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Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JAnuARy 16, 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 51- Report No. 2 January 5-9, 2026 By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership in the 2025 session. Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 113 votes from the 2025 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not votes on local issues. The votes of 132 Democrats were compared to the votes of Democratic Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). The votes of the 24 Republicans were compared to the votes of House Republican Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). On the 113 roll calls, Mariano and Jones voted the same way on 68 roll calls (60.2 percent) and voted the opposite way from each other on 45 roll calls (39.8 percent) THE DEMOCRATS: A total of 122 (92.4 percent) of the 132 Democrats voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. There were only 10 Democratic representatives who voted diff erentPLAN | FROM PAGE 1 velopment. “Without them, our tightly interconnected civilization would not exist,” it explains. It also reports data centers need and use a lot of power, often drawn from local grids, including power needed for cooling. Up to one-third of the power needed may be for cooling. They can run on solar and wind power, but the inconsistency of those sources requires conventional sources of power as well. The Davis Companies is pursuing the option with McColaugh, commenting that they have “been in communication with National Grid and Jupiter indicating they are pushing this through with no community input, engagement or transparency on the impact this would have on our utilities or future growth.” The Docklands Innovation District is part of the Commercial Triangle bordered by Lower Broadway, Revere Beach Parkway/Route 16 and the Mystic River. The larger area is the site of a planned lithium battery storage facility by Davis/Jupiter Say nr Sa a ly than Mariano on any roll calls. And fi ve of those only voted differently from Mariano just one time. Mariano did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on why he thinks that 92.4 percent of Democratic representatives voted the same way that he did 100 percent of the time. The Democratic representative who voted the least percentage of time with Mariano was Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) who voted with Mariano only 81.8 percent of the time. Garry did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to comment on this. The other four Democrats who voted the opposite of Mariano more than once are Reps. David Robertson (D-Tewksbury) who voted with Mariano 92 percent of the time; Alan Silvia (D-Fall River) who voted with Mariano 95 percent of the time; Jefand a soccer stadium, among other things. Other business Mayor Robert Van Campen discussed using the Pope John XXIII High School building to help solve the school overcrowding problem during his campaign, while former Mayor Carlo DeMaria was planning on using it for veterans and elderly housing. Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese objected to a resident’s idea that the councillors should all resign if the Pope John building is renamed after the Kraft family. “I’m not resigning because it makes no sense,” he said. “We have a chance to do something without it costing people money, but when something is presented that will provide us revenue, everybody is up in arms.” In other Public Participation, resident Joan Beckta suggested keeping the name Pope John or renaming it after two Everett residents who died on September 11, James and Mary Trentini. The Councillors also approved formal requests that the Administration provide information on frey Turco (D-Winthrop) who voted with Mariano 95.5 percent of the time; and Francisco Paulino (D-Methuen) who voted with Mariano 96.3 percent of the time. The fi ve Democratic representatives who voted the opposite of Mariano only one time are Reps. Jennifer Armini (D-Marblehead); Michelle Badger (D-Plymouth); Dennis Gallagher (D-Bridgewater); Steven Ouellette (D-Westport); and Richard Wells (D-Milton). They voted the same as Mariano 99.1 percent of the time. Beacon Hill Roll Call asked all these representatives why they voted at least once the opposite of Mariano, while 122 of their colleagues voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. Only two responded. Rep. Jeff Turco: “The people of Winthrop and Revere elected me knowing I would vote my conscience.I proudly voted with Speaker Mariano and the overBEACON | SEE PAGE 16 Memorandums of Understanding with Wynn Resorts/Encore Boston Harbor and the Krafts — enacted by DeMaria in the last few days of 2025. The agreement with Encore is reportedly setting up the possibility of two additional hotels and a new commuter rail station. Van Campen has expressed approval of the agreement in principle. It was the fi rst meeting with Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith as president. Aside from technical problems with the audio feed during the ECTV cablecast, things went smoothly. It lasted an hour and nine minutes with the fi rst 45 devoted to appointments to the Police and Fire Departments and Public Participation. “We’re going to try to follow the rules tonight,” Smith said as she opened the meeting. Moment of Silence observed for former City Councillor The City Council observed a moment of silence for former city councillor Donald Michael Harney at its meeting Monday night at City Hall. y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Chair Yoga: Safe, Simple, and Benefi cial for Older Adults Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve been hearing a lot about chair yoga lately. My New Year’s resolution is to improve my health and get moving again, but I have trouble getting down on the fl oor. What can you tell me about this type of yoga? Arthritic Abby Dear Abby, If you’re looking for a safe way to get active again but fi nd traditional exercise routines difficult, chair yoga may be the perfect fi t. Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that’s done either sitting on a chair or using the chair for support while standing. It adapts traditional yoga poses so they’re accessible to people who may have limited mobility, balance issues, or diffi culty getting down on the fl oor. This practice helps improve flexibility, strength, and balance, boosts circulation and mobility, and promotes relaxation while reducing stress. This makes it an eff ective and safe way to stay active and support overall well-being at any age. +It can also include standing poses like modifi ed lunges or gentle balance work, with the chair always nearby for stability. Breathing exercises are often incorporated throughout the practice, encouraging participants to slow down, deepen their breath, and cultivate a sense of calm. Sessions usually end with a short period of guided relaxation or meditation, leaving participants refreshed and grounded. How to Get Started To get started, you just need a sturdy chair without wheels and preferably without arms, and some comfortable clothes. The goal with chair yoga is to stretch, not cause pain. So go only as far as feels comfortable and don’t push beyond your limits. If possible, consider joining a local chair yoga class. Many local senior centers, YMCAs, and community recreation centers off er chair yoga as part of their wellness or fitness programs. Some yoga studios and gyms may off er gentle yoga or chair yoga too. And if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may be able to access classes for free through SilverSneakers.com. If attending an in-person class isn’t an option, you can also practice chair yoga at home. There are chair yoga apps and many videos you can access on YouTube to guide you through a routine. Chair Exercise Options As an alternative to chair yoga, there are chair exercises you can add to your routine that can help improve strength and balance, reduce joint pain and prevent falls. To execute some of these exercises, you’ll need some resistance equipment like light dumbbells, water bottles, soup cans or resistance bands. Sit-to-stand: For this exercise, sit at the edge of the chair, feet hip-width apart. Stand up without using your hands, then slowly sit back down. Use hands lightly on the chair or use a walker or cane if needed for support. Seated marches: Sit tall and alternate lifting one knee at a time toward your chest. Seated bicep curls: With elbows tucked in, curl weights towards shoulders, then lower with control. Seated overhead press: Press weights overhead from shoulder height, then slowly lower. Seated leg extensions: Extend one leg straight out and hold for 2-3 seconds, then lower and repeat. Heel raises: Lift heels off the floor, pause, and lower back down. For noticeable benefi ts, these exercises should be performed at least three days a week, doing three sets of 8 to12 repetitions. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. nior ior

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