12

Page 12 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 26, 2024 VISIT | FROM PAGE 1 visit every housing authority in Massachusetts," Augustus told the audience assembled at the Roland Graham Forestdale Senior Citizens Housing Community Room Thursday morning. "This is my 55th visit." The statewide housing crisis is real and affects thousands of Massachusetts residents, Augustus told those in attendance, with the visit hosted by Malden Housing Authority (MHA) Executive Director Steve Finn and Mayor Gary Christenson. Several Malden state-level elected officials were on hand as well, including state Sen. Jason Lewis, D-5th Middlesex and state Reps. Paul Donato, D-Malden, Medford and Kate Lipper-Garabedian, D-Malden, Melrose. Several MHA Board members including chairperson Joan Chiasson, Frank Molis and Karen Nystrom were present as well. As for the growing housing crisis, relief is coming as a result of a sweeping, multi-faceted, $1.6 Housing Bond Bill, recently passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Healey. Augustus said that over the course of the next three years, phases of much-needed repairs and rehabilitation of existing housing units would be initiated and completed statewide. "There are 43,000 units of (state) public housing for over 70,000 residents and we need Mass. Housing Secretary Ed Augustus speaks at the Roland Graham Community Room Thursday. them to stay online," Augustus said Thursday. "This housing crisis is real, and we cannot afford to lose any of the units we still have." In addition to repairing and rehabbing existing units, Augustus spoke of the new opportunities presented by the Housing Bond Bill to improve, expand and enhance accessibility in public housing. "We should be leading by example when it comes to accessibility and we are doing by proactively addressing accessibility issues," Augustus, former Town Manager in Worcester, said. "There is a huge need. "When many of the housing Maldonian serves aboard USS Ronald Reagan WALK ING TOUR— E r i c Svendsen talks about rehabilitation projects at Roland Graham Housing in Malden as Mayor Christenson and Senator Lewis look on. units were built pre-World War II or right after, they were built 2 or 3 stories with no elevators," Augustus said. "Someone 90-yearold with a walker just does not have the ability to move freely in that case.Laundry rooms were located in the central, middle areas of complexes. "These are situations we are now able to address with this new housing bond bill," the EOHLC Secretary said. "We don't want people isolated where they live. They should be able to age in place comfortably if they wish." Both Augustus, MHA Executive Director Finn and Mayor Christenson took time and thanked the state delegation in attendance, as well as Malden Roland Graham Senior Citizen Housing in Forestdale is overseen by Malden Housing Authority. state Rep. Steve Ultrino, who was unable to attend Thursday, for their strident support of the housing bond bill. "Senator Lewis and Reps. Donato, Lipper-Garabedian and Ultrino are all longtime supporters of the Malden Housing Authority and we are very grateful for their support of the new housing bond bill, which will provide support for the repair and rehab of Malden units long after I am gone," MHA Executive Director Finn said. "We will be changing people's lives for the better." Finn then led a tour of some rehabilitation projects now under way at the Roland Graham House units at Forestdale which involved reconfiguring electrical setups. including breaker boxes, and replacing windows and doors with new, more energy Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://massterlist. com/subscribe/ Special to The Advocate S ERVING HIS COUNTRY: Lt. David Palencia, from Malden, Mass., uses a telescopic alidade to gather positional data from the pilot house of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as it pulls into Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on July 23. As an integral part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific in addition to providing realistic and relevant training necessary to flawlessly execute our Navy’s timeless roles of sea control and power projection. U.S. 3rd Fleet works in close coordination with other numbered fleets to provide commanders with capable, ready forces to deploy forward and win in day-to-day competition, in crisis and in conflict. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Stanton) THE HOUSE AND SENATE:Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 15-19.. APPROVE $58 BILLION FISCAL 2025 STATE BUDGET (H 4800) House 154-3, Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a $58 billion fiscal 2025 state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2024. The price tag represents a 1.97 billion or 3.5 percent increase over last year’s fiscal 2024 budget. The package uses more than $1 billion in one-time revenues to support the spending bill. Aside from the spending, the package makes policy changes including authorizing free community college, free rides on regional transit agencies, allowing the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online. A portion of the new revenue collected from online Lottery sales, estimated to be $100 million in in fiscal year 2025, would fund a permanent Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program which provides long-term stability for high-quality and affordable care for families. Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) said, “This budget is a vote of confidence in every Massachusetts resident going to school, raising a family and working to make ends meet—as well as a strong blueprint for bringing equity and opportunity to every region and resident of our state.” “This budget takes a fiscally responsible approach to making meaningful investments in areas of significant need,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “I’m proud of the fact that the … budget allocates key funding to better support Massachusetts students and families, to increase access to affordable health care and to provide for a safer and more reliable public transportation system.” "This year’s budget includes a $2 billion spending hike with $208 million less in tax revenues,” said Rep. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) one of only three members to vote against the budget. “So Democrats dug into reserve funds to balance this budget boondoggle. Even the Massachusetts Municipal Association said this year’s budget wasn’t based in reality.The budget ‘freebies’ include free school meals, free tuition at community colleges and no-charge rides on efficient models, which are easier to use. This project is funded by the state and known as the MODPhase renewal initiative. Eric Svendsen, MHA project maintenance foreman, led the tour and explained the changes and procedures being used. He also showed those on the tour some major improvements made to parking areas around the units, which tripled the number of parking spaces available in at least two locations. "The residents of these units are patient when we have to move them out temporarily, and they are very excited and appreciative when they return," Svendsen said. "We are not making eye-popping alterations, but we are absolutely their quality of life." the state's 15 regional transit authorities. The people stuck footing the bill are the working-class and from what I’ve seen they’re struggling to pay their bills and buy groceries. I’m not sure they can withstand more tax increases when these bloated budgets eventually go belly up.” “Once again, the Massachusetts Legislature is the last state in the country to pass its annual budget, and once again it is the largest budget in state history,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.“Legislators are already putting their thumb on the scale when determining the spending ratio for the income surtax funds, in which education spending is 17 percent greater than transportation, a ratio that was included in neither chamber’s original budget. House and Senate leaders also included multiple new and costly programs at a time when state revenue collections have been underperforming and a new billion dollar migrant crisis is growing. Long term, this will be very difficult to fix unless these same big government spenders decide to cut the spending priorities they are passing in this budget.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Sen. Jason Lewis Yes APPROVE FIREARMS CHANGES (H 4885) House 123-33, Senate 35-5, approved and sent to Gov. Healey a bill that would change some of the state’s gun laws. Provisions include cracking down on untraceable "ghost guns;" banning BHRC| SEE PAGE 13

13 Publizr Home