McGonagle and Donato winning the Sign Wars PRIMARY, SEPTEMBER 3RD 2024

 PRIMARY, SEPTEMBER 3RD 2024

Zayda Ortiz

https://electzayda.com/

cm@votemossalam.com

https://www.nicholemossalam.com/

Rep Donato

https://reppauldonato.com/contact-us

Michael Marchese

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMarcheseEverett/

Joe McGonagle 

https://www.joemcgonagle.com/

 

McGonagle and Donato winning the Sign Wars

https://medfordinformationcentral.blogspot.com/2024/08/mcgonagle-and-donato-winning-sign-wars.html

The invisible election...Tuesday September 3 is the 246th day of the year

 (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 119 days remain until the end of the year.

Contact information for the candidates below

The election is two weeks from today ...and this primary has about as much

attention as the five people that read a Joe Battenfeld column in the Herald.

If a tree falls in the forest, will it have the time (or desire?) to get up and vote???

Joe McGonagle in Everett has won the sign war against Michael Marchese.

Yes, signs do not vote, but they get the message out.

I will vote for Mr. Marchese, so he gets my vote and the 5 readers of Battenfeld.

That won't win the election

I like Joe McGonagle as a person; but there are 60,000 reasons (and dollars)

not to vote for No Show Joe and he will get in anyway.  What's the point.

Now to Medford/Malden

This writer was under the impression that Nicole Mossalam and Paul Donato

BOTH were not running this time around. Surprise, surprise, and they have

a third candidate in Zayda Ortiz.

In my vast travels through Malden, Stoneham, Medford, Woburn the signage

is weak, very weak.   One Zayda Ortiz sign, maybe 7 Nicole Mossalam signs,

Donato wins the signage

The 35th Middlesex District on Reddit has some traction

https://www.reddit.com/r/medfordma/comments/1e5x0m4/35th_middlesex_district_primary/

35th Middlesex District

UncleBingle sayeth

I will not be voting for Donatosaurus Rex. It’s not ageism, it’s the fact that his ideals are not in line with anything post 2005.

Ouch!  that one is rough. 

Iamfeelingit

Nicole was 50 votes away in the last election w some questionable poll issues. 

Donato had written his con session speech. If you ask me he actually lost. Ortiz is gifting him this election …

Comments from the peanut gallery...I've put the link above

The primary means little, a "write in" campaign helped Carl Sciortino

way back when, and others.  It ain't over till the overweight lady sings,

the overweight lady being Howie Carr, and he has no voice so....

PRIMARY, SEPTEMBER 3RD 2024

Zayda Ortiz

https://electzayda.com/

cm@votemossalam.com

https://www.nicholemossalam.com/

Rep Donato

https://reppauldonato.com/contact-us

Michael Marchese

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMarcheseEverett/

Joe McGonagle 

https://www.joemcgonagle.com/

 

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Leo Sacco Jr and Harold MacGilvray Found Guilty*, George Santos PLEADS GUILTY .... SANTOS HAS MORE INTEGRITY THAN LEO AND HARRY~!~~~~

 *Actually found to have conflicts of interest; guilty of conflict of interest, if you will -  both families ruling the police department, how sad for Medford.

EDITORIAL: REPUBLICANS Kevin McCarthy, Mike Johnson, MTG. Jim "Gym" Jordan, etc. embrace criminality. George Santas and Donald Trump are now convicted criminals, embraced by the Republican Clownshow for ...alleged votes, not real votes, but votes by the fraud known as George Santos. The devil Mitch McConnell stole two Supreme Court judges, did not vote to impeach Trump, whom he now hates (but will vote for,) and they spend your money attempting to impeach President Biden - a good, honest man, but allowing sexual abuser / convicted fraudster Donald J. Trump to get away with it. They are all guilty, and Santos' plea deal proves it. They cannot run away from their Republican crimes. Vote #HarrisWalz2024 Trump wanted a mob to kill his Vice President while Biden opens the door for Harris. There's the difference. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/george-santos-guilty-plea-deal/ "A short time ago, after years of telling lies, former Congressman George Santos stood in the courthouse behind me and finally, under oath, told the truth. And that truth is that he is a criminal," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. "Santos pled guilty to serious crimes involving fraud and identity theft. He also admitted to committing all other crimes he was charged with in the superseding indictment. As a result, he will finally be held to account for his actions."

Peace said under the deal Santos will go to prison for at least two years, though the judge said the plea deal may come with an estimated sentencing range between 6-8 years. He's set for sentencing Feb. 7 at federal court in Central Islip.

Under the agreement, Santos will have to repay at least $373,000.

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we set Breanna's Administration Straight on Public Records, She Previously Called These "Private" Communications or Such Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable

 

Wed, Aug 14 at 12:44 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 14, 2024 
Contact: Steve Smirti, Director of Communications (ssmirti@medford-ma.gov), 781-393-2529 

  

Medford Secures $250,000 State Grant to Maintain and Expand Bluebike Network 

Grant will allow City to maintain all stations and install 3 additional stations 

 

(MEDFORD)—The City has secured a $250,000 state grant to expand and maintain its Bluebike network, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced. This funding, from Mass DOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces Program, will allow the City to install 3 additional stations, bringing the total number up to 18.   

 

“We’ve been working so hard to make Medford more pedestrian friendly, less car reliant and expand our green transit options,” Mayor Lungo-Koehn said. “This grant from Mass DOT will allow us to grow our green transit infrastructure and provide more opportunities for those in our City who don’t drive to get to where they need to go. Thank you to our Traffic and Transportation Director Todd Blake for securing this funding and building out our Bluebike network.” 

 

Earlier this month, the City announced the installation of four new Bluebike stations at Carr Park, Medford High School (Steve Miller Dr. at Winthrop St.), Governors Ave. at Lawrence Rd. (adjacent to Lawrence Memorial Hospital), and Winthrop Circle. 

 

Bluebike stations are aimed to be located at key transit points, in business districts, or in neighborhoods, increasing the City’s last mile connections to public transportation. In addition to the four new locations announced in early August, Bluebike stations can be found at Hickey Park, Auburn Street at Mystic River, West Medford Square, Logan Park, Hormel Stadium, Harris Park, Haines Square, Tufts Square, Main Street at Brooks Park, Medford Square (opposite Riverside Plaza), and the Wellington MBTA Station.  

 

For a map of all Bluebike stations in and around Medford, visit https://account.bluebikes.com/map. 

 

### 

 

 

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Steve Smirti

Director of Communications | Office of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

Medford City Hall

85 George P Hassett Dr, Medford, MA 02155

781-393-2529 (office)

781-885-4296 (mobile)

ssmirti@medford-ma.gov

www.medfordma.org

Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable under the Massachusetts Public Records Law and its regulations. *Please consider the environment before printing this email.* 

 

Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable under the Massachusetts Public Records Law and its regulations. *Please consider the environment before printing this email.* 

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NEW OVERFLOW SHELTER POLICY State Senator Pat Jehlen

 https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=b54498e434&u=1afb18c1b75b287a2a3d610fc&id=a398066dc6

Dear Neighbors, Probably the most urgent issue in our state is the cost of housing.  It's a big part of the reason shelters are full and the state is limiting access.  I'll write about lots of end-of-session news soon.  NEW OVERFLOW SHELTER POLICY Thursday I joined people protesting the eviction of people from the overflow shelters starting today. The Globe, Herald, and WGBH were among media outlets covering the vigil.  Speakers included Kelly Turley, of Somerville, Associate Director of Mass. Coalition for the Homeless; and Dr. Lara Jimanus of Medford, who brought a letter from health professionals and others about the dangers to children. The new policy limits migrant families to five days in the overflow shelters, although a change allows them to receive up to 30 days extension depending on their circumstances.  (Channel 5 graphic on right shows some priorities. The governor may have modified the policy based on earlier protests, including letters from city councilors in Boston, Chelsea and Worcester, as well as individual councilors Judy Pineda Neufeld of Somerville and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler of Cambridge.  Under the new policy, families newly applying for shelter will have to choose.  If they stay 5 days in a temporary overflow shelter, they become ineligible for Emergency Assistance shelter for 6 months.  Or they can remain on the EA waiting list even if they have nowhere else to go, and hope to get into an EA shelter in less than 6 months. Here is a comprehensive fact sheet on the new policy, including its rationale, and priorities for placement, . The Globe reported Saturday that 57 families had been told to leave Friday, but only 11 had actually left.  The Globe learned that the only family that left the Cambridge overflow shelter had headed to Springfield.  WGBH had more on that story, including that some families are awaiting enrollment in HomeBASE, which is open to qualifying Massachusetts resident families. The state is offering "intensive case management" to those being asked to leave.  But it takes much longer than that to find permanent housing.  The governor recently limited stays in Emergency Assistance shelters to 9 months.  Until then, the average stay in a homeless shelter has been almost a year, while families search for housing they can afford.  Getting a job takes a lot of time, too, even for those with English skills and recent resumes - and many jobs don't pay enough for rent, let alone first, last, and security deposit.  WHO'S UNHOUSED?  NOT JUST MIGRANTS Discussion of the shelter problem has centered largely on the newly-arrived immigrant families.  Immigration policy is a federal issue, and the governor has asked the federal government to help with shelter costs. But half of the families in Emergency Assistance shelters are displaced Massachusetts residents. We can do more to keep people in their homes!  It costs a lot less, in money and trauma, than helping after people lose their homes.   We all agree we need more housing.  But we need policies and funds that help right now!  People are being displaced every day.   The Housing Bond bill just passed includes a pilot program for foreclosure mediation. Mediation and flexible local funds can help prevent homeowners from being displaced. We need measures to keep renters housed too. Right-to-counsel in eviction cases could help. Since 2022, there have been more than 3000 eviction proceedings filed every month in Massachusetts, more than before the pandemic.  (graph from Mass. Housing Partnership). Not all these people are eventually evicted.  And many people leave through "informal eviction" because a landlord raises their rent by hundreds of dollars.  Several communities have asked the legislature to allow them to adopt policies that could help: Right of First Refusal (or Tenant Opportunity to Purchase), rent stabilization, and Transfer Fees. WHO'S UNHOUSED? NOT JUST FAMILIES There is also a surge in the number of unhoused individuals.  Despite the increased spending on individual shelters (graph from MassBudget), we have more people living on the street under bridges, and in cars. The Herald is one of the few to note that "survey data shows that 30% of unhoused adults at emergency shelters and day programs in Boston are 55 and over."  I met some of them this winter at Somerville's overnight warming center. I was glad that the final FY 2025 budget included my amendment for $100,000 for a Somerville pilot program for bridge subsidies for people awaiting permanent affordable housing. Boston's annual homeless census shows historic trends in the number of unhoused people in Boston, including those in shelter, since 2008. WE NEED IMMIGRANTS There is a severe shortage of care workers in nursing homes, home care, and child care.  The Boston Foundation report, Carework in Massachusetts, shows that immigrants are a disproportionate share of care workers.   Undocumented immigrants - who are not eligible for shelter - play an important role in the US economy, according to Mother Jones.  HOW TO HELP I asked one of our neighbors who is housing Haitian immigrants how he got involved.  He  explained that the Brazilian Workers Center has a state contract to coordinate homestays for migrants, among other services.  He suggests calling them at 617-852-8254 or email emergency@braziliancenter.org.  He also recommends donations, particularly to IFSI--Immigrant Family Services Institute. https://www.ifsi-usa.org/ SONG OF THE WEEK: Deportee by Woody Guthrie in 1948.  It's worth watching John McCutcheon's 2016 story of why Guthrie wrote it, and recent events to remember those deportees.  It's not the same situation.  But the anonymity of immigrants is the same. ANOTHER CORRECTION Our soup/salad party on September 14 is at CAMBRIDGE Cohousing, 175 Richdale St in Cambridge. POEM OF THE WEEK:  Home, by Warshan Shire. Thanks to Bob Fitzpatrick, who invited me to an event where I heard this memorable poem by a Somali immigrant from Kenya living in London, where she was named the junior poet laureate.   . Here are just the first lines, but please read the whole poem: no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark  you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body you only leave home when home won’t let you stay. no one leaves home unless home chases you......... Sorry for the long newsletter.  It's a hard issue.  Feel free to share your thoughts.

Copyright © 2017 CTE Pat Jehlen Our mailing address is: 67 Dane St, Somerville MA 02143

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