A Great Sight
Dear Editor
As I watched the Columbus Day parade, it was a wonderful site to see the spectacular display of the American flag all along Broadway and Revere Street. Thank you, Mayor Arrigo, for this great display, I have never seen anything like in any other city. I asked Mayor Arrigo what motivated him to put flags all along Broadway, and he told me that the flags are a symbol of our country’s unity, strength, and history, and that the flags are a way to honor all Americans and all those who have defended our nation’s freedom in military service. Many of us have traveled in a cities across Massachusetts and beyond. I have never seen anything like it, and I dare say neither have any of you.
Bill Jackson
We Must Protect Our Youth
Dear Editor,
As a Revere resident, mother, and grandmother, I am very concerned with the availability of flavored vaping/e-cigarette products. I’ve already lost a child to addiction and I know how innocently kids can be lured in. I know this is not the same as hard drugs or alcohol, however, addiction is addiction. I support calling our legislature to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products. We must protect our youth.
Kathleen Heiser
Looking Towards The Future
Dear Editor,
In my announcement on Page 11, I introduce myself to you. I told you that I am a proud, lifelong, fourth generation son of Revere, whose vision for our ward and city is seen through the lens of a young professional who’s grown up here and intends to raise a family here. With deep roots that stretch over 100 years in the city, I will be a bridge between the Revere of the past and the Revere of the future. I will be a leader who will lay the groundwork for an even better Revere for the next generation so that my children and grandchildren will continue to call this place home.
I explained that I am seeking to be your Ward Councillor because I believe my commitment to the community throughout my life, coupled with my professional experience advocating for the people of Revere in the office of our State Representative for more than five years has provided me with the necessary tools and contacts to impact a positive and meaningful difference in Ward 6.
Today, I want to outline my platform, and let you know where I stand on some of the issues I have been hearing about from residents as I have been knocking their doors, seeing them in church and meeting them at events around the city.
First up – TRAFFIC. Many people in Ward 6, including myself, are frustrated with daily traffic on the roadways as we try to get to work and the kids to school. However, we have to be realistic and understand this issue far extends Linden Square, Salem Street, Washington Avenue and Squire Road – all of Greater Boston is trying to figure out how to mitigate traffic. On the most local level, I’d like to convene a Ward 6 Traffic Working Group to brainstorm possible solutions to traffic backups in our little slice of the city. This would include residents and appropriate city officials. The idea would be to come up with proposals that could realistically be implemented to better the flow of traffic on streets like Washington Avenue, Malden Street, Salem Street, Squire Road and in Linden Square.
Second – DEVELOPMENT. When it comes to proposed development, as a councillor, my preference and prerogative are thoughtful, targeted economic development projects that would boost the City of Revere’s commercial interests. In Ward 6 alone, we have opportunities to enhance Squire Road, and with the old Weilu’s site that straddles Saugus and North Revere coming down the pipeline, in the future there will discussion about what is developed there on the Revere side.
Talking to young people around the city, I would like to see more businesses that would not only add to the city’s commercial tax base and create jobs, like a tech company, but also those that will entice residents to spend recreational time in the community instead of going outside the city or into Boston. Be it modern, fun restaurants or eclectic shops or a place where you can host your kid’s birthday party, Revere needs places that bring our friends to Revere instead of us going out to places like Market Street in Lynnfield or Dave and Buster’s in Woburn.
Next up – FLOODING. From Day One of my campaign, I have expressed that one of my top priorities as Ward 6’s Councillor would be to work to come up with solutions to flooding issues in West Revere. After witnessing how Asti, Tuscano and parts of Geneva and Roland flood during sustained heavy rains, I feel that the issue of trash gates being blocked along Asti Avenue is not the only contributing factor to backups in the neighborhood. It appears these floods stem from issues with the Trifone and Town Line Brooks.
Earlier this year, I was proud to serve as a member of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Planning Group as a representative and resident of West Revere. The MVP Working Group produced a series of recommendations relative to flooding in our neighborhood, which included studying the feasibility of increasing drainage in West Revere and dredging the two brooks that straddle the neighborhood. As Councillor, I’d advocate for state and local officials to come to the table to discuss a plan to seriously dive into these issues to find a workable solution.
Finally – the issue of NO SANCTUARY CITY STATUS FOR REVERE. As I’ve been having conversations with voters over the past eight months, an issue that residents ask about is whether or not I would support a proposal to make our city a sanctuary city. To my knowledge, there is not a proposal on the table, but let me be perfectly clear that this is where I stand: I am NOT in support of, NOR would I vote to designate Revere as a sanctuary city.
Furthermore, should I have the honor of serving as Ward 6’s Councillor, I would vote the will of my constituency on this issue and others in which the residents make it abundantly clear where the Ward stands because I firmly believe that’s how a representative government ought to work.
In closing, I humbly ask for your vote on Tuesday, November 5th because I believe that in addition to my record of commitment to the people of Ward 6, my ideas and vision for the neighborhood will help to make our little slice of Revere an even better place to call home. As a Ward Councillor, I might not be able to solve every issue Revere faces, but I can promise you I will work hard every single day to make our quality of life better. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ricky Serino
(781)-629-9946
We Need an Alternative
Dear Editor:
This week, as so often, I read in the Revere Journal people who refer to drive everywhere complaining that there are too many people driving. If we are to see any improvement in the traffic situation, then rather than listening to our election candidates compete with each other over who will turn the clock back father, we should be asking them what they will do to make alternatives to driving more practical and affordable. They will have to work with regional and neighboring representatives, because no matter what we choose to do about development in Revere, other towns and cities nearby will continue to expand. In the absence of practical alternatives, this can only send more and more traffic through Revere’s streets.
David Gregory
