THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 3, 2026 Page 7 ~ OP-ED ~ The Voters Have Spoken - Now What? O ver the last few months, I have had many conversations with residents about the challenges facing our community and the override. During each and every one of these conversations, I have made it clear that there are a number of reasons why Malden is in the situation it is in. I am going to start by saying that - YES - it is possible to want to increase local revenues - FOR MALDEN - while also aiming to KEEP MALDEN AFFORDABLE. These are not mutually exclusive propositions which is why I proposed the less expensive and temporary debt exclusions to raise capital funds for the construction of the Northeast Voke and other public infrastructure which drain our operating funds. This measured approach - which would have saved city operations well over $1M a year - was rejected by the City Council without a meaningful opportunity to engage and debate the debt exclusion. The haphazard manner in which the override proposal was introduced - an election in the middle of winter with historic snow totals - brought a level of distrust, vilification and division that cannot be understated. Extremist rhetoric aimed at our neighbors has torn at the fabric of our community. It is not as simple as being for or against Malden. Those asserting so are either disingenuous themselves or are placing their trust in others who are. What is clear now is that the residents of Malden do not trust the city to provide reliable data and information on important matters of public concern. This was a missed opportunity to make a positive change for Malden - instead it was used as a campaign organizing tool fueled by public resources. The volunteers who helped get the word out deserve praise but the city leaders who put their personal political interests above the best interests of the City of Malden need to take a hard look in the mirror. I truly LOVE Malden. Do you? Here are my thoughts on how we got here and what we can do to avoid this situation in the future. The Commonwealth Underfunds Education Problem #1: It is no secret that the Chapter 70 foundation formula, which funds education in the Commonwealth, is completely broken. Virtually everyone has accepted this for a long time, except for our state legislators. To his credit, Malden’s Chief Innovation Officer Ron Hogan, has done the yeoman’s work educating state and municipal leaders on the Chapter 70 foundation formula. The cliff notes version is that there is no direct correlation between local revenues (what Malden brings in) and what the state says we should spend on education. As such, Malden is disparately impacted by shrinking state aid which leaves Malden with less resources to run all other city services. Solution #1: The Chapter 70 foundation formula needs to be refocused on actual local revenues (NB: the Department of Revenue knows this number already for every municipality) and the actual cost to meet student needs. For instance, transportation costs for out of district placement need to count toward net-school spending and municipalities should not lose a disproportionate amount of education aid funding based on arbitrary metrics. Without a correction, Malden will continue to face unfunded state mandates that degrade local services. We all must do what we can to support students and teachers by increasing the pressure on the state to fix the foundation formula. VOTERS | SEE PAGE 10 REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS BUYER1 Deng, Bin Franks, Talia Elizabeth Lam, Amy Tran, Tina BUYER2 Ambrose, Matthew Nokes, David SELLER1 Reyes, Renato Chen, Yan Zhen Yu, Ricky Horwitz, Cristopher Reyes, Victoria Yu, Jackie Pare, Michelle E Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman/The Commercial Record, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group. For a searchable database of real estate transactions and property information visit: www.thewarrengroup.com. SELLER2 ADDRESS 30 Franklin St #124 426 Pleasant St 1 Glenwood St #3 26 Webber St CITY Malden Malden Malden Malden DATE 03.13.26 03.11.26 03.13.26 03.12.26 PRICE 530000 380000 430000 719000 The Impact of AntiDevelopment Problem #2: Malden has long faced an anti-development trend which has stifled high-quality new growth. It wasn’t long ago, when Malden Square was close to having - not one - but two class A steel office buildings with lab space. Both of these projects would have been located across the street from each other at the old CVS and behind the old Granada theater at the intersection on Pleasant, Dartmouth, and Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 WE CAN HELP PAY YOUR HEATING BILLS. Qualifying households get up to $1,400 You may qualify for ABCD’s Fuel Assistance program and be eligible for as much as $1,400 towards your heating costs (oil, gas, or electric). APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 30TH SEE INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES AND APPLY AT BOSTONABCD.ORG/HEAT Boston, Brookline and Newton residents: 617.357.6012 Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester and Woburn residents: 781.322.6284
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