Maldden alld a Vol. 30, No. 39 den AADD -FREECelebrating 30 Years as Malden's Local Newspaper! CTE CAT AT www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Congratulations Rep. Ultrino 617-387-2200 Special to Th e Advocate T he City of Malden has received a $400,000 grant for improvements at Devir Park on Fellsway West, the maximum award amount under the state’s competitive Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant program, which is administered by the Massachusetts Executive Offi ce of Energy and Environmental Aff airs (EEA). The grant will be used to revitalize Malden’s largest park to meet today’s needs for the residents of Malden and the many youth organizations that use the 8.1 acre Devir Park every year. The proposed project will provide safe and accessible green space and recreational activities to Malden residents. The project also calls for the The Malden Asian community members congratulated State Representative Steve Ultrino on his recent promotion to House Vice-Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. Shown congratulating Rep. Ultrino, from left to right, are Sophie Tran, Tom Tat, State Representative Paul Donato (2nd from right) and Jason Law. (Courtesy photo) planting of more than 60 new trees, more clearly defi ned park entrances, new accessible walkways throughout the park, an accessible loop walkway with benches and shade trees that will connect various park destinations. Fitness stations will be dispersed along the southern portion of the loop walk. The baseball fi elds in the westE Friday, October 1, 2021 City receives $400K grant to improve Devir Park Gary Christenson Mayor ern portion of the site will be removed, and a new regulation women’s softball field will be constructed. The grassed recreation fields will be expanded to accommodate a regulation high school soccer fi eld and will also accommodate U-8 soccer fi elds. The playground will be completely replaced with defi ned areas and new play equipment suitable for ages 2-5 and 5-12 with new accessible, resilient rubber safety surfacing. A new splash pad will also be installed as well as new benches, bicycle racks and lights throughout the park. GRANT | SEE PAGE 16 Malden Councillor-at-Large candidates square off in virtual roundtable debate Most of the six hopefuls agree: Recovery from COVID-19 pandemic by residents and businesses is biggest issue Advocate Staff Report T his year’s Malden Councillor-at-Large race in the 2021 municipal election remains the “most watched” in the entire fi eld due to the potential for creating a major turnover in City Council members. The three At-Large seats, who’s elected Councillors will represent the entire city of Malden, not simply specifi c wards, feature two open seats for the fi rst time in nearly two decades, due to the decision of two incumbent Councillors-at-Large to not seek reelection. The lone incumbent, seeking reelection to a 10th term, is Craig Spadafora. The only candidate in this race with previous elected offi - cial experience is former Councillor-at-Large and former Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson. The other four At-Large candidates are Brian DeLacey, Roberto DiMarco, Karen Colón Hayes and Carey McDonald. The six candidates recently squared off in a roundtable-style debate – broadcast virtually on YouTube by the Asian Community Development Corporation, a Boston-based organization that supports the Asian community in Chinatown and parts of the greater Boston area. The format included opening statements, questions posed and answered by the six candidates and closing statements. While the six candidates expressed a wide range of views on a variety of issues, nearly all of them seemed in agreement that the biggest issue facing the city of Malden heading into the November 2 General Election remains how city offi cials are handling the recovery and ongoing response to the COVID-19 with respect to the health, safety and well-being of its residents and business owners. In her opening statement, candidate Hayes said she “has dedicated all my life to helping people.” She also pointed to what she said was 25 years of working in the private business sector before serving as the former Human Services and Senior Center Director for the city of Malden. “Our local government struggles to refl ect the diversity in Malden,” Hayes said. “I will build a more resilient Malden where everyone has a seat at the table,” Hayes said. “Malden needs more collaborative leadership so this diverse community can rise.” DeLacey, in his statement, described raising his family in Malden, where he said his children “thrived as Malden High students.” He noted his former work experience as a business consultant and in social work, software development and higher education. “I am a strong advocate of openness and transparency in city government,” DeLacey said. “Malden is at a turning point.” DiMarco said that he hoped to foster a greater sense of unity in a divided community as an elected offi cial. “I’ve been training to be a city leader my entire life,” said DiMarco, a local attorney. “As we look around the city, we tend to see the division growing and we have to start DEBATE | SEE PAGE 10
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