Linda’s In: Former Councillor Linda Santos Rosa Will Run for Ward 5 Seat

Linda Santos Rosa pulled her nomination papers at the Revere Election Department Tuesday morning and the former councillor-at-large will be a candidate for the Ward 5 seat in the July 19 special election.

Santos Rosa said she wants to work on issues that need to be finished in the ward.

“There are a lot of projects in the ward and that’s going to have a big impact in the ward,” said Santos Rosa. “The water levels in the city are very high, so it concerns me to see a lot of high-rise construction. I love progress, but I also like when progress has less of an impact. I want to make sure that the projects are more controlled. The plans for a huge development on the old G and J site are also a concern of mine for the ward. What I’d really like to do is to continue to work with the mayor [Brian Arrigo] and the Council with the progress that they’ve been making throughout the city.”

Santos Rosa is a history-making office holder in Revere city politics. She was the first female resident elected as a councillor-at-large. In fact, the Council recently voted to place a photo of her in the Council Chambers as recognition of that accomplishment.

A political powerhouse citywide and one of the Council’s most charismatic members, Santos Rosa served three terms on the Council after completing two terms on the School Committee.

Interestingly during her Council tenure, Santos Rosa became the acting mayor for a week when then-Mayor George Colella left for a vacation.

“I was mayor for five days and it was fun,” Santos Rosa recalled. “The funny thing was, I said to George Colella, ‘Are you going to leave me the car when you go to Florida?’ “And he said, ‘Absolutely, I’m leaving you the car, but I’m taking the keys.’’’

Santos Rosa went on work in constituent services for Senate Presidents Robert Travaglini and Therese Murray before taking a position on Supreme Judicial Court Clerk Maura Doyle’s staff. She retired from the court last September.

Santos Rosa said she will be out collecting nomination signatures in the next few days and then formally beginning her campaign with visits to each neighborhood.

Linda Santos Rosa is married to George Rosa, a retired quality insurance inspector with the federal government. They have one son, George Rosa II, an established artist and Tufts graduate who was a Revere High classmate of Mayor Brian Arrigo. Santos Rosa attended the Liberty School, the Garfield School, and Revere High School. She also attended Northeastern University.

Linda and her husband, George, will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary later this month. Former Ward 5 councillor John Powers and past Ward 5 candidate Ron Clark have announced their candidacies for the