Vol. 34, No. 26 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Malden Superintendent of Schools gets high marks after Year One Superintendent’s evaluation a key topic at special School Committee meeting By Steve Freker T hey may not be unanimous in all matters they vote on individually, but the members of the Malden School Committee were all in agreement on this one. The consensus of the members revealed this week is they believe Superintendent of Schools Dr. Timothy Sippel is off to a productive and successful start after a full calendar and academic year guiding the Malden Excerpts of Malden School Committee members’ written Year One evaluation of Superintendent Timothy Sippel, Ed.L.D. “The Superintendent has continually made communication of the highest priority, has worked very hard to have an open dialogue, listen to stakeholders in the district and to make major improvements in the districts in a positive manner.” — Robert McCarthy Jr., representing Ward 2 • • • “The Superintendent has done excellent work this year and I have had many opportunities to watch him operate. His style and ways in managing the relationships has been a refreshing change. I look forward to seeing what Dr. Sippel can accomplish in following years.” —Keith Bernard, representing Ward 7 • • • “Dr. Sippel has made a concerted effort to understand the tradition and culture of the Malden Public Schools while examining areas that need to be addressed and uncovering needs. He has attended multiple community events, almost all school-related activities and otherwise become a member of the Malden community. He believes in transparency and is always available to answer questions.” — Elizabeth Hortie, representing Ward 5 SIDEBAR | SEE PAGE 10 Public Schools. As part of a written evaluation discussed Monday, School Committee Chairperson and Mayor Gary Christenson gave Dr. Sippel the highest “grade” possible. “I have been Mayor now for 13 years and I have never seen a stronger start for a first-year Superintendent than I have for Tim Sippel,” Mayor Christenson stated in his evaluation. SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 9 E TIMOTHY SIPPEL, ED.L.D. Malden Public Schools Superintendent IT'S A SCORCHER!: It's 'Hot! Hot! Hot!' in Malden with recordsetting heat Tuesday Temperature at Logan Airport of 102 degrees smashes previous mark of 95 degrees; Hottest June temperature is history! By Steve Freker I n the present-day world, seemingly ruled by hyperbole, Tuesday's 24-hour blast of en fuego weather was certainly no exaggeration: It was HOT out there! It came perilously close to the hottest day ever recorded in this area's history. How hot exactly? Well, the largest thermometer in Malden sits at the corner of Route 60 (Eastern Avenue) and Lisbon Street at the Carrier plant and it was there for all to see: 102 Degrees! Record-setting heat came to Malden and the region on Tuesday, with temperatures hitting 102 degrees, the hottest day ever recorded in June. (Advocate Photo) That 102-degree temperature, also recorded at the official National Weather Service spot at Logan Airport, is indeed a record-setting high. In fact, it's a DOUBLE reHEAT | SEE PAGE 11 617-387-2200 ~ OP-ED ~ Lesson: Actions Have Consequences By Craig Spadafora, Councillor-At-Large ach year, the Malden City Council elects from its ranks one individual to lead the body for the calendar year. It is both an honor and a responsibility. The Council President is entrusted to set the tone for the council, to set priorities, to lead, and most importantly, to prioritize the success and integrity of the body as a whole. Last week, the City Council voted, for the first time ever, to remove Councillor Ryan O’Malley as sitting Council President in a historic bipartisan vote. It has never been done before for good reason. It takes A LOT to lose the trust of enough members in a way that results in this extreme call to action. That O’Malley managed to do that is not a reflection on those who took the courageous vote to replace him, but a reflection on his willingness to time and time again put his personal agenda first, lie to the council, and break all norms when it comes to integrity. There’s been plenty written on social media about this topic, so let’s set some facts straight. O’Malley was NOT removed because he initiated a lawsuit against the Malden Public Library. While the decision to do this without Council knowledge to settle what had become a personal agenda showed incredibly poor judgement, O’Malley had ample chance to recover from this poorly thought-out misstep by simply owning it and following the will of the Council who voted to withdraw the lawsuit. Instead, he doubled down with a series of steps that truly told the City Council that O’Malley had zero regard for his colleagues, votes, our legal department, and our Public Library. It was not the lawsuit, but rather the ensuing actions of ignoring the council vote, threatening to turn city lawyers into the Board of Bar Overseers, and continuing to use city funds to meet his personal objectives that resulted in the order to consider removing O’Malley. Even with the item docketed for the June 17th meeting calling for O’Malley’s removal, I believe he had one last opportunity to show true recognition of the damage he had done, the impact of his missteps, the hurt his lies had caused, in a way that LESSON | SEE PAGE 15 Friday, June 27, 2025
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