Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2023 AT-LARGE | FROM Page 1 as Veep of the Revere Chamber of Commerce. He said the city council was a natural extension of those jobs. “It was a way to further help people,” he said. And it doesn’t matter who you are or where you live. “I take care of everybody and I act like a ward councillor. If you call me with a problem in ward 1, ward 2, ward 3 ward 4, I will take care of it. Some things are beyond help. If it is, I’ll tell you or I’ll tell you it’s doable.” Zambuto said he also acts like a conservative. “I’m obviously, a conservative Republican,” adding he’s one of the few elected Republicans around. He grew up in East Boston and had a career in construction which he said has made him a fi scal watchdog on the council. Zambuto said the centerpiece of his campaign is his vote to build the high school on the existing site and leave Wonderland on the city’s tax rolls. His vision of Wonderland calls for a commuter rail stop with a tram over to the blue line. The transportation assets would be settled in with restaurants and shops similar to Lynnfi eld center. Zambuto is optimistic that the eminent domain lawsuit will be resolved and Wonderland will be a signifi cant asset for the city. Zambuto was also concerned that the plan to build the school at Wonderland lacked a solid fi - nancial plan. “It is a half-a-billion-dollar high school and you can’t fund something like that on hope and change,” he said adding he didn’t support proposals for increased fees and fi nes. “They didn’t have a funding source for the high school. I was telling the truth, that’s what I do, it isn’t popular.” He supports the new designs being developed for a school on the existing site. “I am pleased and hoping they end up going up fi ve or six stories and not having a big footprint. I’m thrilled no property will be infringed upon,” he said. Zambuto considers two quiet reforms as leading accomplishments during his years on the council. The fi rst requires special permits be referred to the zoning committee for review. “So, you see everything about the project,” said Zambuto. He is also responsible for requiring the city to complete a fi - nancial analysis for any expense that exceeds $5,000. “It’s protection for the taxpayers,” he said. Zambuto described himself as not anti-development. “But I’m not looking for more apartments. I would like to see controlled economic development,” he said. Zambuto believes his record speaks for itself. “I’m honest and I watch out for residents and taxpayers. I make a diff erence. If I didn’t feel I did, I wouldn’t run.” Incumbent Councillor Marc Silvestri is in the at-large race looking to keep his seat for a second term. “My passion has been in service,” said Silvestri. A decorated US Army veteran, Silvestri has served as the city’s director of veterans’ services for more than six years before resigning to become director of the Chelsea Soldiers Home this month. “I’m in Revere, raising my family here, I feel I should be as engaged as possible,” he said. Silvestri has been open about his own struggles with opioid dependency and mental health. “It shows others with those health issues that they’re not stuck,” he said. And having grown up in a working-class family in Revere, he also understands those challenges. “I understand those struggles and how to overcome them,” he said. If you’re an underdog in Revere, Silvestri has your back. And he considers it an honor to be in that position. Silvestri sees Revere as an economic engine for the state. He’s not a fan of the term anti-development because he worries it could scare away good development opportunities. And he feels the development that has taken place in the city over the past several years, particularly Suff olk Downs, has brought about an amazing transformation. “I appreciate this type of development. It brings jobs, growth, but there are some growing pains,” he said. Moving forward, he feels the city needs to focus more on small business and show them some love. For Silvestri, a priority of his second term will be to ensure For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net that the benefi ts of Revere’s development boom reach residents throughout the city. “We need to fi gure out how to make all this growth a benefi t for the citizens,” he said. Part of extending those benefi ts involves increasing public safety and emergency services. Silvestri also wants to see more emphasis on mental health in city schools. And as for schools, Silvestri feels the city should have stuck with the plan to build the new high school at Wonderland. “We voted to take the land, and have the school design done and in the fi nal hour we stopped,” he said. He described the current plan to build on the existing site as trying to put a 30-pound rock into a five-pound bucket. He worries about impact the disruption of construction will have on students trying to regain their academic footing after covid. He’s concerned about the loss of athletic fi elds and the eff ect that will have on the recreation department. “And those neighbors don’t deserve having a school within feet of their homes,” he said. Silvestri feels an “all handson deck” approach to problems is the most eff ective. He sees Revere traffi c as a natural outgrowth of the city’s location outside of Boston and next to the airport. State studies have shown most rush hour traffic comes from outside of the city. Silvestri said it’s important to work with MassDot, the MBTA and Massport to ensure traffi c lights and continually calibrated and roads are maintained. “That’s what we can do to keep traffi c moving,” he said. Silvestri said he’s proud to live in Revere and he’s happy to tout the city’s success stories. “In the seven years I’ve been working here, I’ve seen serious growth and outreach to diff erent demographic groups,” he said adding, “We need to continue so everybody has the ability to reach city hall.” Silvestri feels that outreach is partially responsible for the broad fi eld of candidates in the at-large race and the election overall. “It’s made people feel more welcomed and engaged,” he said. “We have some strong women candidates, some minority candidates and it’s really exciting to see.” Best Medical Alert Systems You Don’t Have to Wear Dear Savvy Senior, Are there any monitored medical alert devices that you know of that don’t require pushing a wearable help button? My 82-year-old father, who lives alone, has fallen twice during the past year but doesn’t like wearing an SOS pendant button. Searching Daughter Dear Searching, Yes, there are actually several monitored medical alert systems and other technologies on the market today that have voiceactivated capabilities that let seniors call for help using voice commands, without pushing a wearable help button. These new technologies are very helpful for elderly seniors that live alone who forget, or prefer not to wear a help button, as well as for those who have physical challenges that makes using a help button diffi cult. By simply speaking the “wake words” these devices will connect your dad to a trained dispatcher at a 24/7 monitoring center who will fi nd out what the problem is, and get him the help he needs, whether it’s calling emergency services, or contacting a family member, friend or neighbor to come and help him. All of these technologies also offer family/caregiver smartphone apps that will help you keep tabs on your dad from afar and notify you know if a problem occurs. Hands-Free Medical Alerts Some of the best voice-focused medical alert systems available today are GetSafe, Aloe Care Health and HandsFree Health. Rated by U.S. News & World Report as their No. 1 medical alert system for 2023, GetSafe (GetSafe.com) comes with a cellular base console, voice-activated and push wall buttons, an optional personal help button and fall detection sensors. To call for help your dad would simply say “Call 911” twice and he would be connected to GetSafe’s 24/7 monitoring service. Prices for GetSafe start at $79 plus a $30 monthly monitoring fee. Another highly rated system is Aloe Care Health (AloeCare.com), which comes with a voice-activated Smart Hub and optional wearable help button with fall detection capabilities. This system would connect your dad to the Aloe Care 24/7 monitoring center by simply saying “Emergency” repeatedly until connected. It can also make voice command nonemergency calls to preassigned contacts. Prices start at $150 plus a monthly fee of $30. The WellBe by HandsFree Health (HandsFreeHealth.com) is a nice third option to consider. This comes with the WellBe Medical Alert Speaker that would let your dad call for help by saying “OK WellBe Call Emergency.” WellBe also off ers hands-free calling and messaging to contacts, will answer health questions, and provide reminders for medications and doctor appointments. It also off ers a medical alert watch and pendant (sold separately) with fall detection capabilities. WellBe starts at $100 plus $20/month. Smart Home Solution Instead of a traditional medical alert system, another terrific hands-free way to call for help is to get your dad an Amazon Echo device (prices range from $50 to $250) and sign him up for Alexa Together (Amazon.com/AlexaTogether). This isremote caregiving service that will turn his Echo into a medical alert system. To get help your dad would say “Alexa, call for help” to be connected to their 24/7 Urgent Response center. Alexa Together, which costs $20/month, also works with compatible third-party fall detection devices like Vayyar and AltumView. If a fall is detected, Alexa can ask your dad if he needs help, then connect him to the Urgent Response line and alert his emergency contacts. Amazon Echo devices also provide a bevy of other features your dad may fi nd useful. For example, Echo’s will let your dad make hands-free calls, receive reminders, set timers and alarms, control smart home devices, check the weather, play his favorite music and much more. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
19 Publizr Home