Beverly Mayor: Washington Actions 'Threaten' City's Immigrant, Transgender Residents

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill ended a State of the City address that was largely a laundry credit list of municipal services and either pending or recently completed projects with a staunch defense of the city's immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ members and, especially, its transgender residents who he said have been "threatened" by actions from Washington D.C. since the inauguration in January.

"These are our friends, our family members, our neighbors and our loved ones," Cahill said. "These are Beverly residents who, just like us, are trying to build and live a life in a city we all have chosen to call home. Here in Beverly, we can, and we must, stand strong together and protect the rights of all Beverly residents.

"In truth, the diversity in our community is a big part of what makes Beverly strong. In this moment in history, I believe we are called to be especially kind to one another. We are called to live with love and compassion. And we are called to stand up with, and for, those who have been targeted and threatened."

He then invited residents to join as a community at the official city flag-raising of the Progressive Pride Flag at City Hall on June 5 at 5 p.m. as well as at the upcoming Juneteenth Celebration that he said was planned for June 16 "as we celebrate our diversity and everyone who makes up the Beverly community."

The city, Beverly Public Schools, and Beverly Human Rights Committee are hosting the Pride flag-raising event to honor the history and contributions of the city's diverse LGBTQ+ community "in a spirit of unity, joy, and solidarity."

Among the other accomplishments Cahill cited during his address were what he called $100 million in infrastructure investments over the past 12 years of his administration, $3.75 million in secured state funding for the roundabout at Brimball Avenue that he said would be installed in late 2025 or early 2026, the pending completion of the Bridge Street reconstruction ahead of the installation of a temporary Hall-Whitaker Bridge, and an expected nearly $34 million in combined stabilization funds and certified free cash reserves.

"The state of our city is strong," Cahill said. "And our determination and our commitment to care for each other shows this."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)