Melrose Election 2019: Ward 4 To Determine What's Next At Ballot

MELROSE, MA — Mark Garipay and Bob Boisselle both agree that Boisselle has had a hand in getting Melrose to where it is today. Where they disagree is who best can get Melrose where it's going.

Boisselle will enter 2020 either as the longest-serving active City Councilor or on the outside looking in at the revamped legislative body. In his Ward 4 seat would be Garipay, a fourth-generation Melrosian looking to take Melrose into the next decade.

"Bob has been involved in a lot of the transformation of our community, but I think the last six years there has been a lot of change," Garipay said. "The demographics have gotten a lot more diverse and I think I bring a better perspective on a multigenerational flow throughout the community."

The name Garipay is a familiar one around town. His great-grandparents owned a milk farm, his father was a longtime educator and his mother has spent decades on the board at Hallmark Health. Now he thinks it's time to make his own, ahem, mark.

"[My parents] always taught my brothers and I to give back," he said. "We love Melrose and have a long history here. This is what I think was the next step for me."

Boisselle has nothing against change — he's pushed for a lot of it around his ward, he said — but he still has more to accomplish for his constituents.

"I have to competence and determination to continue to try to help them, and knowledge and experience to do the job," he said. "I like to help people, that's basically what I like to do."

Boisselle knows his area. Every spring he walks around Ward 4 to identify sidewalk problems and potholes and report them.

When asked what he's been accomplishing lately, he rattles off a list of projects ranging from water and sewer improvements to street improvements. He's most proud of pushing the Ell Pond drainage study through the engineering office, resulting in money saved for residents who were paying high flood insurance costs.

Looking forward, he wants to address Memorial Hall and the fire station. He's also floating the idea of a bus-only lane on the westbound side of Main Street between the hours of 6-9 a.m. to help commuters more quickly get to Wyoming and Oak Grove stations. (A parking ban would be in effect for those hours, essentially extending the current ban by three hours on that side of Main Street.)

If Boisselle is re-elected, he'd be the senior member of the City Council — something he thinks he's up to the task for.

"In the number of years I've been here, I was president of Board, chair of [the] Appropriations [Committee,] chair other committees, conservation commissioner for eight years and chair for five years," he said. "I think i can manage being the most experienced."

Garipay's made quite the impact of his own for someone outside elected office. He has spent years on several boards and committees, including Incarnation Baseball, Knights of Columbus Building Committee, the YMCA, the Cemetery Commission and the Retirement Board. He also said he was heavily involved with the override campaign.

His eyes are on making sure funds from the override — which he supported — are spent wisely; that infrastructure is shored up; Memorial Hall sees investments; and making sure pending hospital-area redevelopment takes neighbors' concerns into account.

"Even though we did pass an override, which fixed the school budget, we're still gonna have some long-term decisions to make on the infrastructure," he said. "Public safety is something that has to be discussed in the next couple of years."

Garipay said he also wants more trees around town, hearkening back to some of the old photos of Melrose where streets are tree-lined.

But, like Boisselle, Garipay said he wants to consider the voices of his constituents.

"As Councilor you need to be a good listener," Garipay said. "You have two ears and one month for a reason."

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Subscribe to Patch for free for more previews and live updates.

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