Community's request

A reason the petition (Malden petition misses budget vote-Nov. 28) was necessary is because, even after the results of the Felton Hall Survey with many citizens sharing their ideas/comments, even after multiple families spoke at a council meeting regarding the need for park improvements, even after the mayor suggested during the meeting that Brad Harris and myself get together with the others on the issue, even after we did and I delivered ideas/progress/proposals over the next several council meetings, still the mayor/council ignored our collective voice, and sadly, it seems, even with 51 signatures on our petition, our mayor still chooses to view the collective voice of the citizens of Malden as if merely my voice was raised.

If the quotes in the newspaper article are accurate, it would seem she seeks to discredit me, my voice, and my volunteer work for the Community with telling the Gazette that I do not represent the town of Malden "in any way, shape or form."

Our petition wasn't about me. It was about our community, about the capital assets of our community, about the need for our mayor/council/clerk-treasurer to complete all the work their positions require of them, including the implementation phase of the budget cycle - during which generated revenue is actually spent according to the budget. Budgeting $74,714 for capital expenditures, and spending only $323, while taking no action on the necessary renovations for Felton Memorial Hall, indicates a significant missed step on the part of our local government. Our petition requested they correct two missed 2018 implementation steps, and resolve not to miss certain implementation steps in 2019.

Our mayor received 39 signatures on ballots in the mayoral election. With 51 signatures added to the petition, and with the mayor viewing the petition as my ideas, it's curious she'd suggest that I'm not representative of the town of Malden. Unless we consider the possibility that she simply meant I don't represent the local government.

Our petition was drafted with the thoughts of many in mind. It wasn't merely my ideas; it was a community's request of our local government to pass spending resolutions - to make a commitment to actually spend dollars on specific projects of priority for the community.

As such, the petition arrived at the location of the Nov. 20 public hearing at the scheduled hearing time of 7 p.m. PST (per Sprint cellular service, but showing as 7:03 p.m. on the Mayor's device.) I requested to present it at 7:02 p.m. (per my phone) while they were in the process of the portion of the November town council meeting where the agenda clearly stated "At the Mayor's discretion, limited comments may be allowed" and, though they were in the process of discussing the 2019 budget, and though our petition was in support of the 2019 budget, the mayor exercised her discretion to ask me to wait. The mayor permitted me to present the petition before the council meeting adjourned.

Does the timing of the presentation of the petition mean the 2018 budgeted dollars can't be spent in 2018 on renovations for Felton Memorial Hall? It shouldn't. Does it mean that the 2019 budgeted dollars can't be spent in 2019 on improvements/renovations for Malden Community Park, and our library/community center/town hall building? Surely, not.

The mayor/council/clerk-treasurer have had the power and authority (and responsibility) to spend those dollars on the priority projects all along.

Let's hope they will respond to our petition by taking all available steps toward the Felton Hall renovation before the next regular council meeting and give us an official response to our petition ASAP.

--Colleen Cross, volunteer, Malden community citizen