City council candidate Paul Donato Jr. was in Medford Square Saturday morning with his sign stand ups. What a great day to be out. Helping with the signs was another city council candidate Patrick Clerkin (in the back row second from the left). Among the other folks helping out were some of the Union workers for Local 103.
Paul is running on a platform to address the city infrastructure – not just about the roads but what is beneath them, water/sewer. He is also a supporter our first responders both at the Fire Dept and the Police Dept as well as the EMTs. Its clear from the response he was getting from the traffic moving in and out of the square, he has a lot of local support. Some has seen his campaign as a dark horse candidate but he should very much be considered on of the front runners. His support base is much larger than most folks may be aware of. He is a good candidate for city council.
From Milva: “Hope you can make it to one or both of my campaign parties. Great spot and great music! I look forward to talking with you! If you can’t make it, please consider a donation: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/milva4medford“
Also note, that we are finalizing the edit for her interview with John from last Friday. As soon as that is posted, we will post here. She is a positive force for the upcoming elections and most of you will remember her from her work as head of the Charter Committee which will also be on the ballot this year. Support the important work that Milva has done and consider voting for her in this upcoming election. We need to have civil, respectful conversations for where our city is going and Milva is that person. See you tonight!
SEE MILVA’S INTERVIEW ON MEDFORD HAPPENINGS BELOW:
Early voting for the September 16 municipal preliminary election will be held from Saturday, September 6 through Friday, September 12 in the Alden Memorial Chambers at Medford City Hall as follows:
Saturday, September 6, 2025 – 8:30AM – 2:30PM Sunday, September 7, 2025 – 8:30AM – 2:30PM Monday, September 8, 2025 – 8:30AM – 4:30PM Tuesday, September 9, 2025 – 8:30AM – 4:30PM Wednesday, September 10, 2025 – 8:30AM – 7:30PM Thursday, September 11, 2025 – 8:30AM – 4:30PM Friday, September 12, 2025 – 8:30AM – 12:30PM
Other options for voting in this election include mail-in ballots or voting on election day, September 16. The deadline to request a Vote by Mail ballot is Tuesday, September 9th at 5pm. The form is available at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website, in the Elections Office (Room 102 of City Hall), or by calling the Elections Office at 781-393-2491.
Last night the Medford Public Library played host to a meet and greet with most of the folks running for city council. The residents of Medford have a lot of good candidates going forward.
Paul Donato Jr. started his 3 minutes by noting that the host was giving him one more minute more to speak than if he were to appear before the city council meetings. One of Paul’s strong suits is he is street smart and he also has a no nonsense approach when he is involved with projects. His focus was on zoning projects for Medford Square and Mystic ave and the need to support infrastructure changes.
Nate Merritt addressed the need for affordable housing in Medford and the lost opportunity the city had when it sold its Budweiser lot to the MBTA. The housing issue is important to Nate because he is a young home owner and he has a family. The affordability affects him directly and he is looking for solutions that would help make Medford a place people can call home.
Rick Caraviello needs no introduction. What can you say about a person who was Medford’s Person of the Year (Awarded by the Chamber of Commerce 2024)? Or about the person who was directly responsible for the support and building the very library that played host to the candidates last night? Rick has accomplished a lot but more importantly, its not about resting on the laurels of the past, its about the future of Medford and where it is going. Rick may personally know a majority of the residents in Medford and there is good reason for it, he is everywhere. He is approachable and he knows how to get things done.
Last night the Medford Public Library played host to a meet and greet with most of the folks running for city council. The residents of Medford have a lot of good candidates going forward.
Trish Schiapelli may have had the most notable 3 minutes of the night. She pulled no punches regarding the council’s handling of the zoning issue. Trish advocated for a change in the city audit saying we need a new group to review the city’s finances to account for where the citizen’s money is going. A good night for her.
Nick Giurleo had a strong night focusing on his legal background while also proposing changes to city council meetings to the better communications through better resident engagement. More importantly, he offers solutions. You don’t have to agree with him or any of the independent candidates but there is a lot of flexibility and room for discussion and we certainly need much more civil, level-headed discussions not only between the councilors but also including the residents.
Patrick Clerkin had the unenviable task of kicking off the event by being the first speaker. Clerkin was the only candidate to have literally walked every street in every ward of the city. He did what no other candidate has done. As people who couldn’t make it to last nights event or to even have time to watch it on cable access, this is an important distinction because Patrick went out to see and talk to every resident. He listens but most importanly, he is laser focused on city of Medford and the issues that directly affect its residents.
Melanie Tringali advocated for fiscal responsibility, choosing to focus on the pilot program and our relationship with Tufts as well as discuss the city’s poor handling of the zoning ordinance. She’s a homeowner and is concerned about the neighborhoods in Medford, the zoning changes need to be purposeful, every part of the city does not need or in some cases want development.
Tonight, the Medford Public Library will host a meet-and-greet with the candidates running for city council. The event kicks off at 7pm in the Bonsignore Hall. There are many important issues to consider, and this event will give you the opportunity to speak with each candidate after their presentations. Each will be given three minutes to pitch their candidacy.
It’s up to you to decide what the real issues are. Zoning is currently the hot topic. While most candidates are not opposed to it, they advocate for its intelligent execution. Our Revolution may have internal discussions on the matter, but they follow Zac’s lead. In this case, diversity of opinion is not optional.
Affordable housing is another major concern—but first, we must ask: what does “affordable” really mean? Increasing the housing supply does not necessarily lead to lower prices. Medford is the second-largest developer of new housing in Massachusetts, behind only Boston. With 5,000 new dwellings added, have housing prices declined? If that volume doesn’t make a dent in affordability, how much will?
These two issues—zoning and affordability—are closely connected. Our Revolution argues that people want density. That may be true, but density comes at a cost. On Fulton Street, three single-family homes were sold last year. Each was converted into three story units, with rent for the building starting at $6,000 per month. You do not need to guess as to the future of this home, it is very much being prepped for condo conversion and in this part of Medford, the median price for a condo is $500k Is that affordable? Let’s also consider the strain on resources. One of these former single-family homes now contains seven bathrooms. The impact was immediate—neighbors reported a noticeable drop in water pressure. Our infrastructure simply cannot support large-scale development.
City services are also affected. The understaffing of the Medford Fire Department is well documented. Increased housing will stretch an already thin force even further. While fires may not occur daily, emergencies happen nearly every hour. These first responders are out in all conditions—from the hottest summer days to the coldest winter nights. They don’t take time off, and Medford cannot afford to lose them.
So how do we begin to address truly affordable housing? One idea is to rebrand the term “housing project.” Subsidized housing is no longer just for the poor. If Medford wants to make a meaningful impact, it must take bold steps. The city lot recently sold over to the MBTA was a missed opportunity. It could have been used to build a city-controlled housing complex with rent control.
That lot could have supported an apartment building where two-bedroom units rented for $1,500 per month, with priority given to at-risk families. The city would have recouped its investment in a short time—and made a real difference.
The above is among the many issues that concern and impact the residents deeply. Reach out to these candidates, go to their fund raisers but most importanly – Talk to each other. Be civil and open and lets work together. We have a lot of bright minds, lets use it to our advantage. More on the independent candidates can be found here on our website – https://medfordhappenings.com/who-is-running-for-medford-public-office/
The following post is provided by Nick Giurleo, candidate for Medford City Council. His website can be found here – https://nickgformedford.com/ Our interview with Nick is at the bottom of the post.
Last week Nick was informed that the City of Medford cannot find a copy of the payment-in-lieu-of taxes (PILOT) agreement in effect between Medford and Tufts University.
As discussed in another post, Nick sent the City a public records request on August 6, 2025 asking for the PILOT agreement currently in effect between Medford and Tufts or, if no such agreement is currently in effect, the last agreement in effect.
The City responded on August 18th. Here is what they said:
“The City has no records responsive to your request in its possession, care, custody or control.”
Nick was extremely puzzled by this response. Was the city making the demonstrably false claim that there have never been any PILOT agreements in effect between Medford and Tufts? Or was it making an admission that it could not find copies of any agreement?
He decided to investigate further.
Nick sent two emails. The first was to the Assessor’s Office. The second was to the Treasurer-Collector’s Office. Each asked for information on the PILOT agreement in effect, if any, between Medford and Tufts.
The Treasurer-Collector’s Office has yet to respond now a full week later.
Chief Assessor Jared Yagjian has responded and stated that “[w]hile the City may not be able to find the actual documents that were signed with respect to Tufts PILOT payments agreements”, each fiscal year Tufts pays Medford $450,000 “for the campus” and $250,000 “for the newer construction Cummings Building on the corner of Boston Ave and College Ave.”
The Chief Assessor’s response indicates that a PILOT agreement is in fact in effect between Medford and Tufts and it is bifurcated, even if the city, for reasons currently unknown, cannot produce the agreement itself in response to a lawful public records request.
Nick then sent a letter to the Public Relations Department of Tufts University asking for comment on this matter. Associate Vice President of Government & Community Relations Rocco DiRico corroborated the $450,000 figure and claimed this was a 64% increase from 2018. Mr. DiRico also corroborated the $250,000 additional payment for the Cummings Center. Finally, Tufts denied that it does not pay property taxes to Medford and Somerville and cited the figure of $1,497,277 as an annual payment.
Mr. DiRico’s statement suggests that, like Somerville, Medford had a PILOT agreement that lasted until 2018 and that a new one was negotiated some time thereafter. But where is that agreement? Where are any of the PILOT agreements? It is completely unacceptable that the City of Medford cannot locate the PILOT agreements it has entered into with Tufts. How could the City lose contracts so critical to the public interest?
Nick will continue to investigate and consider legal options. Beside the financial figures, what other terms are in this agreement? Is it true that Tufts pays Medford and Somerville nearly $1.5 million in property taxes? If so, where is that money going?
When elected, Nick will work to ensure the public has access to information about the contracts the City has entered into. They should be uploaded to the City website and an easy download for everyone to view. Voters deserve to know what agreements our leaders have made us a party to and judge for themselves if these agreements are prudent.
CACHE is partnering with Medford Soap Co. for the entire month of August to help raise funds for what we do! The products are wonderful!
This is a good opportunity to remind folks that if you’re looking for something to do, whether its today or next week or next month, check out their events calendar, most events are FREE! CACHE EVENTS CALENDAR
This is the last week for the fundraiser, please consider helping out a local business and CACHE. We cannot provide all these events without you and thank you to the folks that did help out!
Where has the Summer gone? This past weekend was outstanding, great weather, plenty of events to check out and these were free events! Some items worth mentioning this week:
The candidates night will he held Wednesday, August 27, from 7 to 8:30 pm in Bonsignore Hall at the Medford Public Library, 111 High Street. This is a chance for the public to come and meet the candidates running for City council.
Note a similar event will be sponsored by the ACM/CACHE at the end of Sept and early Oct, more to come when 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 – Call for events as the calendar hasn’t been updated as of this morning
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
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
Hope you can make it to one or both of my campaign parties. Great spot and great music! I look forward to talking with you! If you can’t make it, please consider a donation: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/milva4medford
Medford Happenings 