THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 31, 2025 Page 11 scared of crossing.” Also, the Councillor said she had encountered in the confines of Ward 5 “a lot of trash, a lot of abandoned property; we have to address all that.” She said she believes there are “some neighborhoods that haven’t had civic engagement in quite some time.” Councillor Taylor also noted there are “immigrant businesses along Salem Street and we want to include them and support the owners. We want them to feel welcome, and they can flourish and call Malden home and their businesses can do well.” Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley, who is seeking a sixth term and is running unopposed, said, “The challenges our community faces don’t respect ward lines. We have a lot of the same issues in all of our wards.” Councillor O’Malley said “livability” is the key issue in Malden, and it could be enhanced if economic development includes goals of “how can we bring businesses to Malden that makes it possible you can work near where you live. “We have to continue to work to provide affordable housing in Malden so you can live where you work,” Councillor O’Malley added, noting that, with his Council colleagues, they voted to adopt the new, state-sanctioned Accessory Dwelling Unit law allowing any property to add a unit. “It’s a process they can’t say ‘no’ to, and they will help you get to a ‘yes,’“ Councillor O’Malley said. Councillor O’Malley said, “Reducing barriers to housing, such as reducing parking requirements and adding density bonuses, can help Malden really flourish. There are a lot of people who are getting priced out.” “How do you get to your work? Multimodal transportation is something I care a lot about, and I really enjoy working with colleagues on this issue,” the Ward 4 Councillor said, praising the Bike to the Sea/Northern Strand Trail in Malden and surrounding communities — spearheaded by Councillor Winslow. “I have also been fighting to bring a new shared-use path to the city, Spot Pond Brook Greenway. It has broad community support, and what is also helpful is feedback from those not so excited about the project,” O’Malley said. Council President Linehan WARD COUNCIL CANDIDATES: At the ACDC Malden Ward City Councillor Candidates Forum on Monday night, from left: Moderator Leverett Wing of Commonwealth Seminar and candidates Ward 1 incumbent Peg Crowe, Ward 1 challenger Brynn Garrity, Ward 5 incumbent Ari Taylor, Ward 4 incumbent Ryan O’Malley, City Council President and Ward 3 incumbent Amanda Linehan and Ward 6 incumbent Stephen Winslow. (Advocate Photo) (Ward 3) noted that the “overarching issues from [all] candidates are safety getting around [the city] and affordability.” In her ward, Councillor Linehan said, “there are pivotal development issues,” citing the ongoing former Malden Hospital site project and the stalled Malden District Courthouse plans. At the former hospital site, a new regional behavioral health facility has been built “and should have a ribbon-cutting in one to two months.” The Ward 3 Councillor said she is pleased that with the support of Mayor Gary Christenson the MBTA has agreed to retain bus routes to that new behavioral health center and the surrounding neighborhood, as cutting them had been proposed. “They will also be employing a lot of Malden residents,” she asserted. Councillor Linehan also said that on the very day of the forum it was announced Malden has received a new state-funded PARC grant in the amount of $400,000 to improve and support open and green space at the site, on land the city has acquired there. PARC grants can be used by municipalities to acquire parkland, to build a new park or to renovate an existing park. As for the courthouse site, Councillor Linehan called its status “stalled and frustrating,” then echoed Councillor O’Malley’s remarks on ward boundaries and said that future project has implications for all Malden residents. “A dynamic arts and culture center may not be an economic reality,” she said, “but with the help of our state legislature, perhaps we could generate mixed-use [redevelopment] at that site and potentially spur the overall economic development of that corridor of the city. Ward 1 Councillor challenger Brynn Garrity said “enforcement of egregious traffic violations” in her ward as well as safety in all forms of travel are key issues. “There are no consequences for traffic violations,” Garrity said, noting that she is a personal friend of the resident who lost the dog, Toby, in the Ward 5 traffic accident, noting the dog’s owner was also seriously injured. “Parking violations, speeding, you name it. It’s a revenue stream we are leaving on the table.” Council candidate Garrity said she has been a member of the Malden Safe Streets group since its inception and has been working closely with other residents for nearly two years on such projects as the already established Safe Routes to Schools. She also said she and others would continue to seek volunteers for “bike buses” and “walking buses” for kids going to school in the morning. Garrity said she would also seek zoning changes if elected, to enhance and create both potential economic development and redevelopment on Main Street and Commercial Street in Ward 1. “Commercial Street is kind of a disaster. It’s ugly in a lot of parts. Main Street, as you come from Everett into Malden, is a big difference. We are leaving a lot [of what those areas could be] on the table.” Incumbent Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe said the biggest issues around her ward “are also the next best opportunities.” She referred specifically to the major redevelopment project at the Malden DPW site alongside the Malden River, called “Malden Riverworks,” as well as potential new projects along Commercial Street. “The Malden Riverworks is the next best opportunity,” Councillor Crowe said, “and Commercial Street is the next and biggest untapped resource [for redevelopment] in our community.” Councillor Crowe noted that Ward 1, of all the eight wards in the city, is most evenly divided between commercial and residential use. “I really feel Malden Riverworks will be the key to developing [more projects] along the Malden River.” “Ward 1 redevelopment is our next best hope,” Councillor Crowe said. As for safe streets, Crowe noted she was lobbied at the State House to help make “Drive 25” a public option in Malden, where a citywide speed limit of 25 miles per hour was implemented. She also said she was also an early backer of both the Safe Routes to Schools program and the Malden Safe Streets initiative. “I have always championed public safety. When we are on the road, we can all slow down,” Councillor Crowe said. “When you think outside the box, and it works, then you just put your ideas into practice.”
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