Melrose Candidate Profile: Jeffrey Michael McCarthy For City Council

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

Here, we learn more about Jeffrey Michael McCarthy, who is challenging incumbent John Obremski to represent Ward 2 on the City Council.

McCarthy is a retired Melrose firefighter, serving the MFD from 1984 to 2oo5.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Jeffrey Michael McCarthy

How old will you be as of Election Day?

63

What city or town do you live in?

Melrose

What office are you seeking?

Ward 2 councilor

Please give us your party affiliation.

Republican

Education

Ripley K-6, Melrose Jr and Sr. High Class of 1979

What is your occupation?

Was a Melrose firefighter (1984-2005), now retired/disabled. I volunteer as a fundraiser for police/fire/veteran's organizations.

Family

I am a Husband to Tina and a father of five: three daughters, one stepdaughter, and one stepson. Grandfather of seven and great-grandfather of one.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My father served 33 years on Melrose Police, my brother Robert Hudlin served 25 years on Melrose Police, my brother Tony McCarthy did 10 years for the Wyoming Melrose Cemetery Department, my brother Chicky McCarthy did 30 years on Melrose Fire Department before he suffered a LODD line of duty death as a fire captain. I served the MPD from November 1984 until my disability retirement in October 2005 due to an injury in August 2005. My uncles, first and second cousins and I have around 200 years of experience on the MPD. My great-nephew still is on the MPD.

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

Never held public office

Why are you seeking this office?

I noticed as of the middle of July that nobody had taken out nomination papers in a few of the Wards. Ward 2 was one of the wards. I have always thought about it but never pursued it. I left a message on the current Ward counselor's phone and after a week or two, I still had not heard from John Obremski and I assumed he decided not to run. I didn't want to leave Ward 2 without a voice to fight for them. A week later I noticed on the city's website that the Ward 2 counselor (Obremski) was seeking reelection. If he had returned my call within tw0 weeks I would have been able to ask him if he planned to seek reelection. I do promise it won't take that long for me to return any calls I might receive.

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

Well, I think the single most pressing issue facing not just mine but the whole city is the debt exclusions for the public safety buildings. I know firsthand about the deterioration conditions at the three fire stations. I have not been in them for 17 years and they were pretty bad then. There are NO excuses. I don't know whose fault it's been, the chiefs, the city councilors or the mayors. If elected, I am going to find out who, what and why the buildings were not kept up-to-date. See, I will not vote to raise taxes more than the allowed 2½ percent.

I will look over every budget item in every department and sort out items I feel they don't need or are unnecessary. I will bring it to the attention of the other councilors and if the board agrees with me, it will be cut from their budget. The department head will have to come up with a pretty darn good reason he or she needs the items

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

To be honest, I don't know, I only came back to Melrose a year ago from Everett. I know the kids like him at his school because he is fair when it comes to discipline. I don't know of any difference between us except two things: He is a Democrat and I am a Republican.

The next difference is he has a full-time job as a principal at a large Everett school and is a dad of school-aged children. Those two things must keep him pretty busy, plus serving part-time Ward 2 city councilor. I am a retired firefighter and if I am elected, I would be a full-time city councilor
It would be a pleasure to serve the citizens in my district.

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

I would not say he has failed, not at all. He just has so much on his plate and might not be able to get back to his constituents on their concerns as quickly as I could because the councilor of Ward 2 would be my only job.

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

Needless spending. While it is nice to have little things that make Melrose a little special, like the kayaks on Ell Pond. But when the people who protect us live and work in unacceptable conditions, we cannot afford to make purchases like this. You might say the amount is small, but it could have covered a few shifts of overtime versus taking a fire engine out of service or leaving one less officer patrolling the streets.

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

I get things done when I set my mind to it. I have organized fundraising events. More than a few for The Leary Firefighters Foundation, raising money to help cities and towns purchase firefighting equipment and apparatus they might not have been able to otherwise get from their city due to a city's budget.

I also spent seven years as an engine company officer. The engine officer is the first arriving officer more often than not and you have to be able to quickly assess the situation at hand and direct and delegate assignments or call for more assistance. You remain the incident commander until a higher-ranking officer relieves you.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Well, that is until it is absolutely necessary to speak out and stand up, especially for the ones who can't do it for themselves.

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

I am for less government less taxes. I am a strong believer in being kind to one another. I believe that every legal American citizen should vote. It's your right. I believe in showing proper government-issued IDs, you need proper ID to buy liquor, drive a car, get into a government building and buy cigarettes, so why are people freaking out about proof of who you are when voting. I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in the First Amendment, freedom of speech. People say that the burning of the American flag is covered by the First Amendment, but the burning of a rainbow flag is a hate crime. I believe both are freedom of speech and both should be considered hate crimes. Both should be treated the same.

My body, my choice. I am against abortion, so I won't get one. Her body, her choice. You can deal with the guy upstairs.