THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 10, 2019 ~ Political Announcement ~ Page 5 Ryan O'Malley announces reelection bid for ward 4 councillor T he Committee to Elect Ryan O’Malley is happy to announce that Ryan has decided to seek another term representing Malden’s fourth ward on the City Council. Although Ryan has only been on the City Council a short time, he has been able to work collaboratively with his colleagues and community groups to bring transformative change to the City of Malden. On the changes occurring in Malden, Ryan said, “we are seeing the rapid revitalization of Malden Center, the rebirth of our artist community, and a renewed interest in our local government. Each and every member of the Malden community has helped us achieve what we have been waiting so long for – the Golden Age of Malden.” While on the City Council, Ryan has focused his eff orts on: • Improving critical public infrastructure (water and gas pipes) • Bringing transparency and increased access to local government (executive session meeting records) • Increasing civic participation (public comment) • Homeownership and housing aff ordability (Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Committee) • Creating more public art and open space throughout Malden (the ArtLine and the Malden River Greenway) Public Infrastructure Early on in his public service, Ryan became aware of the fact that Malden has the highest percentage of lead water pipes in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It has since become clear that our water and sewer systems have been subjected to decades of neglect and deferred mainproposal to invest over $250k from the Community Development Block Grant for pedestrian improvements to our sidewalks. This eff ort has been celebrated by Malden’s seniors who appreciate level and well maintained sidewalks. As part of the natural gas main Ryan O’Malley Ward 4 Councillor tenance. Through his advocacy and persistence the City of Malden has stepped up the replacement of lead pipes to more than 233 annually. When National Grid chose to lock out qualified gas workers, Ryan was on the front line demanding that public safety not be jeopardized in the name of corporate greed. Ryan documented various natural gas incidents on Main Street and submitted testimony to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy of the Massachusetts House and Senate. By working with Mayor Gary Christenson, Ryan was able to have National Grid agree to immediately replace over 1.13 miles of gas mains on and around Main Street that were over 100 years old! Roadways and Sidewalks Ryan was proud to support the eff orts of Mayor Christenson and Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe to pass Malden’s Complete Streets policy which has positioned the City to receive an additional $400k grant annually for road and sidewalk work from the Commonwealth. This work focuses on making our congested roads safer for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Ryan has also supported Councillor Stephen Winslow’s replacement on Main Street, the road will be entirely resurfaced in the Late Summer/Fall of 2019. All sidewalks will be brought up to code to meet ADA requirements and all lead pipes have been removed as part of the holistic infrastructure improvement project. Another major success has been the approval of the Exchange Street revitalization project that is fully funded through $1.7m in State and Federal funds. This project was a collaboration between the entire legislative delegation, represented by Senator Jason Lewis, Reps Steven Ultrino, Paul Donato, and Paul Brodeur, the City of Malden represented by Councillor O’Malley, Mayor Christenson, and the Executive Director of the MRA Deborah Burke. Government Transparency and Civic Participation As the Chair of the Rules and Ordinance Committee, Ryan worked closely with then Council President Debbie DeMaria to create the fi rst ever public comment period at City Council meetings. As a result of this initiative the public is now welcome to come and speak on any issue before the City Council. Ryan has also had to make tough decisions on how to make the City Council comply with the Open Meeting and Public Records Laws of the Commonwealth. After years of inaction on the proper review and approval of “closed MATV to host annual Open House Showcase lease join us for any part of MATV’s 13th Annual Open House Showcase – a live TV show, webcast, YouTube LIVE event, and Open House! This free community event will take place on Saturday, May 11, from 1–7 p.m. at MATV, Malden’s Media Center, at 145 Pleasant St. There will be a wide variety of live performances throughout the day, interviews with community guests, an array of food donated by local restaurants and an opportunity to socialize and peek behind the scenes of a live TV show. Performances include Indian classical dance, Turkish-Spanish-Indian fusion music, a Scandinavian a capella vocal P Friday, May 24 at 8 PM RADIO ROULETTE with guests: REVOLVER Saturday, May 25 at 8 PM WILDFIRE door” executive session meeting minutes, Ryan formally appealed to the City Council and Attorney General’s Offi ce to ensure that the public would have access to accurate and trustworthy meeting records. As part of that eff ort the Attorney General’s Offi ce is reviewing the processes and procedures of the City Council. The City Council has also passed a rule change codifying, for the fi rst time ever, POLITICAL | SEE PAGE 13 We Carry... * 100% Waterproof LVT Flooring * Ceramic, Porcelain & Stone Tile 31 Osprey Rd., Saugus * 781-289-9676 dine drink gather enjoy THE NORTH SHORE'S HOTTEST NIGHTCLUB! Friday, May 10 Saturday, May 11 U2 Tribute Sensation JOSHUA TREE Eagles Musical Tribute Experience Friday, May 17 at 8 PM LAVISH with 80's REUNION BAND Saturday, May 18 Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute VYNTYGE SKYNYRD Friday, May 31 at 8 PM STONE GROOVE The a capella Scandinavian group “Northbound” will perform on MATV’s Open House Showcase. (Courtesy Photo) group, Latin American tango, rock, rap and jazz music. Please check the website at matv.org and click on “Open House Showcase” to see the full lineup of performances. Hope to see you there and bring a friend. With 43 CHURCH STREET Every Tuesday Night OPEN MIC with BRIAN MAES Open to all ages! Registration 7:30 PM 221 Newbury Street, Danvers For Tickets call (978) 774-7270 or www.breakawaydanvers.com
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