Maya Jamaleddine Is The Voice That We Need

Maya Jamaleddine is the voice that we need on the Melrose City Council.

Knowing the work that Maya has done for the city and the members of our community, I always believed that she’d do great work as an elected official. But there is one story in particular that perfectly encapsulated why Maya should be representing us after November 5.

Six months ago, I was having a conversation with Maya and she told me a story that I believe is quintessentially “Maya”. She told me that she had recently met an individual who was living temporarily without housing. She hadn’t known this man before, but spoke with him and learned of his situation. She took the time to get to know him and understand how she could be of support to him. After their conversation, she began cooking meals for him so that he had warm food to eat. She checked in with him frequently. And she went to City Hall to find out about the resources available that could help him find shelter and get back on his feet.

This is precisely the type of person that I want in my city government. I want someone who is willing to truly listen to the people of Melrose. I want someone who will bend over backwards to help someone that they *don’t even know*. And I want someone who will take our issues to City Hall and do something about it.

Maya has done this over and over. She has listened to her elderly clients and the folks with disabilities who she supports through her career, and she wants to make sure that these voices are heard in City Hall. She’s taken the concerns and suggestions she’s heard from these neighbors and has already worked with City Hall to determine where benches can be placed around town to support folks who can use a place to sit while shopping or waiting for public transportation.

Maya wants to give a helping hand to everyone in Melrose. She is concerned about the safety of students in schools and wants to ensure that all of our young people feel welcome, supported, and safe when they walk through the front door of their school each day. As Chair of the Human Rights Commission, she has coordinated and supported cultural events in town such as the Community Iftar, Diwali, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. service day.

And Maya is going to take our ideas and concerns to City Hall and do something about it. She’s worked with members of the community to sponsor multiple town vigils, giving our community a space to come together and support each other in times of need. Maya worked tirelessly to ask our Board of Alderman to call Melrose a Sanctuary City, understanding the need for such a measure for so many in Melrose to really feel that it is One Community Open to All. When the legislation didn’t pass, Maya continued - and still continues - to work with city officials to ensure that every Melrosian feels protected and welcomed in our city.

I think we are so lucky to have the opportunity to cast one of our four votes for City Councilor-At-Large for someone like Maya. I look forward to seeing her work as a City Councilor carry on the values of her work as a citizen - listening to and hearing her neighbors, finding ways to reach and support them, and when necessary, taking the fight to City Hall to get things done. Please join me in voting for Maya Jamaleddine on November 5!

--Elle Rupert