Executive Summary
The Malden City Council met on June 2, 2026, to conduct public hearings on National Grid utility petitions and the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget. The Council approved utility petitions for Forest Street and Salem Street with specific conditions but voted to table a petition for Floral Avenue following significant neighborhood opposition regarding the necessity of a new pole. A major portion of the meeting was dedicated to a public hearing on the FY2027 budget, where numerous residents and youth leaders from the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition (GMAC) spoke against proposed cuts to the Language Access Coordinator and bilingual staff positions. The Council also authorized the Legal Department to respond to an Open Meeting Law complaint regarding a previous executive session.
Meeting Information
- Governing Body: Malden City Council
- Meeting Type: Regular Meeting and Public Hearings
- Date: June 2, 2026
- Councilors Present:
- Amanda Linehan, Council President
- Karen Colón Hayes
- Paul Condon
- Peg Crowe
- Chris Luong
- Carey McDonald
- Ryan O'Malley
- Jadeane Sica
- Chris Simonelli
- Ari Taylor
- Stephen Winslow
National Grid Petitions for Utility Installations
Paper 284-26: Petition for Forest Street
- Action: National Grid petitioned to install one JO pole on Forest Street near Nevada Avenue (Plan No. 31115123).
- Discussion: Councilor Taylor noted the need for an easement related to the cemetery and concerns regarding handicap accessibility due to guy wires.
- Vote: Motion to grant by Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Luong. Passed unanimously.
- Conditions:
- Engineer must be called when DigSafe is notified.
- Streets and sidewalks must be restored to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works.
- Approval is pending the necessary easement.
- Coordination with the cemetery superintendent to avoid work during funeral services.
Paper 285-26: Petition for Floral Avenue
- Action: National Grid petitioned to install one JO pole (P4799-84) and a sidewalk guy wire fixture on Floral Avenue near Gordon Street.
- Public Comment: Maria D'Esposito (81 Floral Ave) spoke in opposition, stating: "There's no need to put a pole to hold up one pole and feed one house... it just leaves you a nice open sky right now." She suggested repairing the existing rotting pole instead.
- Discussion: Councilor Winslow requested engineering calculations to justify the need for the guy wire. National Grid representatives stated the pole is being replaced and the new pole is for "guying purposes" to prevent future leaning.
- Vote: Motion to table pending further investigation by Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Winslow. Passed unanimously.
Paper 286-26: Petition for Salem Street
- Action: National Grid petitioned to install underground facilities and handhold 223 in front of 300 Salem Street (Plan No. 31295951).
- Discussion: The project serves a private customer upgrading service. Councilor Taylor requested a condition regarding tree protection.
- Vote: Motion to grant by Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Colón Hayes. Passed unanimously.
- Conditions: DigSafe notification, DPW satisfaction, and consultation with the Tree Warden if trees are present.
Public Hearing: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget (Paper 233-26)
Overview
Councilor McDonald, Chair of the Finance Committee, noted that the proposed budget includes the reduction of over 30 positions across city departments following the failure of a tax override vote.
Public Comments in Favor
- Edwin Lucy (116 Daniel St): Suggested moving from monthly to quarterly water billing to save approximately $70,000 annually in postage and materials. He also suggested the state should fully fund absentee ballot costs.
Public Comments in Opposition
- Language Access Advocacy: Numerous residents and GMAC representatives (including Tong Ying, Lian Li, Annabel Hsu, and Mina Kim) spoke against cutting the Language Access Coordinator and bilingual City Clerk staff.
- Mina Kim (GMAC) stated: "Visibility is so important to being a part of community... belonging doesn't happen on its own. It depends on infrastructure to support it."
- Residents emphasized that bilingual staff are essential for voting participation and navigating city services like water bills.
- Councilor Ryan O'Malley (Ward 4): Proposed a series of budget offsets to restore positions:
- Cut Police Overtime by ~$289,000 to restore 4 police cadets.
- Cut Firefighter Overtime by $446,000 to restore 4 firefighters.
- Eliminate the $1.2 million Salary Reserve line item to reflect true free cash.
- Cut Landscaping budget by $55,000 to restore the Language Access Officer.
- Cut Legal Professional Services by $120,000.
- Reduce Mayor’s events budget by $7,500.
- Christopher Dreyer (166 Mountain Ave): Suggested a vacant property tax and a salary freeze for all city employees earning over $100,000.
- Brian DeLacy (1 Earl St): Submitted an email questioning the sustainability of drawing $5.2 million from reserves to close the structural deficit.
Open Meeting Law Complaint (Paper 277-26)
- Subject: A complaint filed by Bruce Friedman regarding an executive session held on May 12, 2026.
- Legal Update: Assistant City Solicitor Attorney Semih presented a draft response. The Law Department maintains that the meeting notice was sufficiently specific by naming the litigation and that the matter was not "fully adjudicated" as appeals were still possible.
- Vote: Motion to approve the legal response for submission to the Attorney General by Councilor Luong, seconded by Councilor Colón Hayes. Passed (Councilor O'Malley recorded as 'Present').