HEATING UP! Malden election season arrives, already off to a hot start

Several contested races for City Council and School Committee seats are forming, ward-based and citywide

By Steve Freker

The thermometer is not the only place where the temperature is rising in Malden this summer. With less than two weeks to go before the deadline, it is shaping up to be one of the more contested municipal elections in quite some time this fall. May 6 was the first official day that candidates for the 2025 municipal election could obtain nomination papers from the office of Malden City Clerk Carol Ann Desiderio. Since that date, just over eight weeks later, a total of 30 prospective candidates have “pulled papers” for the 11 City Council and eight School Committee seats up for grabs in the 2025 Municipal Election.

There is no mayoral election in the 2025 cycle, as longtime Mayor Gary Christenson was reelected to a record fourth consecutive four-year team in 2023 and still has two full years remaining on his present term. Should he choose to seek reelection to an also unprecedented fifth four-year term, that would be his choice for the 2027 municipal election.

There are just under two weeks remaining on the 2025 Malden Election Calendar for potential municipal election candidates to pull nomination papers. They are available until July 24.

Those who wait until the deadline have merely a four-day window to both obtain and submit nomination papers to City Clerk Desiderio’s office for certification. Signatures are due July 28.

As an initial frame of reference, all 11 members of the Malden City Council are seeking reelection this year and, technically, seven of the eight Malden School Committee members are seeking to return to the school board as well. Only one candidate from the two municipal bodies — Ward 6 School Committee member Joseph Gray — has announced he is not seeking reelection, after completing what would be his second term this year.

For Malden City Council, at this time there would be two contested ward races (Wards 1 and 6) and a battle in the Councillor-at-Large race, judging from nomination papers pulled thus far. In Ward 1, incumbent Peg Crowe, of Hancock Street, and potential challenger Bryn Garrity, 47 Perkins Ave., Unit 2, have taken out nomination papers, and Councillor Crowe has submitted close to the total required for certification.

In another potential contested ward councillor race, Ward 6 Councillor Stephen P. Winslow has had his required number of nomination papers signatures verified. Three other candidates have pulled papers to potentially face off against him in the fall: Jerry Leone, 91 Webster St., a former Ward 6 School Committee member who was runner-up to Winslow in the 2023 Ward 6 Council race; Kevin M. Larson, 44 Bowman St., a political newcomer; and William E. Muise, 90 Columbia St., another first-time Malden political candidate.

The Councillor-at-Large race at this time features five potential candidates vying for three seats, including incumbents Karen Colón Hayes of Wyoming Avenue — the only at-large candidate with all of her required nomination signatures verified at this time (with 206), Carey McDonald, of Pierce Street, and Craig Spadafora, of Elm Street. Two challengers are political newcomer Mohammad Abu-Tahar, 190 Mountain Ave., and former Ward 7 School Committee member Michelle Luong. Luong, 111 Daniels St., finished runner-up to Ward 7 Councillor Chris Simonelli in the 2023 Malden municipal election for a then open seat vacated by former Councillor Neal Anderson.

Simonelli, of Bowdoin Street and the incumbent Ward 7 Councillor, has pulled nomination papers seeking reelection along with Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, Council President Amanda Linehan (Ward 3), Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley, Councillors Ari Taylor (Ward 5) and Jadeane Sica (Ward 8), all facing no challengers at this time.

In a pair of additional interesting developments in the School Committee race, Ward 4 School Committee member Dawn Macklin, in her second term, is seeking to return to the school board in this fall’s election — but from a different ward. Macklin recently moved from her now former primary residence in Ward 4 to 20 Summer St., which happens to be in Ward 2. The two-term School Committee member has pulled nomination papers from Ward 2 and is now set to face off against Ward 2’s incumbent, Robert McCarthy, Jr. That unusually formed race would take place if new-to-Ward 2 Macklin files the necessary nomination signatures.

McCarthy has already filed and received certification of his 50-plus necessary signatures for a ward race. After serving alongside McCarthy on the School Committee for the past two terms, Macklin would face off against him in the fall if she submits the necessary signatures and they are certified.

Macklin’s residence change now leaves a second open seat in this year’s School Committee election. No less than three candidates have taken out nomination papers for the now open seat, including a former Ward City Councillor. None of the three has had signatures submitted nor verified as of yet; if all three did so, there would be a Preliminary Election on Tuesday, September 16, to reduce three candidates to two for the General Election set for Tuesday, November 4. The three candidates at present are former Ward 4 Councillor Jeffrey A. Donahue, 56 Tremont St., and two Malden political newcomers: Abeer A. Annab, O Mountain Ave., Unit #4; and Katzia M. Small, 61 Exchange St., #10.

Another incumbent School Committee member could be challenged in the fall if all signatures are submitted and verified in Ward 1, as longtime rep Michael Drummey, of Oxford Street, and potential challenger and newcomer Kimberly M. Gillette, of 7 Tufts St., have pulled nomination papers.

Two potential candidates for Ward 6 School Committee member seeking to replace outgoing member Gray are a pair of first-time office seekers: Peter T. Piazza, 1 Manley Terr., and Amy E. AbuShanab, 5 Pagum St.

School Committee Vice Chairperson Jennifer Spadafora (Ward 3), Elizabeth J. Hortie (Ward 5), Keith E. Bernard (Ward 7) and Sharyn Rose-Zeiberg (Ward 8) have all taken out nomination papers seeking reelection to their seats, and as of this week have not had a challenger pull papers for this fall’s election.

CITY OF MALDEN ELECTION CALENDAR 2025

• May 6: Nomination papers available from the City Clerk’s Office.
• July 24, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour to obtain nomination papers from the City Clerk’s Office.
• July 28, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour to submit nomination papers to the Registrar of Voters Office for certification.
• August 11, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour to file certified nomination papers with the City Clerk’s Office.
• August 13, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour for filing withdrawals from nomination for the preliminary or objections to nomination.
• September 6, 5:00 p.m.: close of registration for the preliminary.
• September 8, 5:00 p.m.: first campaign finance statement due for those School Committee candidates who have a preliminary election scheduled.
• Tuesday, September 16: PRELIMINARY ELECTION (not confirmed yet).
• September 22, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour to withdraw from nomination at the preliminary or petition for a recount of votes or, if a preliminary is not held, to withdraw from nomination for the final election.
• October 25, 5:00 p.m.: close of registration for election.
• October 27, 5:00 p.m.: second campaign finance statement due for School Committee candidates.
• Tuesday, November 4: GENERAL ELECTION.
• November 17, 5:00 p.m.: last day and hour to petition for recount of votes at election.
• January 20, 2026: Annual campaign finance statement due for all candidates who have an active committee and/or open bank account.