Hello From Fort Moore
Dear Editor,
I hope this message finds you well. As many of you know, my commitment to public service extends beyond my role as your state senator. It is with great pride and a sense of duty that I write to you from Fort Moore, where I am completing my Officer Direct Commission Course, also known as “basic training.” I look forward to making some of you laugh over some drinks when I get back.
I have met incredible people from all walks of life. I am so grateful for all of the lessons, corrections, and discipline they extended to me. I have grown.
I can assure you it has been the most physically trying and emotionally draining experience of my life. I never knew I could cry, curse, and do push ups all while chanting cadence. I have passed land navigation and rifle marksmanship by the skin of teeth. It has been like drinking out of a firehose with all the military vocabulary and regular 3 am wake ups. I have just a little gas chamber and a 6 mile ruck march to go. It will take all I got to rally.
I appreciate serving as your senator even more now. I also deeply miss the good food of our district. When I get back I will continue to campaign and work for you. I have told my fellow battle buddies they will be welcome if they ever want to visit.
In the meantime, you can still write to my Senate email. I have occasional access to email, so I recommend contacting my Chief of Staff. Additionally, you can still reach out to my office, where my team will be working every day. Serving as your senator is one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am equally proud to serve in this new capacity. This experience will undoubtedly enrich my perspective and strengthen my dedication to public service.
Your support and understanding mean the world to me during this time. Thank you for the letters.
Thank you for your continued trust and encouragement. I will be back next week.
Finally, thank you for your votes on September 3, 2024. See you soon.
Onward!
Senator Lydia Edwards
Third Suffolk District
My staff contact info.
Eduardo Moreno Mendez – Chief of Staff
Christianna Golden – Legislative Director
Robert Hass – District Director
For any press inquiries, please email Daniel Reis:
On 3A Zoning Law
Dear Editor,
The Winthrop Planning Board will soon submit its recommendation to the Town Council concerning how Winthrop should respond to the MBTA Communities Act, also known as the 3A zoning law. The Council should accept this recommendation and the residents and business owners of Winthrop should be pleased with the proposal.
The crucial point to bear in mind is that the proposed compliance with the 3A zoning law would not entail the building of a single new building in Winthrop. It would therefore not entail population growth that would place a further burden on our already overcrowded schools or aggravate the rush-hour traffic that is already a serious problem. The proposed plan would simply involve restructuring our current zoning map to make it more accurately reflect the housing that currently exists.
Winthrop can do this because since 1960 we have added more than 2,000 multifamily homes to our neighborhoods, an increase of nearly 60 percent, while also adding 560 new single-family homes. But our zoning code has not evolved in tandem with our housing inventory. The proposed compliance plan would correct this problem–notably with respect to the condominiums at Seal Harbor and Governors Park.
At the August 27th joint meeting of the Town Council and the Planning Board, Town Counsel Jim Cipoletta, who has extensive experience dealing with zoning laws, said he had been assured by the State Attorney General’s office that the proposed rezoning plan would not have any negative impact on the current owners of condos at Seal Harbor or Governors Park. A member of the Town Council has asked for a formal written statement from the State Attorney General’s office indicating that this is the case. We are confident that the Town Counsel can obtain such a statement.
In addition to rezoning Seal Harbor and Governors Park, the proposed plan also takes advantage of the Winthrop Town Council’s rezoning of the Town Center and Middle School site. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has credited the Town with more than 200 hundred units as a result of this rezoning in 2020.
Thanks to the efforts of a number of Town Councilors, Town Manager Tony Marino, and the Winthrop Planning Board, in collaboration with our partners in state government, we have been able to reduce the number of new units required by the 3A zoning law from 882 to zero.
Not only does the compliance plan proposed by the Planning Board provide a painless solution to the 3A issue, it makes it easier for Winthrop to cope with its current fiscal crisis, a crisis that could not be solved by Winthrop’s taxpayers alone.
Town Manager Tony Marino has commissioned an audit that found that we have a capital investment shortfall of more than $200 million needed to fix our public buildings, streets, water, sewer and stormwater systems, etc. And that is before we start identifying the worsening threats of climate change. If we were to try to cope with these problems without state funding, our tax rates would go sky high.
We must ensure we are very, very competitive in securing state dollars to resolve the serious problems facing our town. We have been fortunate in the past in obtaining more than $100 million in discretionary grants for Winthrop Center, three new schools, a renewed Revere Street that is now under construction, and more. In other words, we have had a productive partnership with the Commonwealth, and we need to preserve that partnership.
As former Police Chief and Town Manager Terence Delahanty made clear in his eloquent and heartfelt statement at the August 27th meeting of the Town Council and Planning Board, complying with the MBTA Communities Act as suggested by the Planning Board is the politically and fiscally smart thing to do.
A No vote would make coping with our town’s problems much more difficult. A yes vote would protect the long-term viability of our town by means of a simple and painless rezoning plan that enhances our ability to secure state funds rather than continuously increasing our taxes.
We are confident that once most residents of Winthrop become familiar with the proposed plan and the consequences of noncompliance, they will agree that acceptance of the plan is our only reasonable option.
Andrea Aeschlimann, Prec. 3
Lisa Albergini, Prec. 4
Clara Arroyave, Prec. 3
Paul Basken, Prec. 3
Kaitlin Burroughs, Prec. 6
Carina Campobasso, Prec. 3
Brigitte Carangelo, Prec. 4
Bob Carroll, Prec. 4
Leslie Darcy, Prec. 6
Michael Darcy, Prec. 6
Jordan Deeb, Prec. 2
Tom Derderian, Prec. 3
Alyson Dewar, Prec. 1
Vanessa Fazio, Prec. 5
Devon Fields, Prec. 5
Jacob Fields, Prec. 5
Daniela Foley, Prec. 2
Erica Foley, Prec. 1
Leonora Foley, Prec. 6
Luisa Foley, Prec. 2
Tracey Honan, Prec. 5
Julia Howington, Prec. 5
Laurel Kennedy, Prec. 6
Christine Kinsey, Prec. 5
Janet Langley, Prec. 1
Cynthia Luppi, Prec. 4
Scott Mahoney Wright, Prec. 3
Cormac MacPhail, Prec. 2
Rianne Mares, Prec. 1
Brian Martynowicz, Prec. 3
Nancy L. Mullane, Prec. 5
Michael Kinlin, Prec. 2
Megan Kinlin, Prec. 2
Henry Munson, Prec. 6
Teri Newman, Prec. 3
Justin Pasquariello, Prec. 5
Sandra Pathe, Prec. 6
Mary Pickard, Prec. 3
Nicole Preston, Prec. 1
Elizabeth Pufall Jones, Prec. 6
Peter Roche, Prec. 4
Mary Ross, Prec. 6
Carl Rothenhaus, Prec. 6
Danielle Rondeau, Prec. 5
Donna Segretti Reilly, Prec. 5
Gary Skomro, Prec. 3
Christine Streeter, Prec. 3
Kate Strickland, Prec. 5
Andrew Vinick, Prec. 1
Julia Wallerce, Prec. 2
Carol Walker, Prec. 5
David Walker, Prec. 5
Laura Walker, Prec. 1
Jeffrey Wickersty, Prec. 5
Cassie Witthaus, Prec. 6
Jack Witthaus, Prec. 6
Kim Witthaus, Prec. 6
Ryan Witthaus, Prec. 6
Jenna Wolfenden, Prec. 2
Frederick Wright, Prec. 3
Beth Zerega, Prec. 2
Winthrop C.L.E.A.R Program
Dear Editor,
The month of September often brings feelings of new beginnings as we transition into the fall season, the onset of a new school year and the return to routines that were slowed during the summer. September is also when we recognized National Recovery Month- a time to honor the resilience of those who have faced substance use and mental health challenges, and to recognize the importance of support systems that help in their wellness journey. It is also an opportunity for a recommitment to help to prevent substance use disorder, support those who continue to battle addiction, and provide all people impacted by addiction the resources they need to live a healthy life.
The Winthrop Department of Public Health and Clinical Services (WDPH&CS), along with the Winthrop Police Department, have been working collaboratively in the community to support in need through the Winthrop Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery (C.L.E.A.R.) Program. This program, which is housed in the WDPH&CS and co-led with the WPD, utilizes Peer Recovery coaching along with mental health clinicians and resources navigators to holistically support recovery for anyone in our community. The mission of the Winthrop C.L.E.A.R. Program is to ensure that individuals seeking support, a path to recovery, and access to services for mental health and substance use disorders are connected to community-based service providers.
To bring awareness and recognition to Recovery Month, we are participating in the Purple Ribbon campaign along with our partners at Recovery on the Harbor, located in East Boston. We have hung purple ribbons on light posts throughout Winthrop to honor those who have lost their battle to addiction. It is a poignant reminder that many who suffer from substance misuse disorder are often in our shadows due to shame and stigma; we aim to decrease this shame and stigma by honoring loss with grace and dignity. Also, the WDPH&CS has displayed 120 purple flags on the lawn of the EB Newton Building. These 120 flags represent the Winthrop residents who have lost their lives to opioid overdose since the beginning of the Opioid Epidemic in 1996.
On Thursday, September 26 the Winthrop C.L.E.A.R. Program will be hosting our Third Annual Winthrop Recovery Event to remember those who have lost their battle to addiction while also highlighting to resources and voices of recovery within our community. Beginning at 5:30pm on the Lawn at Town Hall, we will have speakers and community organizations present to increase awareness around the resources available in Winthrop. As the sun sets, we will then hold a candlelight vigil from Town Hall to French Square to honor the lives lost to addition. The final portion of the event will highlight stories of recovery along with light refreshments at French Square. We invite all residents to join this impactful event. There is hardly a person, family, or friend who has not been impacted by the substance use disorder and we hope that as we continue to talk openly about substance use and mental health, we will decrease the shame so often associated with accessing help.
Meredith Hurley, RN, MPH
Director, Winthrop Dept. of Public Health & Clinical Services