Letter: Mayor Stephanie M. Burke Says Goodbye

MEDFORD, MA — The following letter was submitted by outgoing mayor Stephanie Muccini Burke. Mayor-Elect Breanna Lungo-Koehn will take office Saturday.

Dear Medford Community,

It has truly been an honor to serve you over the past four years as Mayor of the great City of Medford. We have gathered together to celebrate, to mourn and to pay tribute to our historic city and its people! Together, we have made great strides and have genuinely moved Medford forward.

When I reflect on these years, and the many before while in public service, there are so many accomplishments of which I am proud. Some measurable, some not. It’s easy to see the new Police Headquarters rising proudly which will be a beacon for safety or the Old Library coming down and, in its place, a new community asset for lifelong learners. These projects were all funded while the City of Medford’s budget remained within prop 2 ½ guidelines and increasing the City’s bond rating to AA+.

Upon taking office, the City had over $4 Million in delinquent real estate taxes. Working collaboratively with our Treasurer, in 2016 we recouped $1.9 Million and to date we have brought almost $3.5 Million back to the City of Medford.

Based on citizen input, a new full time Medford Recreation Department has been formed and funded providing recreation to all ages. The Senior Work Off Abatement program has been revived. All promised when sworn in as your Mayor and under the mantra “It starts today”.

But it is the intangibles that make a community home.

We have embraced our creative community to bring spirit to our city. From the many performances at the Shell, to our Riverside Plaza concerts and games. Medford Square is truly a downtown now.

We have stressed that we are a welcoming community to ALL and proudly stood with our Interfaith community in time of celebration and sorrow. We are a city rich in ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. This richness leads to greater understanding in ourselves and others. As your Chief Executive Officer, I made a commitment to diversity of those employed by the City. In City Hall, I have appointed 14 new Department Heads since taking office with nine being women or minorities.

We have placed an emphasis on protecting our environment. It has been THE underlying factor in our building projects, Open Space Plan and Vulnerability Assessment.

In all our schools, we have committed to the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (CCSR) model to support global thinkers and doers. Who can forget the monument erected for those enslaved buried in unmarked graves in the Old Burying Grounds. Or the 3-D crosswalks that brought world attention to our city. CCSR led the way for the ban on plastic bags. The students became the teachers in all of these endeavors and more.

As Maya Angelou said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said. But they will remember how you made them feel.” I hope you feel good about choosing to live in our beautiful city.

This City that I have called home my entire life, is rich in its sense of community, proud of its history and most importantly optimistic about its future.

I am proud to say that the City of Medford truly is strong, sturdy, and stable!

I challenge the new administration and all elected officials to be compassionate and conscientious stewards of our community and embrace an understanding of our citizen’s differences. I wish them good luck in their endeavors.

Thank you.