CELEBRATING 30 YEARS AS REVERE’S LOCAL NEWSPAPER! Vol.30, No.45 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 781-286-8500 Revere Honors its Heroes on Veterans Day Friday, November 12, 2021 Housing Authority site off the table for new high school By Adam Swift O OUR GREATEST GENERATION: Revere veterans, from left to right: veterans Len Piazza (Navy), Frank Sarro (National Guard), William Reedy (National Guard), and Bart Campanella (Army Reserve) are pictured at the city’s Veteran’s Day ceremony on Thursday. See page 2 for photo highlights. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) School Committee endorses D’Ambrosio for State Senate ne of the three sites that have been discussed as the home of a new Revere High School is out, but a new option to build on the existing high school site could open up more space for a new building without the need to take any land by eminent domain. Last month, the Revere Housing Authority voted against allowing a new high BUILDING | SEE Page 16 City Council supports special legislation to restore firefighter retirement benefits By Adam Swift A 2019 state Supreme Judicial Court ruling had a disastrous impact on the retirement benefi ts of many fi refi ghters who spent years listed as reserve fi refi ghters. Last Monday night, the City Council voted unanimously to support a Home Rule Petition to the state legislature that would return service time that was lost because of the ruling to 65 Revere fi refi ghters. “During that ruling that took place, the creditable service that was granted for time on Revere’s reserve list was reduced back 10 years to June 30, 2009,” said Lt. Kevin O’Hara, president of Revere Firefi ghters Local 926. State Senate candidate Anthony D’Ambrosio is shown with Michael A. Ferrante of the Revere School Committee, who endorsed D’Ambrosio’s campaign. See page 6 for story and photo highlights. (Courtesy Photo) “Which means for the past 10 years, members made important life and fi nancial decisions based on the belief that they had earned this service time counting towards their retirement.” Some fi refi ghters lost as much as fi ve years of their service time counting towards maximum retirement benefi ts based on the court ruling, and what O’Hara said was a misinterpretation of that decision in a memo issued by the state’s Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission. “It also increases the chances of getting career-ending disabilities, such as heart and lung disease, cancer, behavioral issues, and injuries,” said O’Hara. Passage of the special legislation would bring the fi refi ghters a step closer to reinstating the reserve time for any member who lost it from June 30, 2009, to Feb. 11, 2020. The Revere Retirement Board voted 3-1 in favor of the Home Rule Petition earlier this summer, according to Richard Viscay, the chair of the Retirement Board and the city’s fi nance director. A consultant retained by the Retirement Board estimated BENEFITS | SEE Page 9
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