THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 21, 2025 Page 19 MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 7 daily business (much to the chagrin of his kids and lovely wife Nicole). LOL. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – the Malden State of the City Address at Anthony’s on Canal Street – aka The Function Hall That Albert Built (with a massive assist from Mary Brown Spadafora and a cast of hundreds) was an absolute showstopper! Mayor Gary Christenson owned the stage as always (and whoever oversees his moss is doing a bang-up job; who agrees with me?), with the dynamic duo of Maria Luise and Kathleen Manning Hall keeping LEGAL NOTICE things sharp and seamless. But (again) the breakout star of the morning? Mark Linehan! For crying out loud he’s a star – this guy’s got talent with fame and fortune in his very near future. All jokes aside, Mark – bravo! Amanda, he’s a keeper. Insert smiley face. And can we talk about the “Jeopardy!” theme? Genius! A perfect blend of fun, creativity and civic pride. Bravo to everyone involved actually – you absolutely nailed it! Postscript 1: Not so fast, “The Last Word” from hizzoner Mayor Gary Christenson (you were hoping for Lawrence O’Donnell?!): “I thought it was fun, informative, and a reminder that despite all our challenges we have had and continue to have a lot of positive things are happening throughout our city. This is a result of our hardworking and dedicated team here in the city. They continue to impress me day in, day out and I couldn’t be more grateful to them. If the past year is any indicator, I believe good things will happen once more in 2025 despite the uncertainties we are faced with.” Postscript 2: In his final “Jeopardy!” answer, Mayor Christenson took a moment to express his heartfelt gratitude to his core team – Chief of Staff Maria Luise, top aide Kathleen Manning Hall, Chief Strategic Planner/Parking Department Director/Theo’s parent Ron “Man of Many Hats” HoLEGAL NOTICE THE MALDEN HOUSING AUTHORITY 630 Salem Street Malden, MA 02148 PH: 781-322-3150 FAX: 781-322-3543 TDD: (800) 545-1833 x 103 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS The Malden Housing Authority (MHA) will conduct Public Hearings to discuss and obtain input relative to the submission of the MHA’s Proposed FFY2026 Public Housing Agency Annual Plan as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will also concurrently conduct a Public Hearing to discuss MHA’s Proposed EOHLC FY2026 State Annual Plan submission. During these hearings, proposed revisions to the MHA’s Section 8 Administrative Plan, Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy, Public Housing Lease and/or House Rules, various Policies and MHA’s proposed HUD 5 Year and 2025 Annual Capital Fund Grant Program and State Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) construction projects will be presented for discussion. MHA Resident Advisory Board Members, federal and state Public Housing Residents and Section 8 Housing Choice and state program voucher Participants, elected and other local government officials, representatives of social service agencies and advocacy groups, community leaders, concerned citizens and all other parties having interest in these hearings are invited to attend to express their priorities and concerns and/or offer comments and suggestions. These Hearings will be held on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, beginning at 8:30 A.M. in the 630 Salem Street Community Room, which is accessible. MHA will provide transportation to and from these Hearings for Forestdale and Springdale State PH residents who wish to attend. Please call Executive Assistant, Barbara Hooley, at (781) 322-3164 prior to May 30, 2025 if you are a Forestdale or Springdale resident who needs MHA to provide transportation to and from these Hearings. For questions, please contact Executive Director, Stephen G. Finn, at (781) 322-3150. By: Karin H. Nystrom, Chairperson MHA Board of Commissioners The MHA is an Equal Opportunity Housing Provider and a Drug and Smoke-Free Workplace March 21, 2025 Y ou are now entitled to claim a tax credit on your 2024 Massachusetts individual income tax return if you are taking care of a dependent child, other dependent or spouse with a disability or another dependent who is age 65 or older. You can claim this tax credit if you are filing single, head of household or married filing joint on your tax return. Your dependent child must be under age 13 as of December 31, 2024. With respect to a dependent age 65 or older as of December 31, 2024, that would not include you or your spouse. The tax credit to claim on your Massachusetts return is $440 for each qualifying individual. There is no limit to the number of qualified individuals that you can claim the tax credit for. This represents an increase over the calendar year 2023 tax credit which was $310 per individual. If you are a Massachusetts non-resident filing a non-resident Massachusetts income tax return, you cannot claim gan and Communications Director Elaina (2025 MVP?) Savino – along with the entire staff for their unwavering dedication throughout the year. He acknowledged their collective efforts in tackling the city’s challenges and emphasized the hurdles Malden faces in 2025, reinforcing his commitment to navigating them together. My note: and I hope for another term or two! Go Gary!! —Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at PeteL39@ aol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms. 2024 MASSACHUSETTS CHILD AND FAMILY TAX CREDIT this tax credit. Part year residents can claim the credit and must calculate the tax credit he or she is qualified for based upon the number of days living in Massachusetts. A dependent or spouse with a disability is an individual who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself or herself and who principally lives with the taxpayer for more than half of the taxable year. Taxpayers need to keep this tax credit in mind as many spouses are caring for a spouse who might be stricken with a disability such as dementia or a physical disability and requires a significant amount of time in home health care from his or her spouse. This is also a refundable tax credit so even if you your total tax is zero and you had no withholdings from wages or pension income, for example, you would still be able to receive a refund based upon the tax credit as calculated on your Massachusetts income tax return. This is the second year that Massachusetts has provided for such a tax credit. It is a big help to taxpayers caring for children, parents or disabled individuals or spouses. This is in addition to the increase in the circuit breaker tax credit available to taxpayers age 65 or older, which is now up to $2,730. It was $2,400 in 2023 and only $1,200 in 2022. Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a master’s degree in taxation.
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