WARD HAMILTON, running for an at-large position on the City Council, had a great show of support downtown recently.
POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
The political season in is full swing and the Weekly News staff continues to compile notes of interest in anticipation of the city’s General Election on November 7.
What the ballot will look like
On November 7 there will be contested races for mayor, School Committee, councilor-at-large and in two of the city’s seven City Council wards.
These people are running:
Jen Grigoraitis and Monica Medeiros Solano are campaigning to be the next mayor.
Ten residents are running for one of the four At-Large seats on the City Council: Maya Jamaleddine (incumbent), Leila Migliorelli (incumbent), Maria Berardi, Ward A. Hamilton, Michael L. Lyle, Edward J. O’Connell, John Orlandella, Paul C. Schille, Christopher J. Sullivan and Ryan L. Williams.
The four candidates for three School Committee positions are David S. Trzepacz, Seamus Kelley, Matthew L. Hardman and incumbent Margaret ER Driscoll.
And the following are seeking ward councilor posts:
WARD 1: Incumbent Manjula N. Karamcheti
WARD 2: Incumbent John C. Obremski and J. Michael McCarthy
WARD 3: Incumbent Robert E. Stewart
WARD 4: Incumbent Mark D. Garipay
WARD 5: Kimberly Vandiver
WARD 6: Cal M. Finocchiaro and Barbara R. Travers
WARD 7: Devin Romanul
Grigoraitis’ plan to make
City more environmentally sustainable
(This comes from the campaign of mayoral candidate Jen Grigoraitis.)
Jen Grigoraitis has released her environmental sustainability platform in her campaign for Melrose Mayor. Grigoraitis, the current City Council President, has been a strong advocate for carbon emission and solid waste reduction, maintenance and expansion of green and open space and climate resilient infrastructure. On the Council, Jen played an integral role in supporting new roofs with solar panels for the Horace Mann and Hoover Schools, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure for City fleets, and funding for the City’s tree replacement program.
Grigoraitis said, “Climate change is the existential threat facing our society. As Mayor, I will utilize local strategies to reduce Melrose’s carbon footprint, make our community healthier and save taxpayers and ratepayers money in the process.”
She continued, “Through smart management, Melrose can continue to be a statewide leader in sustainability, making a major impact on our environment and on our municipal finances.”
Grigoraitis’s Environmental Sustainability Platform includes: Expanding the Melrose Community Power Program to provide renewable energy to residents at a reduced rate; Piloting a curbside composting program and implementing composting in our schools and other public buildings; Increasing investments in the planting of native, non-invasive trees along streets and in our green and open spaces; Partnering with neighboring communities to seek federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act to make Melrose’s aging infrastructure more climate-resilient, while also creating local employment opportunities in the building trades; Initiating an energy audit of all municipal buildings and resources to reduce taxpayer costs; and Expediting transitioning our City vehicle fleet to electric.