Maldden alld a Vol. 29, No. 9 den -FREEMHS Sports: Costa seeks back-to-back wrestling titles – see page 10 AADD I n Malden and throughout the state, signs are pointing to a healthy turnout in next week’s presidential primaries. With a last-minute rush on registrations, steady turnout for early voting, requests for absentee ballots and the high interest in this year’s presidential race, City Clerk Greg Lucey expects a good day at the polls next Tuesday. “I think we’ll do better than last time,” said Lucey, referring to the 2016 primaries when 40 percent of the city’s 30,141 registered voters cast ballots giving Hillary Clinton a narrow win over Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump a decisive victory over his Republican rivals. “If you are not excited about this election, you’re just not into it,” said Lucey. Assistant Registrar of Voters Carol Ann Desiderio was at the Senior Center on Tuesday afternoon watching Malden take advantage of early voting for the fi rst time in the presidential primaries. Desiderio fi gured about 500 people came out for the fi rst two days of early voting, which ends Friday at noon. “People can still apply for an absentee ballot up until noon on Monday,” she said. “You can come to City Hall and vote at Our 81st Year EDUCATION Next Classes DRIVER 1 Week Day Class April 20 2 Week Night Class March 16 CALL - ENROLL or Register Online 617-387-9121 HENRYSAUTOSCHOOL.COM AUTO SCHOOL E EVERETT A “Successful Key To Driving” Since 1938 Gift Certificates Available CTE CAT AT www.advocatenews.net City is primed for Super Tuesday By Barbara Taormina the counter.” Like Lucey, Desiderio expects a good turnout on Tuesday. “We would expect to get at least as many voters as we did in 2016,” she said, adding that the number of new voters who joined the city rolls is up signifi cantly this year thanks to online registration. In primary elections, unenrolled voters and voters with a political designation can request a Democratic, Republican, Libertarian or Green Rainbow Party ballot. “Those voters will revert automatically to their unenrolled status after they vote,” said Desiderio. In addition to the presidential candidates, voters will be electing members to party ward committees. Residents in Ward 5, Precinct 2, will also be deciding whether Democrat Kate Lipper-Garabedian or Republican Brandon Reid should fi ll the 32nd Middlesex District seat left open when former State Representative Paul Brodeur was elected Mayor of Melrose. While those races represent important choices, most of the attention on the upcoming vote has been focused on the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. In Malden, Bernie Sanders seems to have won the deep blue hearts and minds of voters under 40 and the city’s progressive doers and thinkers. Warren Lynch, who launched Our Revolution Malden, the political action organization that harnessed the energy of Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign to continue supporting progressive causes and candidates, predicted Tuesday will be a big day for Sanders. “I think he’ll win the nomination and the presidency,” said Lynch, who said he gets plenty of positive comments when he’s out holding a Sanders campaign sign. He did, however, admit that Elizabeth Warren might emerge as an actual contender in her home state. “She has strong support and she might be a close second,” said Lynch. Carla Hogan said Sanders is the country’s best shot at regaining its footing. She worries about the Democratic Party’s old-school establishment wing and their attacks on Sanders but added that it tends to ramp up the commitment of his supSUPER TUESDAY | SEE PAGE 15 Published Every Friday 617-387-2200 By Barbara Taormina A fter several weeks of questions, legal opinions and advice from the state Ethics Commission, the City Council voted to approve Mayor Gary Christenson’s appointments of Brian Slater and Angie Liou to the city’s new Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board. The fund was established to preserve and create aff ordable housing with Malden’s community preservation funds, mitigation fees from developers, grants and donations. And there was never any doubt that Slater, a senior vice president of East Boston Savings Bank and treasurer for Housing Families Inc., and Liou, executive director of the Asian Community Development Corporation, which works to create and preserve affordable housing and promote home homeownership, had plenty of experience and expertise to bring to the board. But Slater is from Medford, Liou lives in Boston, and Malden’s ordinances on city employees and board and commission members requires Malden residency with a handful of exceptions. And there was also a concern that Slater and Liou could face confl icts of interest on Malden housing projects that might involve the East Boston Savings Bank and the Asian Community Development Corporation. However, as it turns out, the City Council seems to have unwittingly created a loophole that cleared the way for the appointments. When the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Ordinance was approved late last year, none of the councillors questioned the appointment guidelines – which state that a minimum of four of the seven trustees must be Malden residents – even though it conflicted with the ordinance requiring Malden residency for board and commission memberships. The residency requirements include exceptions for people employed before 1999, teachers, nonclerical employees of the Planning Board, the Board of Health’s physician, and people appointed by the Mayor and the City Council “who have been designated to serve by virtue of their employment with the city.” “We have an ordinance, but we do have some exceptions,” said Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crow, chair of the Personnel and Appointments Committee. Crowe explained that the appointments to the Aff ordable Housing Trust Fund board are a new exception to the residency rule. Crowe also said that the city’s legal department did see the possibility of confl icts of interest between Aff ordable Housing Trust Fund decisions and Slater’s role at his bank and Liou’s position at the Asian Community Development Corporation. But according to the state Ethics Commission, E Friday, February 28, 2020 Vets Director honors heroes of Iwo Jima FAMILY HONOR: Malden Veterans Services Director Kevin Jarvis displays the City of Malden fl ag on top of Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima on March 21, 2015. Jarvis is in Washington this week during the 75th anniversary of the fl ag raising at Iwo Jima where his family members, including his father, fought. See page 7 for story and photos. (Photo Courtesy of Kevin Jarvis) City Council approves exceptions to the residency rule it will be up to Slater and Liou to disclose any possible confl icts to the Commission and request rulings on whether they should recuse themselves from voting on specifi c items and projects. “If it’s something that helps the bank or the nonprofi t agency, it’s up to the appointee to get rulings from the Ethics Commission on a case-by-case basis,” explained Assistant City Solicitor John McNaught. Most councillors were reassured by the legal opinions and explanations. “We’ve done our due diligence,” said Ward 7 Councillor Neal Anderson. “I think we’ve covered our bases. We have an obligation to get Malden residents on boards and commissions, but I don’t think it has to be an absolute.” The only exception was Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley, who said he didn’t agree with the opinions provided to the City Council. O’Malley voted against approving the appointments. “I believe that the rules matter,” he said. “Before we act on this matter, we need to correct the ordinances.” But Councillor-at-Large Debbie DeMaria, who called Slater and Liou “proven leaders in their fi elds” said it is more important to move the Affordable Housing Trust Fund forward. “If we have to, we can clean up the ordinances, but the priority is to get these members in and working,” she said.
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