Maldden alld a Vol. 33, No. 1 den -FREEYour Local News & Sports Online in Six Languages. Scan and Subscribe! AADD By Steve Freker T he full circle was quite apparent at Tuesday night’s biennial City of Malden Inaugural Ceremonies. Sitting in the fi rst row of dignitaries on stage, about to be sworn in to a historic, fourth four-year term of offi ce in the city’s top post was Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. Seated to his left was the man he succeeded in the post, former seven-term, 16-year Malden Mayor Richard Howard. It was Howard who helped launch what will approach a near quarter-century of local public service for Mayor Christenson when he fi nishes his newest term of offi ce, following November’s landslide election victory. In 1999, Howard appointed Christenson SWORN | SEE PAGE 8 Malden Mayor Gary Christenson took the oath office and was sworn in by Malden City Clerk Carol Ann Desiderio for an unprecedented fourth, four-year term of offi ce at Tuesday night's Malden Inaugural Ceremonies. The signature municipal event was held at the Jenkins Auditorium at Malden High School. (Advocate Photos/Henry Huang) CTE CAT AT www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Mayor Christenson sworn in for fourth term in historic Inaugural Night of ‘firsts’ Joins City Councillors, School Committee members in offi cial start at signature municipal event 617-387-2200 By Steve Freker M alden Ward 6 Councillor Steve Winslow was unanimously elected as Council President for the 2024 municipal legislative year at a special organizational meeting held Tuesday night during the Malden Inaugural Ceremonies. Winslow – first elected as a City Councillor in 2017 – was reelected to his fourth consecutive term this past fall, his second as Ward 6 Councillor. He served as Councillor-at-Large for two terms, from 2018-2022. Council President-elect Winslow also served as Ward 6 School Committee member earlier in the decade. Winslow told the Malden Advocate he is grateful for the support of his colleagues and the voters of Ward 6 – which is largely the Maplewood neighborhood – as well as to outgoing Council President Barbara Murphy, from whom he will assume the gavel. Ward 6 Councillor Steve Winslow was unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve as Malden City Council President for 2024. (Courtesy/City of Malden) “First of all, I want to thank outgoing Council President Barbara Murphy whose leadership of the Council this past year and her commitment to her constituents in Ward 5 serve as models for all of us on the Council,” Winslow said. “I thank the voters of Ward PRESIDENT | SEE PAGE 11 YEAR IN REVIEW: Taking a look at Malden’s Top 10 Stories of 2023 Mayor Christenson’s reelection, City Council passage of MBTA Communities 3A Zoning ordinance top the list Advocate Staff Report 1. Mayor Gary Christenson reelected to a historic, unprecedented fourth four-year term as Mayor in November. Malden voters on November 7 reelected Mayor Gary Christenson to an unprecedented fourth, four-year term on Election Day by a nearly three-to-one margin, the biggest win of his four-election history. “I thank my family, my staff and all of my constituents for this show of support,” Mayor Christenson told those gathered at Anthony’s in Malden on Election Night, after his reelection was announced. “I promise I will continue to give you my all.” Christenson’s victory, according to the unofficial results released by the Malden City Clerk’s Offi ce shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, showed an overwhelming victory where the incumbent received 5,530 DEVIR PARK DEDICATION: Many city and state offi cials and Malden residents joined Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, Mayor Gary Christenson and others to dedicate the $3.1 million park rehabilitation project. (Courtesy/City of Malden) votes to 2,087 for the challenger, fi rst-time candidate Lissette Aracely Alvarado. Christenson won every precinct in the city, in all eight Wards, on Tuesday, a resounding 71-28 percent win, his largest victory in the three contested races he has won in his four mayoral elections. He ran unopposed once, in 2015. 2. Malden City Council unanimously passes MBTA Communities Law for transit 3A zoning compliance. Malden is officially in compliance with perhaps the most controversial mandates that have been placed on this community in this century. After a nearly two-year odyssey of planning, preparation and discussion input from elected officials, consultants, city agencies and members of the public, the Council Tuesday night voted 10-1 to pass the fi nal iteration of a zoning overlay ordinance that puts Malden in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law. The MBTA Communities law was adopted in 2021 and requires some 177 cities and towns served by the transit agency – including Malden – to have at least one zoning district “of reasonable size” where multifamily housing is allowed within a half-mile of a commuter rail, subway or bus station or ferry terminal, if applicable. Malden has two rapid transit stations with Orange Line and Commuter Rail service: Malden Center, located on Commercial Street in the heart of the downtown, and Oak Grove Station, located at Washington and Winter Streets. 3. City offi cials proclaim big win for Malden in announcement of new mental health center at site of former Malden Hospital; public meetings are held in 2023. It’s been over two decades since Hallmark Health offi cially closed Malden Hospital, eff ectively leaving residents on the REVIEW | SEE PAGE 6 E Friday, January 5, 2024 Winslow will serve as Malden City Council President in 2024 Ward 6 Councillor was elected unanimously by fellow Councillors on Inauguration Night
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