Mike Zwirko Running For Mayor Of Melrose

MELROSE, MA — Alderman-at-Large Mike Zwirko is the latest to announce candidacy for mayor. Zwirko, who served as President of the Board Aldermen through most of 2018, made the announcement Tuesday morning, saying "the old way of doing things just won’t work anymore."

"Melrose will require a Mayor that embraces the leap of faith taken by the voters who made a financial commitment to address our fiscal challenges," Zwirko said in a press release. "I will be a Mayor who respects that trust and will not squander the opportunity this override has given us. The voters have huge expectations here, and that means we need a Mayor with the courage to be disruptive to existing paradigms and prioritize investment in the areas that sustainably improve the quality of our life."

Zwirko, a Democrat, was sort of in line to be mayor when Rob Dolan left for Lynnfield. He had been unanimously voted President of the Board of Alderman at a non-binding caucus before Dolan announced he was leaving, and the City Charter dictated that Dolan's departure would see the President of the Board elevated to mayor.

Armed with that information, when it came time to officially vote for President of the Board, aldermen who had already voted for Zwirko just weeks earlier were looking to assume the title themselves. In the end, Gail Infurna was voted in by the aldermen - Zwirko ended up voting for her in the spirit of a having unanimous vote.

>>>Read: Zwirko Is Ready To Move The City And Himself Forward

"Because the list of needs are many, the old way of doing things just won’t work anymore. The next Mayor must be a hands-on Mayor," Zwirko said Tuesday. "Where policy and practice meet. The next Mayor must have a determined work ethic, be dynamic, energetic, and agile. Have the ability to offer contemporary solutions by disrupting the old mind-set and the willingness to approach government differently. More of the same is not going to be a pathway to prosperity."

Infurna has said she won't be on what is expected to be a loaded ballot this fall, when Melrose voters elect a new mayor for the first time in nearly two decades.

Aldermen Manisha Bewtra and Monica Medeiros and State Rep. Paul Brodeur have announced candidacy for mayor. More names are expected to follow.