Third Generation Melrosian Supports the Override

I am writing in support of the Proposition 2 1/2 override that will be on the ballot on April 2nd. I have lived in Melrose my whole life, as did my parents and grandparents before me, and people who know my family and me know how much we love the City. Melrose has been and will always be a great place to live. It is a community where generations of families have come back to live and raise their family. That is one of the amazing qualities of this city. It is a community with tremendous pride and active residents who have continued to provide for future generations. That will never change. However, I do believe our City is at a crossroads.

What do we want Melrose’s identity to be? Do we want our city to be a stagnant community that is not vibrant, like in the 1970s and 1980s? Do we want our city to suffer through, and feel the effects of, another financial crisis and the brink of receivership, like the early 1990s? Or do we want to continue the momentum of the last 10 years, investing in our community and practicing smart fiscal management?

Here’s where I land. I am a registered independent and I consider myself fiscally conservative. I watch how Melrose spends our tax dollars and I am convinced Melrose has a revenue issue, not a spending issue. It is not sustainable. After years of changes to balance our budget — like GIC health insurance, combining city departments with surrounding communities, and developing open space in creative ways — we can’t band aid this problem together any more. I strongly believe the services and opportunities afforded to all of us will change for the worse if this override does not pass. So I am ready to invest in our community like the three generations of my family before me.

Overrides are a mechanism afforded to communities like Melrose whose tax base is heavily residential. The regular 2 ½ percent increase is simply not enough to maintain services. The need for an override is not a result of mismanagement, it’s just that we don’t have other revenue sources, like commercial taxes or state funding, that are enough. We have to take care of our City ourselves.

This override campaign is not a campaign of the schools against city services or schools against Public Safety. This override campaign is not a campaign of Democrats against Republicans or Old Melrose against new Melrose. This override is a campaign for the Future of Melrose. Let’s work together as a community to continue the path laid by the generations before us. I hope you will join me in voting YES on April 2nd.

Mark Garipay

Melrose Resident