Local News in 7 Languages: Subscribe to The Advocate Online. Scan QR Code Vol. 32, No.13 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday Plenty of Gavel Pounding at Council Meeting for New High School Vote moves forward for existing site By Barbara Taormina C ity and school offi cials have been meeting for weeks to try to find a path forward for the new high school construction project. This week’s meeting was by far the loudest, and most unruly with shouting, interrupting speakers and plenty of gavel pounding. Although it wasn’t as long as the high school building project meeting, speakers managed to hit every point for Wonderland and the existing site which speakers have pressed over the past several weeks. The City Council voted to inform the Revere High School Building Committee that they support moving forward with the existing site. But that wasn’t entirely clear because of the way the votes fell. The City Council’s Ways and Means Subcommittee, which has been plowing through the details of the city’s plan to pay for the new school, voted four to two against Councillor-at-Large Gerry Visconti’s motion to support the existing site as the preferred option for the new high school. But rather than present the subcommittee’s decision clearly, Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto presented a minority report that allowed the full council to vote on Visconti’s motion. Councillors Steve Morabito, Ira Novoselsky, John Powers, Marc Silvestri and Patrick Keefe, who have all supported moving ahead with the plan to build at the Wonderland site, voted against Visconti’s motion. However, Visconti’s motion passed with the votes of the remaining six councillors. “A few weeks ago, the City $3.39 GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 Council did not pass the schematic design at the Wonderland site,” said Visconti at the beginning of the Ways and Means meeting. “It was evident that in order to move progress forward … we would have to move to the existing high school site.” Councillor Zambuto noted that the Wonderland schematic design was voted down and is no longer an option. “The schematic design is dead at Wonderland,” said Zambuto. “The only option on the table tonight is to go back to the original site, so if you truly want a new high school, I suggest you vote for this motion.” City Council President Keefe explained the vote to residents SITE | SEE Page 19 781-286-8500 Friday, March 31, 2023 Councillors vote to send letter to protest Saugus Board of Selectmen Chair’s social media remarks By Barbara Taormina R evere city councillors did not hesitate to support a motion cosponsored by Councillorsat-Large Steven Morabito and Marc Silvestri that the Revere City Council send a letter to the Saugus Board of Selectmen to express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and to denounce the toxic and homophobic comments made by Saugus Board of Selectmen Chairman Anthony Cogliano on social media. “I was appalled,” said Morabito, who spoke briefl y about the discrimination, ridicule and intolerance he and other members of the gay community have experienced. Morabito condemned Cogliano’s hate speech, which occurred during an online conversation with a Lynn resident who criticized Cogliano’s role in ANTHONY COGLIANO Board of Selectmen Chair a municipal trash contract. “Adding to the insult, the selectman refused to apologize for his words,” said Morabito. While it was personal for Morabito, it was also professional. “It is my belief, when you STEVEN MORABITO Councillor-at-Large are an elected offi cial, that the words spoken and written by an elected offi cial should be chosen thoughtfully and to a high PROTEST | SEE Page 18 Vietnam Veterans Day breakfast honors vets for their service By Tara Vocino T he city of Revere Veteran’s Services and Mayor Brian Arrigo co-hosted a Vietnam Veterans Day breakfast for veterans of all confl icts on Wednesday morning at the VFW Joseph Mottola Post #4524. City offi cials stopped by to thank veterans for their service to our nation. VETERAN | SEE Page 10 Pictured front row, pictured from left to right: veterans Charles Fusdo and US Navy E-6 Maureen Hennis. Standing, pictured from left to right: veterans Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky, Stanley Wells, Richard Cataldo and US Air Force Crew Chief David Fisher.
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