Your Local News, Sports & Information Online! Scan and Subscribe! Vol. 34, No. 41 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday CITY COUNCIL: Tough talk by Finance Committee, city officials on tax override Even if Prop. 2/12 override passes, cuts in city personnel, services still likely, all agree By Steve Freker A s he recited the projected numbers, department by department, the air seemed to leave the room quicker with each digit, finally getting to the last one. When he added them up, he might as well have been swinging a sledgehammer. "Yes, about 60," Malden City Controller Chuck Ranaghan told Finance Committee chairperson Carey McDonald, when asked directly how many municipal jobs were projected to be on the chopping block if local voters ultimately declined to approve a proposed Proposition 2 1/2 property tax override. "That is sobering news, for sure," Councillor at large McDonald said, after Ranaghan gave a scenario of potentiakl force reductions in the Malden Police Department, Malden Fire Department, Malden Public Library staff, Department of Public Works and general city staff. The Malden City Council's Finance Committee convened Tuesday night for the first time since last week's historic full TAX | SEE PAGE 13 Firefighters battle triple-decker home blaze; family displaced By The Advocate O n Friday, October 3, 2025, Malden firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire at a multifamily residence at 88 Fairmont St. While no serious civilian injuries were reported, one firefighter was hospitalized with minor injuries, likely from smoke inhalation. The three-story building sustained heavy damage, displacing multiple residents. Malden Firefighters were dispatched at around 4:19 p.m. to 88 Fairmont St. Upon arrival, crews found heavy fire on all three floors of the triple-decker home. Due to the deteriorating conditions, firefighters initially shifted to a defensive, exterior-only operation before reentering the building. The fire extended to a neighboring home, causing minor roof damage, before it was extinguished. Assistant Fire Chief Leonard Dunn noted that homes in the area BLAZE | SEE PAGE 8 A firefighter is shown exiting to the ladder from inside the Fairmont Street home. W hen Massachusetts voters passed Proposition 2 1/2, placing a 2 1/2 percent limit on the amount a community could raise its property tax levy amount each calendar year, it was designed to make the taxes predictable on an annual basis. When it went into effect in 1982, there was a backlash of layoffs and other budget cuts not seen before in Malden and many communities across Massachusetts. At last week’s Malden City Council meeting, Mayor Gary Christenson made history when he formally requested the support of the City Council in placing a Proposition 2 1/2 Override question on the ballot in a future Special Election. The Mayor and members of his administrative team presented a case for an override request of $5.4 million from Malden taxpayers, being sought to fund a structural deficit estimated at $8.4 million in the present FY26 municipal budget. With another $3 million forecast to be saved by the City of Malden enrolling in a new and different group health care plan, a successful tax override of $5.4 million would ensure the structural budget gap would be filled, just to maintain city services until the end of this fiscal year, which concludes on June 30, 2026. At Tuesday night’s Malden City Council Finance Committee meeting, the stark news presented at the jam-packed Council Chamber last week turned even more grim. The message from city officials and confirmed by City Councillors was clear: This is not a drill. Malden is in deep financial trouble, its money woes are indeed very real. Malden’s chief financial officer, City Controller Chuck Ranaghan, told City Councillors on Tuesday night that even with the $8.4 million — if it is raised from health care savings and an override — there would EDITORIAL | SEE PAGE 3 617-387-2200 Friday, October 10, 2025 EDITORIAL: This is NOT a drill: Malden’s $$$ woes are real City officials paint grim picture in plea for Prop. 2 1/2 Override
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