In his inauguration address on January 2nd, Mayor Gary Christenson commended the work of Malden High School and listed some of his political priorities moving forward.
This is his fourth term as Mayor of Malden. After taking his oath of office, the Mayor then issued the oath to both the City Council and School Committee members. In his inaugural address, Mayor Christenson made remarks about the fantastic performances by Malden High students, from the Malden AO Step Team to the Malden High Choral Art Society. He believes they truly stole the show, especially student Thalyta Andrade whose rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” moved all in attendance.
Andrade reminisced on the day Mayor Christenson chose her to sing and said, "I was more nervous singing at the Inauguration than at the State House, even though there were more people at the State House.”
Mayor Christenson made a point in his speech to mention Mr. Todd Cole, who is the Director of the Malden High Choir, reflected on Cole’s words: “In addition to how these students sing, it's the collegiality toward one another and what we should all be striving for in this crazy world that we live in.” Mayor Christenson believes this message should be the theme not only for the Inauguration but for how we should move forward as a community. His words tie in with the fact that Malden is one of the most diverse cities in the state.
In addition to all the improvements in the city over the last decade, the former Malden Hospital is being converted to a behavioral health center in partnership with Tufts Medical and Acadia. All in all, Mayor Christenson believes it was the best option. The center plans to open in 2025. As this project is a $65 million dollar investment, Tufts Medical, which owns the land, will also be transferring to the city some of the remaining land, which will be used for passive recreational use and is seen by the people as a “double win.”
With the goal in mind of making Malden a destination city, many aspects have been looked at, from more restaurants opening to more shops being established within the gaming district. The city is also working to convert the former Malden District Court into an arts center.
Mayor Christenson believes that coming together and collaborating on ideas is the key to success.
