Everett Riverfront Development
To the Editor,
It seems that Mayor DeMaria and his Riverfront development planners missed the mark with proposed moorings in the Malden River. Yachts and sailboats might look amazing in a postcard or drone video, but realistically, how many Everett residents are boat owners? And why risk the safety of our existing rowing community by waking their boats? I applaud the kind and sensible citizens who’ve invited the mayor and his commission for a row on the Malden to better understand her maritime uses and watershed.
Perhaps a better use of public funds would be to engage youth in the Malden River wildlife and focus on community rowing along the Malden. The City of Everett clearly needs more community inclusion and socioeconomic diversity in future planning of development along the Everett Riverfront so that all residents may benefit. A full-ride rowing or ecology college scholarship recipient could be from our great city, but we may never know. Roll tide roll?
Michael Crouch
Education is a Direct Investment In our Residents
To the Editor,
Our lowest income children attend the schools located in Ward 2.
A budget reflects the priorities and vision for the future of the city. Wealthier cities have one thing in common: they are known to invest extra in human capital, that being knowledge and education. Better educated children have more opportunity, and children with opportunity become adults with resources who will in turn enrich the infrastructure of the city.
The extra investment that might be mischaracterized as a burden to homeowners is actually an investment to create more future homeowners to contribute to the pot, residents with higher incomes, and safer streets for everyone. Education is a direct investment on our residents. Investing in our children is not only a moral obligation but it is an investment into the future of the municipality as a whole.
Our schools have been able to do amazing things with the bare minimum. But why limit ourselves and nickel and dime opportunities when we can do more?
Similar to the wealthier cities, gateway cities have one thing in common: limited resources for education. Providing only net school spending funding ensures that our lower income gateway cities will systemically remain lower income gateway cities. It keeps us right where we are. But we want better.
We don’t want just a few success stories out of Everett, we want all students to be a success story, so that Everett can be a success story as a whole.
It is my hope that we can as a city find room in our budget to invest more than just the minimum on our children. We want to grow, develop, improve our city, but also have the best most qualified young people living in it.
As elected officials, we have in our hands the unique opportunity to allocate funding that will define people’s personal futures by funding opportunities and much needed resources that will open doors and shape the next generation of Everett residents.
Councilor
Stephanie Martins
Ward 2
City Councilor