Maldden alld a A Vol. 30, No. 19 O den -FREEThe Advocate – A household word in Malden for 30 years! AD O C TE AD CAT AT www.advocatenews.net Mayor Christenson proposes $188.1 M municipal budget for FY22 City Council will begin budget deliberations in Finance Committee Special to the Malden Advocate n Tuesday night, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson presented his $188.1 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget to the City Council Tuesday evening. The FY22 budget represents just a one percent increase over the FY21 municipal budget which totaled $184.3 million. The Malden City Council accepted the paper including the budget proposal and referred it to the Finance Committee, where it will be reviewed. The Council may not add funding to the budget proposal, but is only able to reduce it with cuts if it decides to do so. For the fi rst time ever, the City Published Every Friday 617-387-2200 Gary Christenson Mayor utilized a cloud-based budgeting software platform from Cleargov, the market leader in transparency and budgeting software for municipalities. BUDGET | SEE PAGE 9 E Friday, May 14, 2021 Malden Mystic Valley Elder Services director honored at fundraiser Those Who Can For Those In Need Founder/President Judie Van Kooiman presents a 6th Annual Those Who Can award to Mystic Valley Elder Services Executive Director Daniel O’Leary. See page 12 for story and photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) Malden Police Officer Alan F. Ray’s Ultimate Sacrifice Recognized In honor of National Peace Offi cers Memorial Day, the Malden Advocate has learned that fallen Malden Police Offi cer Alan F. Ray’s 2014 line of duty death will be recognized with his name being added to National Law Enforcement Offi cers Memorial. I n 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Offi cers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement offi cers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. The National Law Enforcement Offi cers Memorial is centered in the 400 block of E Street, NW, Washington, D.C., and is the nation’s monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the Memorial honors federal, state and local law enforcement offi cers who have made the ultimate sacrifi ce for the safety and Offi cer Al Ray Killed in the line of duty protection of our nation and its people. The Memorial features two curving, 304-foot-long, bluegray marble walls. Carved on these walls are the names of more than 22,000 offi cers who died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the fi rst known death in 1786. Unlike many other memorials in Washington, D.C., the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is ever-changing: New names of fallen offi cers are added to the monument each spring in conjunction with National Police Week. Malden Police Offi cer Alan Ray is one of 394 fallen heroes being added to the Memorial. Of the line of duty deaths, 99 are historical and 295 are recent, including 182 due to COVID-19. Offi cer Ray joined the Malden Police Department in 1980 and remained a member of the department until 2014 when he succumbed to the devastating injuries that he received while arresting a resisting suspect while working his tour of duty during the early morning hours of January 12, 2012. When he fi rst joined the Police Department, Offi cer Ray was immediately given a nickname by one of the more senior offi - cers on the department. He became “Aldo” Ray – named after a fi lm star from the 1950s and 60s who was noted for his lovable tough guy roles who coincidently served as a police constable in Crocket, Calif., before his acting career began. Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis gave the following perspective: “If you look at Offi cer Al Ray’s personnel folder it will note that on March 1, 1980 he took an oath that all Malden POLICE | SEE PAGE 10
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