THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, August 7, 2026 Page 5 MEETING | FROM PAGE 1 Mayor Gary Christenson, who also serves as Malden School Committee chairperson, sent a letter to the City Council noting the vacancy and that it would be a joint appointment through the Council and Malden School Committee. — After nearly two months of inaction, the Mayor sent a formal letter to the Council in what he stated was an effort to move the process forward. In the letter, which appeared publicly on the Council docket on November 18, he recommended former City Councillor Jeffrey Donahue, citing Donahue’s “vast experience in the trades, prior service as a city councilor and demonstrated interest in vocational education.” That joint appointment proposal appeared on the Nov. 18 agenda, sponsored by Councilor Peg Crowe, chair of the Personnel/Appointments Committee. Mass. Attorney General Campbell's office determined the events that followed proved an attempt by Councillor Colón Hayes to circumvent the appointment process through a violation of the Open Meeting Law. Included were a series of cellphone calls, text messages via the cellphone, and other forms of communication including at least one face-to-face meeting. All of the communications added up to an illegal quorum outside of the established meeting guidelines, generated by Councillor Colón Hayes' contact with Council colleagues. In some social media posts and also in an opinion piece published in The Malden Advocate in last week's edition, Councillor Colón Hayes claimed,"A few months ago, the mayor attempted to bypass the election process for Malden’s representative on the Northeast Metro Tech School Committee by placing his nominee on the City Council agenda. This would have circumvented the established procedure, which requires a joint appointment by the City Council and School Committee when a vacancy occurs," she wrote last week. Mayor Christenson did not appear at the July 28 special meeting, but provided a written statement that was read by the City Clerk during the Public Comment segment where he directly addressed Colón Hayes' claims and gave a detailed description of his actions in the process, as well as recollection of Colón Hayes' response. Councilor Colón Hayes' response is what drew the investigation and subsequent finding of an Open Meeting Law violation by the Attorney General. “While I generally do not respond to such posts, the level of inaccuracy makes it necessary to get the record straight,” Christenson wrote. He emphasized that his recommendation of Donahue was “placed on the City Council docket, advanced through a public agenda and handled with full transparency and opportunity for discussion," Mayor Christenson wrote. “By contrast, (Councillor Colón Hayes') own actions occurred outside of the public process and involved communications with a quorum of her colleagues,” added Mayor Christenson,. Ward 8 Councilor Jadeane Sica, who filed the original Open Meeting Law complaint in November 2025 and in January elevated that complaint to go to the Mass. AG after the city solicitor’s office initially dismissed it, stated that she had previously reached out to Colón Hayes in an effort to work together. “Back in March, after seeing many negative social media posts or comments regarding myself and Karen’s bickering back and forth during meetings and in general, I decided to reach out to Karen, extending an olive branch, and suggested a truce so that we could move forward productively for the betterment of Malden,” said Sica. “My desire to work constructively hasn’t changed, and I stand by that effort.” However, Sica expressed deep disappointment in Colón Hayes’ public response to the AG’s ruling, criticizing video and social media explanations. “Good governance requires accountability, which is why we need to address this matter tonight,” Sica said. “Taking ownership, being an effective leader, isn’t about being perfect. It’s about taking responsibility when a mistake is made. Rebranding a state law violation as a learning experience while blaming others demonstrates a complete lack of personal accountability. “The attorney general’s office conducted an independent, objective investigation based on hard evidence, voicemails, text messages, call logs,” she said. “The response shouldn’t be to point fingers at other people who have violated the Open Meeting Law, the mayor, the city solicitor or us fellow councilors. Turning a clear legal ruling into a narrative of personal victimization distracts from the actual issue. The public’s right to open government was compromised.” “The Open Meeting Law exists to protect public trust, not to be treated as a game of loopholes,” Sica said. “My hope for the future is simple: that not just you, everyone up here, if they get found in violation, learn from our mistakes, take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves to the standards our community expects of us.” Councillor Colón Hayes spoke last on the matter.“This was very, very hard for me. I was distraught when I saw the name,” said Colón Hayes. " I admit that I was making calls very quickly to people about what had happened to me and what I saw on the agenda.” Colón Hayes said she did not intend to bypass the law but was trying to understand the process and voice her concerns. “I like talking with my constituents, I like putting stuff out there about what is going on in the city council,” she said. “So, I will do that, but I’ll just be more careful. “Trust me when I say I have learned,” Colon Hayes added. “I have learned, and I’ll do better. " Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Since 1947 MALDEN AUTO BODY Book online: Maldenauto.com 49 Robin St., Everett, MA 617-389-3030 * Maldenab@yahoo.com Over 79 years of exceptional service! Massone Family Owned & Operated Lawrence A. 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