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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 10, 2023 Page 5 Housing Families to honor Mayor Arrigo at Annual Legislative Breakfast Special to Th e Advocate T he Housing Families Legislative Breakfast has named their 2023 Honoree Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo for increasing shelter opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness in the region by launching Revere’s Warming Center. The Annual Legislative Breakfast will take place at Anthony’s in Malden on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Also being honored is the Citizens' Housing & Planning Association for aff ordable housing advocacy and policy. The annual breakfast is an opportunity for community members to learn about how the affordable housing shortage in our region impacts community health. In addition to outlinBrian Arrigo Revere Mayor ing these critical social issues, Housing Families' clients and community partners will highlight key policy and legislative initiatives that would improve housing equity and well-being for everyone across Greater Boston, particularly in Malden, Citizens' Housing & Planning Association Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Medford, and Melrose. This event is free and open to the public. To secure your spot, please RSVP by April 3rd. Interested in sponsoring this event? Contact Molly Abrahamson at mabrahamson@housingfamilies.org ~Letter to the Editor~ Don't Build the Voke on Hilltop Site An open letter to the members of the Northeast Metro Tech Building Committee, I am writing as a constituent in a Northeast Metro Tech sending community. I was at the Wakefi eld town meeting where the Town approved building the new Voke, and I proudly cast my vote in support at that time. I was entirely unaware in casting that vote that the siting had already been decided on by your committee in contradiction to the recommendations in the pre-feasibility study. I do everything I can to be an informed voter. I attend info sessions, read the materials that are made available, and am an active participant at Town Meetings. Yet despite all that I did not know that my vote was a vote in favor of building on the hilltop site. I believe that if voters, despite being earnestly involved and informed, were unable to tell that this siting was part and parcel of our vote to approve funding for the new NEMT, that vote should be considered illegitimate. This experience has genuinely damaged my trust in the NEMT Building Committee and in our legislative process. Regarding the siting itself I will say that my top two concerns are the preservation of habitat and the biosphere, and the protection of Native American land and history. Destroying a mature forest is irreparable. Destroying Native land and history is a facet of the ongoing genocide that is perpetrated against Native Americans to this day. Though I am guessing the decision making process thus far has followed the letter of the law and that the NEMT Building Committee can proceed with its plan to build on the hilltop site with impunity. I am picturing a lot of conversations or personal moments that include sentiments like “but we followed the procedures correctly. Each town voted yes.” Or “the decision is already made, the process has moved on, we can’t go back now.” While these things may be true, the decision to build on the hilltop site is nevertheless morally indefensible. I fi rmly believe that there is always more than one solution to a problem. So though it might be complicated, though it might require additional time or studies, whatever the challenges may be, it is possible to build on a diff erent site. It is within your power to move the NEMT building project forward in a way that refl ects the values of the sending communities. Please use your positions on Rocco Longo, Owner the NEMT Building Committee to choose a diff erent site for the new Voke, not the hilltop site. Sincerely, Benny Wheat Wakefi eld Everett, MA 617-202-8259 * We work with most Fuel Assistance programs “We’re accepting new customers, no experience necessary” “Aceptamos Nuevos clientes no se necesita experiencia.” ~ Hablamos Española ~ 50 Gallon Minimum (Surcharge Applys) Major Credit Cards Accepted Scan our QR Code OUR OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 519 BROADWAY, EVERETT SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM Advertise in theADVOCATE Call now! 617-387-2200 advertise on the web atwww.advocatenews.net Mackey & Brown Attorneys at Law * PERSONAL INJURY * REAL ESTATE * FAMILY LAW * GENERAL PRACTICE * PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY * CIVIL LITIGATION 14 Norwood St., Everett, MA 02149 Phone: (617) 387-4900 Fax: (617) 381-1755 WWW.MACKEYBROWNLAW.COM John Mackey, Esq. * Katherine M. Brown, Esq. Patricia Ridge, Esq.

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