one
and I you know did my best to respond. You uh taken in the moment. We ultim ultimately the council did not pass that paper. The planning board recommended against it. They review all proposed zoning and it failed at the council. Um, what I learned out of that first of all
is like do your homework, but then do it again and do more of your homework. And if you want to succeed, you better have done more homework than anyone else at the table. You have to work for that. The second is that you have to pick your battles. Um, I wanted to support what I thought was a good paper. I wanted to support my friend. Um, but I think I did
I think I underestimated the depth of complexity that preceded me that I was coming into. And so I've made it a point to try to understand those things before uh I figure out where I want to weigh in in the future. Uh and then the third thing is to just like get back up and be resilient. Um you lose some fights and
you just got to try again and and uh what what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. >> Thank you. And lastly, uh if any anyone would like to have a closing statement chance. >> Okay, great.
>> Yes. There's not a lightning round. >> Okay, great. Um, so thank you so much for having us here. I said at the first forum, I really enjoy these the chance to dig into and have a little bit more extended conversation. Some key questions voters
have an opportunity to get to know us a little bit better. I am a people person. And I think that's one of the key things for being involved uh in your local government is just trying to understand um what the folks need to hear from you and what they want to know about. So
this year I am running on three campaign priorities. Sustainability, affordability, and inclusivity. Um we didn't talk much about climate action. That's a big thing that I work on. Um I also care a lot about the cost of housing. Being able to yeah buy a house in the future seems so far out of reach.
I think we can do more and making sure this is a safe and inclusive community for everyone. Um, but mostly what I want to say is that it's an honor to serve this community. I ask the voters in Malden for a third term as a city
councelor uh at large. I really want to hear uh how you think we can tackle the problems ahead. I'm really committed to having our voters weigh in from our fiscal problem and our budget crisis or crunch rather. It's not a crisis yet. uh
to the future we want to see for our city. I think we have incredible um history and assets and people here that we can leverage in Malden. I think that the the crisis really that's affecting us. The crisis that affect us are national and regional. We get terrible
news it seems like every day out of DC. Uh and those affect the streets here and the people here who are under threat. And what I've seen though in Malden is that when we band together and we support one another publicly um and privately and in all the ways we can
that that makes a difference. That helps people survive and make it through our immigrant neighbors, our other members of the LGBTQ community, um to name a few. And that gives me hope every day. And I and I'm grateful to be a part of that energy here in this community. Visit mcdonaldformalden.com
if you want to learn more about me. And thank you for your support on November 4th. I want to thank uh Northern Access TV, certainly the youths. I'm sure I can't imagine when I was your age spending a Thursday with uh a city council. So I I think it's it's really hopeful from this
perspective of of this community that the activity that we see in this room is is delightful to be quite honest with you. I have three kids. I have a 18 will be 18 this month and a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old. And I wish they were as enthusiastic and involved as you are. It's something I think they see their
dad and they say we're going to stay out of that. But, you know, I've served for a while and I can tell you, you know, is is sometimes we always look at more than we're in a bad, you know, either the fiscal place or it's the traffic's worse. But, I can tell you I think this community over the last probably 20 years has has gotten stronger both from
a a a people and a resiliently. There's a lot more organizations here that drive. There's a lot more people helping people. You know, the parks have gotten better. The the we've talked about the river, right? When I grew up in Malden, you would not go anywhere near that river. there was cars in there and oil and there's a long way to go. We're not
saying that, but there's a lot of progress been made and there's a lot there's a lot more we can do. I've been honored to serve in the city council. Um, you know, you have to have the passion to do it. We are going to face some tough time. There's no doubt about it. I want to bring my skill set. Uh, that's what I do uh in my day job to
help solve this crisis. Um, and really make it a place where hopefully my kids can stay at least for a short time. I do want them out of the house at 18. I want my son to hear that on the TV. Uh, but I do want them to stay here and I want my parents to stay here. I have that same type of uh close-knit community and I think that's important in that uh I I
just would ask for one of your votes again in November 4th. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um so yeah, thank you all um for hosting this. It's um a pleasure to be um hosted especially by our young people and um to share our views and our
values with you. It's really important. So, I'm so glad when I got that email, I was very excited. Um, so Malden is going to be facing some very tough times. Um, and we need leaders who can just jump right in. Um, people who have already been doing it, experienced leaders that
can just, you know, jump in feet first, head first, just get it done. um we're we're really going to face some um bad times, but I think that we could um by working together, which is what we all usually do, is um make
sure that we're involving your voices. That's very important to me. I listen to everyone. I make sure I I reach out and and hear what your needs are. Um we do I see the youth. I work um I have my own kids. I know that you are listening to the national level, the world level. I
know that these things are important to you. So, um, we bring it and it it happens right here in our local level, right? We are a very diverse city and so we come from all over the world. So, issues happening anywhere are going to affect us as people here and we need to
be able to listen and and do to make you all feel safe. um especially now like with the immigration and um people that are are coming into our city, we just have to stick stick together, lock arms, and make sure that we're stronger together, that we're not divasive, that we're not um and that we work together.
So, I am here. Um I am bold leader. I speak truth to power. I am not afraid. I will always vote my miss, my you know, my heart and what I hear back from the people. I work for you and I will make sure that I bring your voice always to
the city council and uh you can find me at Karen Cologne Hayes um.com online. Thank you. A lot of people ask me friends, family, are you going to ask your son before you go to this? It's the teen forum.
I said >> all I expect from it being a teen forum is what we got tonight involved difficult questions. I served on my first campaign when I was 14.
Not entirely because this is something I was raring to go and do. It was a school assignment. I'm not going to deny that. But I learned a lot. So much so I stayed out of the seeking a public office until
>> over 40 years later. >> But as much as I've agreed with everyone, there is one disagreement I'll make and I'm sorry it's with you Karen on that. >> I know >> I think there is a vote, there is an opportunity for those who haven't been
on council as well to help. because there's a way of bringing >> I just did that but okay >> I appreciate the idea of people who are familiar with what's been going on but I also think taking in from a different
point of view can be helpful and I feel there are difficulties obviously more difficulties to come but that's never going to stop every generation generation gets told,
"We might be approaching the end of the world." Every generation hears, "You've got to now fix what the previous generation did. So, let's step up and work on it." And I'm heartened to hear that from everyone
here. I believe I can help. I believe I can help to make a difference. And like everyone else, uh, David off from Malden.org, the number four, and I look forward to earning your vote.
>> First of all, thank you so much. I did I participated in my first um youth forum in 2021, and I remember talking to counselor um McDonald, and he said, "Are you nervous?" I said, "I'm really nervous for the youth forum." and he was a little surprised. He was like, "Wait,
I'm like, you never know what they're going to come up with." And yes, I was stumped the last time on on one or two questions. Thank you very much. Back there. And and this didn't, you know, this didn't surprise me because they were thoughtful questions that you've asked us and it's really inspiring to
see that. So, thank you very much. I'm on my soap box a little bit here, but throughout my life in Malden, as a resident, a mom, a small business owner, and a community advocate my entire life, I've worked hard to listen, to lead with compassion, humanity, to bring people
together, and as your counselor at large, I promise to do the same. You know, we're going to have bud we have a budget issue. It's going to take all of us to work together. We have to have our budget more in aligned with our with our goals and more in line with making us
more fiscally responsible um now, five years from now, 10 years from now. What's really important is that you know on school committee I was on school committee during the pandemic which was absolutely horrendous
>> trying to get a whole school system to then be online. And I I still worked with people and together we still got things done. So I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm not afraid of innovation and I'm not afraid of being creative and I'm certainly not afraid to work hard
because I'll do the work. And that's what we need. We need people on here that are not going to be afraid to do the work. They're going to be working together. They're going to listen. They're going to collaborate. And they're going to get things done because the residents deserve that.
Malden deserves that. In closing, you have three votes as cons for council at large. I'm asking for one of those three votes. michelle from malden.com. Fo r not four. And I hope to earn your vote on November 4th or earlier if you're, you know,
doing early voting. But, um, like I said, I'm experienced. I have leadership skills. I own my own business. I'm passionate. And I have integrity. And I'm ready to serve. Thank you so much. Thanks. So, I got into this actually because of my commitment to the city of
Maldon and you know I've worked alongside of residents and businesses and organizations and city departments to really get things done for for Ward One. Um we often often tackle these things thinking outside of the box which I think is always the best way to be and
um you really to re get some consensus address some concerns and really pull Malden forward and make Ward one ward wonderful as I always say um things don't always come quickly or they come easy as we know everything moves a little slowly but I do my homework I
never give up and my passion for making Maldon the best place it can be has never wavered let's face it. We might not call it a crisis. I call it a tsunami barreling towards us. And the challenges for us are real. Um but my determination to face any issue that we
have um together is unwavering as well. So I think I'm the right person um to weather the storm for the city of Malden and keep us moving forward. So I ask for you vote vote for Peg Crow on um November 4th and it's peg crow 4fwood
one.com. Uh you guys are pretty young obviously this is for the youths. Uh but I'm sure everybody has heard the phrase it takes a village. Mhm. >> I think we've gotten so far away from that as a society and something that I
have noticed for my peers, we are all so ready to be the village for each other. Um I get messages from, you know, friends of mine. Uh especially I I just got one two days ago from a
teammate of mine who sent me a real about like just being in admiration of uh you know my energy and uh what I bring to the table as a a female friend, as a a peer, but also as someone who
influences her and her decisions. Um I'm constantly searching for mentors of my own. When you're young, you always have a mentor. And I think we really lose that um that part of our village as we grow up. Don't lose that. Look out for the mentors. Look out for the helpers.
Look out for the people who have their hands outstretched to you. Um look out for the people who are stepping up. Uh I am one of them. I am young. I don't have any political experience. I am well educated. I'm energetic. I have a lot of good ideas and I would be fresh eyes on
this incoming crisis that's been coming. It's been approaching. Uh this isn't we didn't have to be here now. So yeah, we need fresh eyes. that we need experienced people, but we also need
fresh ideas, fresh young people, and someone to represent honestly the the younger generation, the hopeful homeowners, the young families that are coming to to Malden and hope to to stay
here. Um, and if they can't afford it, if you can't afford to stay where you grew up, what kind of city are we? Thank you. Um, yeah, I really want to thank Uma and all the youth here tonight for making this happen. Um, it I one of
the things of working uh both in Malden and other communities, I've always found uh youth have a great input into what we're working on. So, I really um your commitment um really can make a difference and it's important for us to be involved and that's why I'm here
tonight. So, you know, I for in terms of my work and priorities showing my commitment to youth and our seniors um and all Mald's diverse population, you know, as council president, I worked with and supported councelor Coen Hayes's work to for Mald youth council. I really because I thought it was really
important and I um saw her commitment to that. Um, you know, I work with uh high school kids and other city lit leaders to improve pedestrian safety around Malden High and our elementary schools and I have a plan and I'm working with our elementary schools and um and this
will impact our high schools on better bus service. So, um and that'll help students and seniors. So, you one of my themes always is achieving more together. That's really youth is part of what we have to work with. And so that's very important. If for my constituents
in Ward Six, um you know, one of the things I worked very hard on this last few years is to develop a vision for Maplewood Square so that um no individual group organization decides what the future of our neighborhood is going to be. So I mean we working to
have events, beautifification, supporting our businesses, having better transportation. So that is the thing I'm going to continue to be committed to to see that we implement that vision in a strong way. So I asked for the people in W six to vote for Steve Winslow and you
can go to wins from all.com to look at all the things I've done. So thank you. >> Great. Thank you so much and thank you for joining us in our youth blood forum for city council. We hope tonight provided you all with a better understanding of your choices this month
of November and we hope that you will get out and vote with new voices in mind. To our fellow students who are already 18, make sure to register to vote and make our voices heard. It is important now more than ever that we come together to make our city better each day. Remember that early voting
opens October 20th and on November 4th, polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. >> Thank you again for joining us and have a great night.