By Adam Swift
The city council supported a motion last week asking that the mayor, in conjunction with the school department, install a memorial bench at the Lincoln School to honor the memory of lifelong resident and well-known volunteer Richard Santosuosso.
The motion was presented by Councillors Robert Haas III, Anthony Cogliandro, Anthony Zambuto, and Angela Guarino-Sawaya. The councillors noted that Santosuosso was a staple at the school for many years and developed incredibly strong relationships with students, families, educators and school employees.
“Richie was a great man, he was a great neighbor, he was a great volunteer who every day walked his route and then walked to the Lincoln School to see the kids, see his daughter who taught there for many years, and see the families,” said Haas. “We thought a memorial bench would be a nice touch for the families to remember his work there.”
In other business, Cogliandro and Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley presented a motion asking that the mayor direct Superintendent of Schools Dianne Kelly to ensure that all teachers park as far away as possible from the Revere High School Field House polling location on Election Day.
The councillors noted that parking congestion at a polling location can hinder voter turnout, and reserving closer spaces for voters will help maintain accessibility and participation.
“Two years ago, we had three polling locations in schools that also had to deal with in-person professional development during the election day,” said Cogliandro. “I know of at least a dozen Ward 3 residents who drove down to the high school, couldn’t find parking, and just kept going. I really would like the school department to work with the city on not allowing in-person professional development when they have every reason to do it on Zoom.”
Councillor Kelley said parking issues can be a big problem when it comes to voter turnout.
Zambuto said he agreed that in-person professional development should be limited during election day.
