UPDATE: According to unofficial election results posted in the Malden Patch website and other online sources, the overrides in Malden failed to pass. According to Patch, “The $8.2 million option appears to have failed with 3,224 ‘no’ votes against only 2,523 ‘yes’ votes. The $5.4 million option was reportedly much closer to being passed, receiving 2,936 votes against and 2,812 votes in favor.” Below is the GBH News story about the election posted yesterday.
Malden residents headed to the polls Tuesday to vote on whether it will be the first Gateway City in 35 years to pass a Proposition 2 ½ override tax hike.
If it fails to pass, the City of Malden could face cuts to city services.
Voters are faced with three options on the ballot in this year’s special election: whether the city should exceed its levy limit to collect an additional $5.4 million in property taxes; raise that amount to $8.2 million; or forgo the override completely.
Cities and towns must obtain voter approval to increase taxes beyond the cap of 2.5% increase in the total tax levy mandated by Proposition 2 ½.
Costs for many municipalities are rising quickly, and in Malden, the money is needed to help balance the city’s budget, or “significant cuts to staffing and services will be required.”
Malden resident John Hancock said he voted for the override because he does not want to see city service get cut and people to lose their jobs.
“I think this is going to be an ongoing problem in the commonwealth,” said Hancock. “Unfortunately, if we end up getting that override pass that reduces the income tax, that’s going to further exacerbate the problem.”
Hancock said he’s also concerned that a low voter turnout could affect the results of the vote.
“I see a lot of young families here today and I would like to see more people buy homes in Malden,” he said. “I think that it would be best if the override passes because that will help strengthen our community and make it a better place for everyone.”
Longtime Malden resident Priscilla Burns said the city is attracting a lot of young families and that the override could help continue that trend.
“Let’s not lose momentum and take a step backwards,” Burns said. “We need police protection, we need fire protection and we need good teachers and all those things to make this a community where lots of different kinds of people want to live.”
Jan Engelman, who has lived in Malden for almost 40 years, said she supports the override but is concerned that most residents don’t.
“Proposition 2½ limits the tax increases to 2.5%, which is an arbitrary figure, and inflation is much higher than that,” Engelman said. “There’s absolutely no way that cities keeping it within that boundary can continue to provide the same services, and I’d like Malden to be able to do that.”
Kirby Tang, who moved to Malden in 2019, said when it comes to the override, the schools are her top priority.
“We came here because of the diversity of the schools, so it’s very important for me to make sure that they continue to be funded where they should be,” Tang said.
But Tang said she understands why others might not support the override.
“I know some people are saying no because they don’t want people on fixed incomes,” Tang said. “It can be difficult, but to me, I vote with my wallet and if we have to budget differently so my daughter can be fully funded in school, that’s what we’ll do.”
William Spadafora, a lifelong resident and founder of Keep Malden Affordable, a campaign against the override, has told GBH News that he believes the city hasn’t done enough to cut spending. “We feel that the city has been spending money without a lot of oversight,” he said in an interview last week.
Spadafora fears the tax hike could price longtime residents out of their homes, and will be passed down to the 60% of Malden residents who are renters.
