Maglio: Beverly Should Not Become Anywhere, U.S.A.

Name: Rosemary Maglio

Age: 62

Street: 30 Pleasant St.

Employment: Past substitute teacher, Beverly Public Schools

Political and community experience and involvement: Member City of Beverly Solid Waste Management Committee 2006 to 2013; Initiator of composting and recycling at Beverly Homecoming’s Lobsterfest; Beverly Bootstraps Community Gardener, mid 1990s-2013; Beverly Bootstraps’ Farmers Market at Beverly Homecoming Lobsterfest Day(1997-2013); Past member Beverly Historical Society; Past BevCam volunteer; Longstanding member of Ward 2 Civic Association; Citizen presence at City Hall through three most recent mayoral administrations; Informed engaged speaker at numerous public hearings/city committee meetings

Why are you running for City Council?

I am running for City Council to give residents a choice and a voice that will truly represent Ward 2's and the city’s best interests.  I want to help retain and enhance the quality of life in our neighborhoods and provide zoning protection to prevent unbridled overcrowding and congestion of its streets. I want all of our streets, sidewalks, and streetscapes to be pedestrian friendly, aesthetically pleasant and improved, providing screening, landscaping, peace, safety, tranquility, fresh air and sunlight to its residents, visitors, and businesses. I want to work so that Beverly keeps its beautiful seaside, country and livable character and also try to make its downtown commercial area once again provide the proprietor owned small businesses that meet neighborhood and neighboring businesses’ needs without negatively impacting its residential neighbors.  Businesses unique to Beverly  ---- I do not want Beverly to be Anywhere, USA.

I want it to be a hometown that protects and cares about the lives and well-being of its residents — and NOT the bottom line profits of national chains or connected developers/entities.

I will work to attain impartiality and separation of elected/appointed city officials from affiliations with entities that promote the zoning or self-interests of financial backers (e.g. developers, institutions) rather than the interests, well-being, and quality of life of Ward 2 residents and those of the city.

Ward 2 has a beautiful working waterfront. With over four million dollars of PUBLIC money invested in water-side site improvements — the site should be available for all members of the public to enjoy with a smaller scale restaurant, ice cream shop, inviting green space with public outdoor tables, boating, fishing, museum/visitor center, historic and marine exhibits, info, bike rentals, water taxi, trolley, and city managed marina — and NOT with the one large/upscale restaurant and boat proposed to take over the site for potentially forty years.

In a nutshell, I am running for City Council to safeguard and enhance the beautiful character of Ward 2 and of Beverly and to serve you.

What is the most significant issue facing Ward 1? Facing the city as a whole? How would you address these issues?

The most significant issue facing Ward 2 and the city is quality of life and the right of all residents to receive protection from over development. Not all growth is smart.

Not all growth is good.  There are limits — balance, reasonableness, fairness and justice must be applied. You must listen as if you were the person on each side of the issue. The scales should NOT be tipped prejudicially in either direction.  New growth can and should be mutually beneficial.  When it is not — nothing good can result.

I would work to try to restore fairness and reasonableness to the process —

– listen to both sides with unbiased, but factual discernment

– try to understand the needs, benefits, and negatives of both sides and

– work to achieve mutual benefits

For the first time in 20 years, Mayor Bill Scanlon is not seeking election. Do you support one of the candidates? If so, who? If not, how do you see yourself working with the new mayor as part of the City Council?

I have knowledgeable reservations and concerns about the past votes/procedures taken by two mayoral candidates during their term(s) as city councilors.  Their affiliations with so-called non-profit entities have led each of them to represent the interests of those entities more so than the interests of Ward 2 and the city.

I agree with the third candidate that pensions and debt should be issues of concern to taxpayers and some adjustment/changes should be discussed.

When elected as councilor, I would work to ensure the best representation of residents of Ward 2 and the city, and I would hope that this common ground of working for the interests of residents would help me to work with the new mayor toward that shared goal. We should not be adversaries, but work for the benefit of the city— and no other entities.

What is the greatest accomplishment of outgoing Ward 2 Councilor Wes Slate? What is one thing Slate did that you disagreed with or would have done differently?

The current Ward 2 Councilor is adept at talking. He talks the talk BUT does not walk the walk. He has stated publicly at council meetings that people will have the opportunity to speak in committee meetings — BUT that has not been my observed or experienced experience.  I have attended committee meetings and council meetings for his six years on the council — and I personally (as well as others) have been denied the opportunity to speak — while at the same time a select few members of the public have been allowed to speak.

In addition he also submitted a council order to move public speaking time from the beginning of the City Council’s agenda to the END of the meeting (that order number has subsequently been received and placed on file).

There are numerous things that our current Ward 2 Councilor has done that I disagreed with, such as voting to allow long/short term parking meters on Ward 2's residential streets near neighborhoods and Veterans Park that congests the streets and leave parking spaces unavailable for residents, visitors, and businesses and their customers.

I disagreed with his votes on zoning changes (2011 and 2013) concerning parking.

I disagreed with his vote in favor of residential TIF’s.

I ran against him in 2011 for the Ward 2 Council seat because in my opinion and observation he did NOT represent the interest of Ward 2 residents.

Please add anything else that you want voters to know.

Please see my Aug. 22, 2013 Campaign statement on page A2 in the Beverly Citizen for further info.