Malden Candidate Profile: Carey McDonald For City Council

MALDEN, MA — With the Malden Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Carey McDonald, who is running for a councillor at large seat on the Malden City Council. McDonald is an incumbent and is among four candidates running for three at-large seats. Also running are fellow incumbents Karen Colon Hayes and Craig Spadafora and challenger Dante DiSerio.

McDonald, who first was elected in 2021, is an executive for a national nonprofit.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Carey McDonald

How old will you be as of Election Day?

38

Campaign website

https://mcdonaldformalden.com

What city or town do you live in?

Malden

What office are you seeking?

City councillor At Large

Please give us your party affiliation

This is a nonpartisan election. I am a registered Democrat.

Education

BA Economics, MS in Nonprofit/Organizational Leadership

Occupation

In my day job, I am an executive for a national nonprofit. As executive vice president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I oversee the day-to-day operations of our over 200 staff members and $50 million budget. I have worked in the nonprofit and government sectors for 15 years. I previously worked in a state legislature and for a state department of education.

Family

Sarah and I have been married for 12 years. We have two kids, Julian and Hosea. They are in 3rd and 1st grade at Forestdale School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

I am running for re-election. When I was first elected in 2021, that was the first time I had run for office or held any public position.

Why are you seeking this office?

Raising our kids here, my family and I are committed to investing in Malden and making this an inclusive, imaginative and dynamic city. Since I was elected in 2021, I've worked hard to build relationships across our beautiful, diverse neighborhoods, to get the basics right, to empower our residents and to take action on city-wide issues. It's an incredible honor to represent my neighbors and this entire city, to be able to work on issues I care about and to make a difference. Thank you to Malden for putting your trust in me. I want to continue the work we've started!

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is _____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While there are many pressing issues facing Malden, the climate crisis is at the top of my priority list. The terrible storms we saw this summer will only get worse in the years ahead. We need to do our part to protect the planet, and make sure that Malden is ready for rising temperatures, more flooding and more weather emergencies.

When I ran last time, I said we need a "climate action plan." Working with the mayor's staff, I'm proud to say we are now in the middle of this planning process. It brings together strategies to reduce our carbon emissions (mitigation) and prepare for the impacts of climate change (resilience). These strategies must be grounded in environmental justice, which means we focus on the needs of our most impacted residents with the least means. Malden is nearly 100 percent an environmental justice community as defined by the state because of our economic, language and racial diversity. We started community outreach for the Climate Action Plan last spring, and it's due to be completed in spring 2024.

As chair of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Commission, I know we have to start working on these climate strategies right now. We're building on the work of improving our HVAC systems at our schools and installing more electric vehicle chargers, which happened before I joined the City Council. In the past two years, I've helped support and sponsor:

• Malden Community Electricity, a plan that lets the city negotiate bulk electricity rates for residents. This helps us make sure there are stable rates on good terms that protect consumers, with more renewable electricity added in. Many of our neighboring cities and towns already do this, and we are now just waiting on state approval to start the program.
• Outreach to help homes and businesses get energy efficiency projects funded through Mass Save. These can include better insulation, switching to heat pumps, electric appliances and more. We received a Mass Save Community First Partnerships grant, and partner with Home Works to provide free home energy assessments (masssave.com/malden).
• On the planning team for the Green Malden Fair in April 2023, which had hundreds of residents come to learn more about environmental opportunities and programs in Malden.

I've also supported our new curb-side compost program, planting more trees with our tree warden and the state-sponsored Greening the Gateway Cities program, and investments in the Malden River and the Malden River Works project.

In my next term, I will work to finish the Climate Action Plan and begin to implement those strategies. Buildings contribute nearly 2/3 of Malden's greenhouse gases, so retrofitting our buildings to be electrified and efficient is a top priority. We also need to do more to protect our most vulnerable neighborhoods from hot summers and storm runoff flooding.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I bring my nonprofit and government experience, coupled with a fresh perspective to the city's challenges and opportunities. I take a system-wide, long-term view, with an emphasis on planning, goals and measuring our impacts. I'm proud of my record on climate action, language access, racial equity and management of city finances.

To lead effectively in a diverse community like Malden, I believe it's essential to listen, learn and treat one another with respect, be clear about your values, and remain open to new ideas. For me, those values are equity, sustainability, collaboration, creativity and integrity. I try to be a bridge builder — I seek strong relationships with my colleagues, so that even when we disagree we are able to work together on other areas where we can find common ground.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

I am an incumbent. As councillors at large, we do not run directly against other candidates — we each have the opportunity to talk about what we bring to the table to earn one of our residents' three votes.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Funding schools, city services and infrastructure: As city leaders, we always need to make sure we stay focused on the basics. As chair of the Finance Committee, I led a transparent annual budget process to help the city commit millions more dollars for our schools, roads, lead pipe removal, parks, and more. In the last two years, we voted for $11 million more in road and sidewalk construction, one of the top issues we hear from residents. Going forward, our expenses are projected to outstrip our revenue. To sustain our staff and city services and continue to make investments in our community for the next generation, we must grow our tax base.

Cultivate an inclusive and welcoming community: The mix of people from different backgrounds, identities and countries is what so many of us love about Malden — we need to invest in the resources and relationships to support that diversity! I helped us get an earmark for translation and interpretation, and sponsored the creation of a new Police/Community Advisory Council. We need to deepen and solidify our commitment to language access, make sure city communication with residents is clear, consistent and accessible, and prioritize racial, gender, LGBTQ+ and disability justice in policy decisions.

Vibrant neighborhoods and safe streets for all: A livable, walkable community benefits all Maldonians. As a member of the Future of Maplewood Square Committee, I've supported the Maplewood Fest events and developed a plan to invest in the local businesses in the square. I also hear concerns from residents across the city about speeding cars and dangerous crosswalks. We need to prioritize safety in our complete streets plan, so that residents have good routes to walk, roll, ride bikes, take transit, and drive to get to their destination safely.

Address the soaring costs of housing: Many people in Malden are getting priced out, making it harder every year to start a career, raise a family, or grow old in place. I’ve advocated for affordable housing policies and renter protections, and brought in a team to study options for affordable housing zoning changes. We need to make it easier to build affordable, attainable housing, and create new housing options that will ensure residents of all ages can stay in their homes.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my current role as a nonprofit executive for the past six years, I've successfully led strategic initiatives and crisis response for our organizations. This includes:

• Navigated COVID safety and public health recommendations for our staff and our member congregations
• Dramatically increased our staff diversity, and implemented new policies for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Reorganized our staff groups and leadership structure. Shifted millions of dollars to higher-impact work while maintaining a flat budget.
• Led six annual budget processes, and helped complete two fundraising campaigns.
• Revamped our justice and advocacy work, leading to a national, nonpartisan voter outreach campaign in 2020 and 2022 that contacted over 2 million voters each time.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My dad once told me to "make waves where you are." It means whatever your role or position is, do your best and try to have an impact.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a people person! Please feel free to email me at mcdonaldformalden@gmail.com or call my cell at 781.627.5506 if you'd like to get in touch with me.