Braintree's 2019 State Of The Town Address: Mayor Sullivan

BRAINTREE, MA — If there was any theme to Mayor Joseph Sullivan's state of the town address, it was planning. Sullivan on Thursday night told a room filled with elected officials and department heads that planning is the biggest reason for the town's accomplishments over the last 12 years, as well as what the town needs to do to face new challenges this year.

Sullivan said he is proud of what the town accomplished, citing Braintree's improved finanical strength, strong academic performance, and investments in roads, municipal buildings, recreational spaces, and schools.

"We have built a very sturdy and sustainable future for our Town — and we have done all this while offering the lowest residential tax rate in the region," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said all of this was possible because of planning and excellent communication with the town council, school committee, and all the municipal boards and departments.

"Our motto — which we have publicly declared many times, has been to “plan the work and work the plan,” Sullivan said.

Although Sullivan believed Braintree has a lot to be proud of, he acknowledged where the town needs to improve. Affordable housing, especially for long-time residents, as well as young and 55 and over residents, needs to be addressed, Sullivan said.

"Families who have settled here, their children want to stay — yet, many cannot afford to do so," Sullivan said. We need to correct that.

Sullivan also said standing up against a proposed natural gas compressor station on the Fore River in Weymouth is crucial to the town and region's environmental health. The amount of the chemical formaldehyde in the air near Fore River has had Braintree, Quincy, Hingham, and Weymouth residents concerned since before the facility was first proposed by energy company Algonquin because the area is already highly industrialized.

"Let me be blunt, in planning for our future; we have no plans to allow this compressor station to be built," Sullivan said.

Mayor Joseph Sullivan's full state of the town address can be found on the town's officialnews blog.

Photo by Dan Libon