Please know that early voting is still possible so whether its in person or by mail in ballot, Melanie should be on your short list to elect to the city council. The following was just posted on her facebook site as she highlights the fact that she has been fighting for Medford residents around zoning for quite some time.
I have been fighting the zoning changes since December, long before I chose to run for City Council. I attended many if not all of the meetings on the Salem Street Zoning and wrote a letter to Alicia Hunt about my concerns back in December.
As a City Councilor I will continue to fight for the residents and the neighborhoods.
Please know that early voting is still possible so whether its in person or by mail in ballot, Nick should be on your short list to elect to the city council. The following was just posted on his facebook site as the oversight with our agreement could have literally cost us millions in lost revenue!
The PILOT agreement currently in effect between Medford and Tufts does not exist in writing. It was a handshake agreement, Nick has learned.
This information comes from Tufts by way of its public relations spokesman Rocco DiRicio. It provides an explanation for why the City of Medford responded that it could not produce the agreement when Nick requested it via a lawful public records request.
The last written agreement Medford and Tufts had expired on June 30, 2018. Nick has obtained a copy of it which you can view below. It is almost identical to Somerville’s PILOT agreement with Tufts for the same years (published by Nick in an earlier post), with a few exceptions. The Medford-Tufts agreement required Tufts to pay a $500,000 advance for FY 2014. The first-year payment and a portion of the second-year payments were to be paid “directly to the Medford Public Schools.” Thereafter, payments were to be paid “to the City of Medford.”
Nick was informed that the successor agreement (2018 to today) was never reduced to a written contract. It was a verbal arrangement. When Nick asked Mr. DiRicio if any of the attorneys involved expressed any concerns about not executing a written contract to memorialize the deal, his answer was that he could not recall any. He stated that the terms of the current agreement are almost identical to the terms of the agreement that expired in 2018.
The revelation that there is no written contractual agreement between Medford and Tufts raises serious financial mismanagement concerns. It first raises questions if any legally enforceable agreement is currently in effect between Medford and Tufts. In other words, if Tufts were to not uphold its end of the bargain, such as by not providing timely and full payment, or not adhering to the other terms of the arrangement, could Medford bring a lawsuit against Tufts for breach of contract. It is also questionable if not executing an enforceable written contract, and otherwise not maintaining sufficient records of the arrangement, would amount to an audit finding. To investigate the latter, Nick has submitted to the city two more public records requests, seeking: (1.) the city’s internal financial controls; (2.) the city’s latest financial risk assessment; and (3.) all evidence of PILOT payment in the last ten fiscal years. This evidence will help inform him if the City of Medford needs to be reported to the state. You can also view the requests below.
Nick will continue his investigation into the Medford-Tufts PILOT arrangement. A vote for him is a vote for a candidate who will fight against the lack of transparency that has been the hallmark of City Hall for many years. The people of Medford have a right to know what agreements the city has entered into on their behalf so they can judge for themselves if these deals are good or bad for the city.
We are growing at Medford Happenings and as a result, we are looking for volunteers to help with our show and/or the website or both! We are moving over to web only in the near future. We have so many guests lined up for the coming months, once a week is already pushing to the New Year already!
Disclaimer – These roles are volunteer for now. We are looking into funding for this project and we are in the planning stages. We’re not looking to make this a crappy non paid job. Its whatever you can help with. If you’ve eaten at a Medford restaurant, we want to hear about it. If you’ve been to one of the over 2000 events at Medford, we want to hear about it. If you have questions or are interested please email us at medfordhappenings02155@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from you!
This week is off to a fine start. Just a reminder you can now go to city hall to vote early, if you haven’t consider doing so now! While I have reposted the video below, it is worth sharing out if you have not seen it yet.
Colleens is still featuring the meet and greet for the next few weeks. This schedule is a partial and we will post the new update on Thursday.
If you didn’t get a chance to see them live, the video is below:
Note a similar event is currently being planned by the ACM/CACHE at the end of Sept and early Oct, more to come once the event is finalize. This event will also include the school committee members and the mayor will also be invited to attend.
Speaking of elections, if you or someone you know hasn’t registered to vote please do so, it only takes seconds. As for where you would cast your ballot please check the state website for details. That you can find here – https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/wheredoivote
Music
Please check out the following sites to see who will be playing locally. See why Medford is the new cultural center of MA!
Deep Cuts Featuring Maximum Rock n Roll – open tue-thurs 12pm-9pm, fri & sat 12pm-11pm HOURS MAY CHANGE FOR EVENTS 21 MAIN ST MEDFORD, MA 02155 (781) 219-3815 – https://www.deepcuts.rocks/events
Medford Brewing Company – The best community bar in Medford! They just wrapped up a wildly successful Books and Brews event this past Sunday. They feature different events and that info can be found below. OPEN MON – THURS 3PM TO 10PM, FRI/SAT 12PM TO 10PM AND SUN 12PM TO 8PM https://medfordbrew.com/events/ 30 HARVARD AVE. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0406
Mrs Murphys Live Irish music every day! 25 SALEM ST. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0527 – https://www.mrsmurphs.com/
The Ford Tavern – Live Irish music. The Ford also features Trivia night every Wednesday from 7pm – 9pm. 61 LOCUST ST. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0406 https://www.thefordtavern.com/
ART
Arts Collaborative Medford – OPEN Tuesday – Thursday: 12-3pm https://artscollabmedford.org/ – This weeks events are on the main page of the website. 162 MYSTIC AVE Medford, MA 02155
The Medford Public Library – featuring Arts, Crafts, Book events, they literally host all events. https://medfordlibrary.org/events/ Summer hours end August 31st. They are OPEN MON – THUR 9AM to 9PM, FRI 9AM to 6PM and SAT 9AM to 1PM. 111 HIGH STREET MEDFORD 781-395-7950
I was up early yesterday morning because I had a lot of things to do. I knew three things at 5:30 AM.
The Magnificent Muffin and Bagel shop would be open at 6AM.
I would need at least $10 in cash
No matter how busy I think I am, there is always someone busier
Cash only businesses used to bother me and would be a barrier in some cases. This is one of those exceptions. When I got to their door at 6:00am, they were already in full business mode. The breakfast items fully prepared and in the cases. The place smelled wonderful! However before I even got to the door, James Murdock (Melanie Tringali’s husband) was already unloading a truck outside! Bullet point three.
Circling back to cash only, I understand why businesses do it, especially small businesses. Over time the bank and credit card fees associated with purchases in aggregate take a huge chunk of money out of the businesses. That is a story for another time. Let’s focus on what a remarkable shop this is.
West Medford has always had this strong sense of community whether real or perceived. If you need proof, you only need to look at the walls as soon as you enter. Family pictures and resident pictures take up every free space on the walls and even the soda cooler! On warm days you see local folks out front talking, drinking, eating and generally having a great time.
The folks behind the counter are super friendly and it becomes very easy to realize why so many people come to this place in the morning. Yeah there is a Dunkin Donuts across the street but that is mostly for folks who hate coffee and donuts. I know what I said.
This morning I went to MM&B to get a plain bagel and an onion bagel with plain cream cheese. As I was finishing my order I saw my holy grail of foods – The Scone! Had I spotted that sooner, I would have actually gotten two scones, f the bagel! For the moment this is the only place I have seen scones. Before you send me hatemail, no I have not been to every single place in Medford, however I will take suggestions – medfordhappenings02155@gmail.com! On a funny note, I did make the mistake of trying to order a scone at Collettes and got a life time ban! I mean, who goes to a french bakery expecting scones??? Me, I guess.
Back to MM&B, yes the scone was 100% worth it. I got the Cinnamon scone cause its that time of year. Next time its the blueberry one. The scone I had was perfectly baked, it had the right amount of crust and a dusting of raw sugar, making it the ideal pairing with my French roast coffee.
The onion bagel was no different, it was expertly made and it had just the right amount of onions! Not like Bruggers where they put some kind of egg wash on it and then half of it falls off. No, this bagel was perfect. I could not have asked for a better start to the morning.
If you find your self waiting for the train in West Medford and I guarantee you will, you will have plenty of time to hit the Magnificent Muffin and Bagel shop next door. Its a great way to start your day!
At the six-hour-long August 5, 2025 meeting of the City Council, the MBTA presented a request to approve a project involving the elimination and relocation of bus stops on Boston Avenue. The plan involved replacing lane markings and signage, adding new granite curbing and a concrete sidewalk, and inserting new bike lane markings.
Councilor George Scarpelli raised concerns that this proposal was sprung upon the Council and that residents were not adequately informed of the MBTA’s proposal. As he noted, “One thing we’ve heard pretty resoundingly throughout the community is anytime we’re doing something, our community’s really not understanding or knowing the issues and concerns.” Councilor Scarpelli then moved to table the paper for time to learn more.
His motion did not even receive a second.
The project was then approved.
The current Council has been approving legislation at an unprecedented speed. While some say this indicates it is getting things done, approval has often been at the expense of making decisions with complete information and receiving representative public input. Hasty decisions not only result in bad policy but open the door to legal errors and lawsuits ultimately paid for by the taxpayers. Those who say—as in the case of this project, or plans to comprehensively rezone Medford—that people who express concerns about the pace the Council is moving reject “progress” or “getting things done” are ignoring that policy-making is intentionally designed to be a slow process. We should not be making decisions of consequence until we are adequately informed about pros and cons, and we are assured our leaders and members of the public have had adequate opportunity to reflect and comment.
A vote for Nick is a vote for a candidate who will make smart decisions, not hasty and uninformed ones for the purpose of expediency.
Thank you to Colleens Ice Cream Shop in Medford Square for making their shop the center of the political universe. You will not get a better chance to speak to these candidates and voice your concerns and questions. There are a lot of issues for both the city council candidates and the school committees.
Questions to Consider:
How would you like to see zoning implemented?
What should the city budget prioritize for both the Council and School Committees?
What changes are needed in the current City Council?
Ask the Our Revolution candidates why they believe a slate is the best way to govern the city.
Ask the independent candidates what unique focus they would bring to the Council if elected.
A Call for Open Dialogue
Every aspect of city governance deserves open and honest discussion. Please remember: Medford’s city elections are non-partisan. State and national politics have no bearing on how Medford is run.
There have been claims circulating on social media accusing some candidates of racism. Let’s put that to rest. None of the candidates—regardless of affiliation—fit that description. Everyone running has the best interests of Medford residents at heart. Some may be more passionate than others, and those candidates are easy to spot. Get out there and talk to them—all of them. You can’t make an informed decision without doing so.
Be an Informed Voter
How many times have you walked into the voting booth unsure of who to vote for? There are plenty of resources available to help you become informed. Visit candidate websites. Attend public events. Don’t be afraid to speak with them—they’re just as interested in hearing from you as you are in learning about them.
While this site has primarily focused on independent candidates, there’s a reason for that. You already know the incumbents, but you may not know the challengers. To be clear: the independent candidates are not a slate. Each brings their own views and solutions to the Council. They’re not interested in wasting taxpayer dollars on feel-good resolutions that don’t directly benefit Medford residents.
Your Vote Matters
As a voter, you must decide: do you want to work with the candidates to help make Medford a better place, or continue down a path where City Hall operates with your silent “consent”? Don’t underestimate the power of your vote.
One of our neighbors from Fulton Heights wrote in to thank Trish Sciapelli and John for their interview with Trish which is posted below his email.
Hi Trish
Thanks for the GREAT answers and insight on John Petrella’s video. We need new council members that really focus on city issues.
My wife and I have been in Fulton Heights Medford since 1989 so we have been through a few decades of poor management in Medford.
When I received the BIG postcard with the endorsement by George Scarpelli, I needed to know more.
That video and your answer captured my attention. Fiscal mismanagement and talk of more density, coupled with the GREED of passing 2 overrides (trying for 3) was unfortunate. Tying that override vote to a national election was a stunt that was unlike most other towns that have overrides as a separate vote (i.e. Melrose in 2024, which failed)
Remember also that voter turnout in Medford demonstrates APATHY
1. Statistics from COM of MA for 2024 are below so you see what I mean
If you didn’t get a chance to see them live, the video is below:
Note a similar event is currently being planned by the ACM/CACHE at the end of Sept and early Oct, more to come once the event is finalize. This event will also include the school committee members and the mayor will also be invited to attend.
Speaking of elections, if you or someone you know hasn’t registered to vote please do so, it only takes seconds. As for where you would cast your ballot please check the state website for details. That you can find here – https://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/wheredoivote
Music
Please check out the following sites to see who will be playing locally. See why Medford is the new cultural center of MA!
Deep Cuts Featuring Maximum Rock n Roll – open tue-thurs 12pm-9pm, fri & sat 12pm-11pm HOURS MAY CHANGE FOR EVENTS 21 MAIN ST MEDFORD, MA 02155 (781) 219-3815 – https://www.deepcuts.rocks/events
Medford Brewing Company – The best community bar in Medford! They just wrapped up a wildly successful Books and Brews event this past Sunday. They feature different events and that info can be found below. OPEN MON – THURS 3PM TO 10PM, FRI/SAT 12PM TO 10PM AND SUN 12PM TO 8PM https://medfordbrew.com/events/ 30 HARVARD AVE. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0406
Mrs Murphys Live Irish music every day! 25 SALEM ST. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0527 – https://www.mrsmurphs.com/
The Ford Tavern – Live Irish music. The Ford also features Trivia night every Wednesday from 7pm – 9pm. 61 LOCUST ST. MEDFORD MA 781-874-0406 https://www.thefordtavern.com/
ART
Arts Collaborative Medford – OPEN Tuesday – Thursday: 12-3pm https://artscollabmedford.org/ – This weeks events are on the main page of the website. 162 MYSTIC AVE Medford, MA 02155
The Medford Public Library – featuring Arts, Crafts, Book events, they literally host all events. https://medfordlibrary.org/events/ Summer hours end August 31st. They are OPEN MON – THUR 9AM to 9PM, FRI 9AM to 6PM and SAT 9AM to 1PM. 111 HIGH STREET MEDFORD 781-395-7950
Medford Happenings 