THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 28, 2021 Page 15 MALDEN TODAY | FROM PAGE 4 San Rock 2021? Stay tuned to this channel. “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end” – in the spirit of full disclosure, Craig Spadafora has been a friend for about 40 years now, his father, Albert, a bit longer. Greg Lucey and I took Craig and Greg’s little brother Scotty to their fi rst concert in 1984, Prince (with Sheila E) at the Worcester Centrum. I have watched Craig grow into a wonderful family man, a valued member of the community and a dedicated public servant. With that said, his “Guest Commentary” in the April 16 edition of The Advocate was (in my humble opinion) a breath of fresh air. Craig is an old-school public servant – from a long line of dedicated public servants – serving only for the betterment of all Maldonians, so when he speaks it is very often straight from the heart. Much like his grandfather (Police Commissioner and much more) “Papa Tony.” This line from the article was like a Dana Rosenblatt gut punch: “Like most matters, there is no ‘right’ and no ‘wrong.’ We aren’t arguing about what two plus two equals. It’s for precisely that reason that we need more communication, collaboration, and relationship building, not less.” I like that idea. I do. And I know it resonates with many. It seems like a big, bold statement in 2021 but it really isn’t. It is long overdue (again, in my humble opinion). I’ve followed Malden politics for some time now. Malden’s elected offi cials did not always like each other. Just ask Neal Anderson, Eddie Lucey or Karen Anderson. But they always seemed to be able to sit together and get the job done. As cliché as this might sound: together as one city. Postscript 1: Okay, so my last statement may have sounded “political,” but that was not my intention. It is not necessarily an endorsement of a candidate but an endorsement of a sentiment behind a statement. I applaud the eff ort. I applaud anybody’s willingness to reach across the table for the good and welfare of Malden. I’m looking for the snowball effect where all our elected offi - cials (and those that “pull” papers) are of the same mindset. The future of Malden is bright. Many important decisions to be made. Together. Postscript 2: Who else remembers that night at Devir? The police confiscated enough Schlitz that evening to keep them happy for at least a month! Insert smiley face.
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