By Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe
My wife, Jenn, and I moved to Revere exactly one day after our wedding. Revere is where we chose to start our life together, and our home on Kilburn Street is where our family’s story began. It’s where our daughter, Adrianna, took her first steps, and our son, Patrick, learned to ride a bike. It’s where we still call home 20 years later. I was drawn to Revere for many reasons, but I fell in love with this city because of the strength and character of its people.
The people of Revere are kind, they are caring, welcoming, and they are tough. But more than anything, the residents of Revere are proud of our city. Revere Pride is inspiring. It is why our city has long been a great place to raise a family. Revere welcomes people from all walks of life who are pursuing their hopes and dreams, and in their pursuit, they too come to call Revere home.
Wanting to be actively involved in our community was one of the reasons why I first volunteered to coach youth baseball and football in Revere. Our youth sports programs welcomed our family with open arms. Team practices, games, fundraisers, and awards nights with other families were more than just making memories. These families became our village. Together, we accomplished much. We taught our children about how to be part of a team. We showed them the importance of working together to pursue one’s goals. We did this by building an organization that supported and invested in them.
Giving back to the community that gave my family so much was the reason I decided to run for the City Council, and I have proudly served as your acting mayor for the past six months. And it is why I am now running to serve a full 4-year term as your mayor. I believe in Revere, our strength as a community, and our shared vision for a brighter future. And, if elected, I promise to work hard and dedicate myself to bringing progress to this city that we love to make Revere a better place to live, work, and thrive.
Sadly, during all election campaigns, those with little substance to offer, resort to negative campaigning to distract from their own inconsequential track record. In this campaign, there has been a desperate strategy to attempt to blemish my record as a Ward Councillor with the decisions of a previous administration. These attacks are self-serving and recklessly allow our city to be represented in a poor light. I believe that our residents are best served if they go into the polls, armed with the facts of what my administration has accomplished in just 6 short months as acting mayor, which is the clearest indication of what we can achieve together in 4 years.
As your acting mayor, I drafted and offered a budget that reduced general government spending by over one million dollars, while increasing our investment in public safety. This budget was approved unanimously by the city council. We also re-implemented a senior water discount program. This allows seniors to receive a sizable discount on their water and sewer bills. We secured over $400,000 in grant funding for the rehabilitation of McMackin Field. This once majestic field has been in disrepair since 2014. We broke ground on the Point of Pines Fire Station, hired eight new police officers and eleven new firefighters. We purchased three much-needed fire apparatus to bolster public safety efforts. We also addressed concerns about speeding in residential areas by installing speed bumps and increasing police presence. We implemented free parking at meters and municipal lots for Veteran License Plate holders.
Once elected, it is essential that we continue to improve and upgrade our infrastructure. Our roads must be appropriately maintained, repairing potholes as soon as they appear, and proactively repaving and widening roads, where appropriate, allowing us to meet our future travel demands. Improving and maintaining our roads will keep us moving forward.
Education will continue to be one of my top priorities. By focusing on our education system, we will continue to guarantee a quality education for all of the students of Revere. There is no better way to help children achieve the success and happiness they deserve than by ensuring they receive a top-notch education. I will tirelessly work to improve and expand our educational and after-school programs. This will allow us to better educate our children while in the classroom and during the hours after the school day has ended and before they head home for the day.
Just as we focus on educating and nurturing our children, it is no less important that we care for our senior citizens. It is our seniors who have cared for us, raised us and nurtured us. They are the ones who have built our city. And now, it is our turn to help to care for them, by providing them with affordable housing, tax exemptions, senior discount programs, transportation, and activities to help keep them healthy and young.
Further, it is imperative that we continue to develop smart economic growth in Revere. This economic growth will allow us to improve and update our city. Smart growth enables us to pay our police officers, firefighters, and teachers, who are the backbone of our community. It helps to reduce the tax burden on our residents. This growth will be done responsibly and with your input, ensuring that Revere remains a thriving community with a high-quality life, which each of us enjoys.
An election will be held in the City of Revere in less than two weeks. This election provides each of us with a choice. A choice for the future for our families, friends, and ourselves. A choice for the direction of Revere. A vote for me will be a vote for advancement and progress. Revere cannot afford to go back. We cannot afford to leave money on the table, meant to help our city, just to mend a bruised ego. We cannot afford to misuse our city’s rainy day fund to balance the budget. We cannot afford frivolous expenditures on monuments as an ode to self and, we certainly cannot afford other cities to benefit from funds meant for us because it’s a campaign year. No more negative ads and scare tactics to draw attention away from a flawed record of leadership. We need to believe in our city and its future. This is why I am running for mayor, and I ask that you please vote for me, as we work together to build a brighter future for all of Revere.
Patrick Keefe is the Acting Mayor of the City of Revere, as well as a candidate for Mayor in the Nov. 7 election.
