Page 16 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, SEpTEmbER 11, 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 51 - Report No 36 August 31-September 4, 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 senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2026 session through Sept. 4. Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 96 of the 122 votes from the 2026 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls except 26 that were on local issues. The votes of 33 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), second-in-command in the Senate. We could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes. Twelve (36.3 percent) of the 33 Democrats voted with Creem 100 percent of the time. Thirteen others (38.2 percent) voted against Creem only once. The senator who voted with Creem the lowest percentage of times is Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) who voted with Creem only 87.5 percent of the time. A close second is Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) who voted with her only 88.5 percent of the time. Rounding out the list of the top five senators who voted with Creem the least percentage of times are Sens John Keenan (D-Quincy) and Michael Moore (D-Millbury) who each voted with Creem only 93.7 percent CITY OF EVERETT - LEGAL NOTICE - BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS 484 BROADWAY, ROOM 24 EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS 02149 To Whom It May Concern: This notice is to inform you that there will be a Special Meeting held on Monday, September 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM, Everett City Hall, 3rd Floor George Keverian Hearing Room. All interested parties may attend and opinions will be heard regarding the following petition. Whereas a petition has been presented by: Property Address: Map/Parcel: Building Permit Property Owner: PROPOSAL: Renovate existing two-family dwelling to create a three-family dwelling. The Proposed dwelling is 4085.28 sq. ft. according to Jacob H. Levine Architecture on a lot that is 5124 sq. ft. according to Medford Engineering land surveyor. Violations: 1. Section 4.B.2.c. The FAR comes out to .79. It shall not exceed .5 for three-family dwellings and above. A variance is required. 2. Also, the existing right side yard set-back is three (3.2) feet two inches, where four (4) feet is required. A special permit is required, pursuant to Section 3(F) of the Zoning Ordinance. 3. Pursuant to Section 17.A.1. of the Zoning Ordinance, the existing residential property is nonconforming as to parking requirements, and your proposal will increase this nonconformity, because six (6) spaces would be required for the proposed three-unit structure. You may either seek a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals to increase the parking nonconformity, pursuant to Section 3(F) of the Zoning Ordinance, or participate in the Transportation Demand program under Section 35 of the Zoning Ordinance. Rebecca Edmondson Korom - Chairman Roberta Suppa - Clerk of Board of Appeals September 11, 18, 2026 79 Bradford Street Everett, MA 02149 C0-01-000127 B-26-1 Salvatore J. Vigorito and Nancy Vigorito 79 Bradford Street Everett, MA 02149 of the time; and Barry Finegold (D-Andover) who voted with Creem 94.7 percent of the time. Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted all fi ve senators and asked them why they voted among the least percentage of times with Sen. Creem. Only Sens. Keenan and Moore responded: Sen. Keenan responded, “When it comes to matters before the Senate, I do my research, value input from my colleagues and consider the positions of my constituents. Ultimately, I vote for what I believe is best for my district and the commonwealth.” “My voting record in the Massachusetts Senate refl ects the priorities and interests of the people who sent me to Beacon Hill to represent them,” said Moore. “While I have deep respect for all of my colleagues, how they plan to vote is not a factor that I take into consideration. My decision on whether to support or oppose every bill that comes to the fl oor is based solely on whether it will be good for the people of the Second Worcester District.” Three senators did not respond to repeated requests asking them to comment. They are Sens. Montigny, Velis and Finegold. Beacon Hill Roll Call also contacted all 12 senators who voted with Creem 100 percent of the time and asked them to comment. None of the 12 responded. They are Sens. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington); Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont); Jo Comerford (D-Northampton); Jamie Eldridge (D-Marlborough); Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth); Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington); Adam Gomez (D-Springfi eld); Vanna Howard (D-Lowell); Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester); Jason Lewis (D-Winchester); Paval Payano (D-Lawrence) and Becca Rausch (D-Needham). The votes of four Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). None of the four voted with Tarr 100 percent of the time. Sens. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) and Peter Durant (R-Spencer) voted with Tarr the least percentage of times - only 93.7 percent. Sens. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton) and Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) were close behind and voted with Tarr only 94.7 percent of the time. PERCENTAGE OF TIMES LOCAL SENATORS VOTED WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP in 2026 THROUGH SEPT. 4 The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported his or her party’s leadership in 2026 through September 4. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some senators voted on all 99 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted. Sen. Sal DiDomenico 98.9% (1) ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL AUTISM AND POLICE STOPS – Gov. Maura Healey launched the statewide Blue Envelope Program, a free and voluntary program designed to support safer, more eff ective communication between law enforcement offi cers and people with autism spectrum disorder during traffi c stops. In June, the Legislature approved and Gov. Healey signed into law this legislation establishing the statewide program. This program was adopted by the Massachusetts State Police in 2024 but was not an actual law until passage of this legislation. The measure, dubbed the “Blue Envelope Program,” would create a program giving people with autism the option to be given a special blue envelope that holds the person’s driver’s license and vehicle registration. On the outside of the envelope there would be written information and guidance regarding ways to enhance eff ective communication between a police offi cer and a person with autism. The envelope must also include instructions for access to the envelope, including attaching it to the sun visor on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The bill is designed to enable the driver to quickly and easily hand the envelope to a police offi cer during a traffi c stop. Blue Envelopes are now available at all Registry of Motor Vehicles Service Centers, parBEACON | SEE PAGE 17
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