A Tale of Two Alderman (At Large): Letter

I was captivated by the stark contrast between two opinion letters that showed up in the Melrose news media this week from two of our Alderman at Large: Monica Medeiros and Kate Lipper Garabedian.

Medeiros has served as a Melrose Alderman since 2007, has run in several statewide elections for State Representative and State Senate, been on the Board of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, chaired the Melrose Republican Committee and is currently the President of the Massachusetts Municipal Councilors Association. A seasoned politician no doubt.

Lipper-Garabedian, on the other hand, moved to Melrose recently and was first elected to the Board of Alderman in 2018, the only political position she has ever held.

Medeiros claims that her view of the City of Melrose finances has been obstructed and our finances mismanaged…even though she has voted in favor of every budget put forward by the Mayor’s office since she has been in office (2007). As a member of the Appropriations Committee she is part of the decision-making process. How can she possibly claim poor fiscal management and an obstructed view of City and School finances when she has sat in the front row for 12+ years and voted yes on every budget?

Interestingly, all the data Medeiros claims she doesn’t have access to is written plain as day in Lipper-Garabedian’ s opinion piece supporting of the override. There are direct links to the data right in her statement, which cites compelling facts and figures arrived at by “pouring through annual budget documents, the Visual Budget website, the State’s school and municipal finance materials and a real effort to communicate with various employees involved in the fiscal accounting for both the schools and the municipality at large.” At a critical moment for the City of Melrose Lipper - Garabedian did the work she was elected to do.

Facts and figures versus rhetoric and vagaries. Same position, same seat at the table. If Medeiros has an obstructed view she either doesn’t understand fiscal finance (shocking given her political experience), has been too distracted running for other offices, or maybe she just isn’t paying attention Monday nights before her annual “yes” vote on the budget gets registered.

Alderman Medeiros’ letter struck me as a “Kick Off” letter for her next political campaign. An appeal to a very cynical base…not an analytical look at Melrose’s fiscal picture and its future needs…which is what her current position requires of her.

The data is crystal clear for any individual interested or capable of understanding it. Our community needs the override. Vote YES!

John McLaughlin

41 North Avenue

617-694-4297