Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 2, 2021 ~ Letter-to-the-Editor ~ Friends in High Places Maplewood Residents Need to Lead the Effort to Plan the Future of Maplewood Sq. Dear Editor, Over the past few days since the announcement that the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School (MVRCS) has entered into agreements to purchase 3 parcels in the heart of Maplewood Square with the noted intent to expand, scores of Maplewood residents have spontaneously expressed their outrage to us as well as on social media. That outrage has already given rise to a petition to stop the sale and to social media effort to organize against expansion of MVRCS. As elected officials closely tied Shown enjoying the Malden Summer Carnival on Pleasant St. on Saturday, June 26, from left: State Representative Steve Ultrino, Malden resident Jason Law, and State Representative Paul Donato.(Courtesy photo) A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 CHECK OUT OUR OPEN DOOR SPECIALS! Same Location * Same Service for over 49 Years... CIGAR GIFT PACKS UNDER $50 Cigar Chris Dan Steve Bundles starting at $49.95 ---------GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE * Travel Humidors * Desk Top Humidors * Many Types of Lighters * Ash Trays * Juuls * Cigar Accessories * Vapes * Glass Pipes * Rewards Program * CBD Infused Products Buy Cigars by the Box & $ave! DEEP DISCOUNTS ON ALL MAJOR BRANDS! GREAT SELECTION! GREAT PRICES! STORE HOURS: Mon. - Wed.: 8 AM - 7 PM / Thurs., Fri. - Sat.: 8 AM - 8 PM Sunday & Holidays: 8 AM-6 PM to the residents of Ward 6, we write to acknowledge residents anger and pledge to work to ensure the Maplewood residents will lead the effort to plan the future of Maplewood Square, not MVRCS. As Maplewood residents ourselves, we enjoy being able to dine, shop and meet with friends and neighbors in our neighborhood. The properties involved threaten to impact long-time main stay restaurants including Serena, Panda Castle and Patricks and our local pub Frannys. A school building that eliminates or saps their vitality will essentially make ¼ of Maplewood Square a dead zone at nights and weekends. Residents already complain about the extra traffic congestion and parking mayhem generated during morning and afternoons around MVRCS. ObviSTATE HOUSE | FROM PAGE 2 reforms will make it harder for a single party to quietly behave however they like behind closed doors. For years, this is how the State House has operated. The State House rules vote is coming up in early July. Last week, volunteers from The People’s House campaign met with Rep. Ultrino again. Rep. Ultrino strongly opposed all of our proposed reforms. We asked him why the State House rules couldn’t be brought up to the same level as the State Senate, where all committee votes are public, and he didn’t have an answer. For transparency advocates, this response is both disappointing and frustrating. We fear that the State House as a body is more accountable to Democratic party leadership than it is to the public. In the past year, we have all seen the dangers ously an expansion that would put another 300 students along with staff will further aggravate a bad situation when MVRCS turned what were walkable neighborhood schools into a regional destination. MVRCS students have been major daytime users of Trafton Park, yet when an effort Councillors Camell and Winslow reached out to MVRCS leadership to participate in the planning of Trafton, no one from MVRCS participated. If MVRCS has funds to purchase land, they should be sure to include and build an outdoor play area for students as well to prevent overuse of the playground and field at Trafton. MVRCS notes its core virtues include “the fundamental ideals of our American Culture, which are embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.” MVRCS must not only teach those virtues, it must practice those, by ensuring the people who support this government-funded institution have input in its decisions. We as your local elected officials will be sure to strongly advocate for all residents of Maplewood to have input in the planning of Maplewood Square. Signed, Councillor Stephen Winslow School Committee Member Joseph Gray of weakening democracy for the sake of maintaining power. MA House Democrats should take the initiative to strengthen our democracy, by enacting rules that promote openness, accountability, and trust in our government. Here in Malden, the People’s House campaign has been endorsed unanimously by Our Revolution Malden and the Malden Democratic City Committee. This raises an important question: If the progressives, conservatives, and mainstream Democrats are in unanimous support, what grounds does Rep. Ultrino have to resist these reforms? Bay Staters pride themselves on hailing from the birthplace of modern democracy. I hope that Rep. Ultrino will change his mind, and do his part to honor that legacy. To learn more about The People’s House, please visit https:// actonmass.org/the-campaign/.
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