Vol. 34, No. 25 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net O’Malley ousted as Malden City Council President City history is made as Council members make first-ever removal of seated President; Ward 3’s Linehan elected to lead Council for rest of year By Noah-Simon Contreras T he Malden City Council made municipal history Tuesday night with a near-unanimous vote to oust first-time Council President Ryan O’Malley from his leadership role. The unprecedented move — believed by all to be a first-ever in city history — came after over two weeks of acrimony and in the midst of a marathon, five-hour meeting Tuesday night, where the issue of Councillor O’Malley’s fate took center stage. Nearly three hours of discussion, debate and remarks by nearly all of the 11 Council members domT he procedures for removing a seated City Council President under Robert’s Rules of Order depend on the specific circumstances and the City Council’s bylaws. Here’s a general overview of the potential methods, paraphrased, from Robert’s Rules of Order: 1. Formal Disciplinary Procedures: This process is used if the inated the evening, centered on Council Order number 313-25, which read: “Order: That the City Council will vote whether to remove Council President O’Malley from his seat as President for the remainder of his term that was to last until the end of the 2025 calendar year.” The Council order, sponsored by Ward 8 Councillor Jadeane Sica and Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora, came after two weeks of controversy surrounding the actions of now former Council President O’Malley, who OUSTED | SEE PAGE 7 bylaws specify a fixed term for the President and involves an investigation, formal trial, and a majority vote on the penalty, which can include removal. 2. Removal by the Body: If the bylaws allow for removal before the term ends, the President can be removed without formal disciplinary procedures. This requires Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley was removed from his post as City Council President for the remainder of the one-year term (until December 31) by a 7-3 vote of the City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. (Courtesy/City of Malden) Robert’s Rules of Order: Removal of a Seated City Council President a two-thirds vote, a majority vote with previous notice, or a vote of the majority of the entire membership. A successor can then be elected. 3. Censure: This is an official reprimand to express disapproval. It requires a majority vote but does not legally remove the President, serving as a warning. BREAKING NEWS: Malden Education Association reaches agreement with School Committee on a new 3-year contract By Steve Freker T he Malden Education Association (MEA) has reached a tentative agreement on a new, three-year contract with the Malden School Committee’s Negotiation Subcommittee after a marathon nine-hour negotiating session Tuesday. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, a large group of teachers’ union members erupted in cheers and applause when it was announced by MEA President Deb Gesualdo and her leadership team that favorable terms had been reached between the two parties. The MEA is one of the largest teachers’ unions in the region and the largest labor union in the city of Malden, representing over 800 teachers, educaSCHOOL | SEE PAGE 10 Published Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, June 20, 2025 Malden City Council unanimously approves $236.1M FY26 budget This year’s figure is essentially level-funded, about $12 million or 8.3 percent higher than last year’s budget By Steve Freker T he Malden City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a $236,117,62 budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Fiscal Year 2026 covers municipal expenditures from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The $236.1 million budget proposal represents an increase of about 8.3%, or about $12 million, over last year’s FY25 figure of $224 million. Voting unanimously in favor of the city budget appropriation for FY25 were Peg Crowe (Ward 1), Paul Condon (Ward 2), Council President Amanda Linehan (Ward 3), Ryan O’Malley (Ward 4), Ari Taylor (Ward 5), Chris Simonelli (Ward 7), Jadeane Sica (Ward 8) and Councillors-at-Large Carey McDonald, Karen Colón Hayes and Craig Spadafora. The Council’s vote Tuesday was the culmination of a several weeks’ process of review of the budget proposal from Mayor Gary Christenson’s office from the mayor and his financial strategy team. The review was conCAREY MCDONALD Councillor-at-Large ducted by the Council’s Finance Committee, chaired by Councillor McDonald. Councillor McDonald said at Tuesday’s meeting that the Finance Committee went over the budget thoroughly, but offered no changes. He said there was a good discussion with the Malden Public Schools operations team, including Superintendent Timothy Sippel, BUDGET | SEE PAGE 6
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