Carey McDonald Announces Candidacy for Re-Election to City Councillor At-Large

I’m proud to be running for re-election as one of your City Councillors At-Large. I’m running for my third term because I want this to be an affordable, dynamic and inclusive community for everyone, for my kids and for the next generation.

A little bit about me – I live in the Forestdale/Faulkner neighborhood. I’m married, have two kids in Malden Public Schools, and volunteer with local organizations like the Malden Warming Center. Professionally, I’m a nonprofit executive in a national organization, with a background in economics and management. This has taught me how to strategically manage organizations, how to handle a crisis, and how to lead a team.

Affordability and sustainability are two of my top priorities. Our new Malden Community Electricity (MCE) Program is a great example of this. Since it started last year, MCE has already saved residents millions of dollars on utility bills while increasing our use of renewable energy. I sponsored the creation of MCE, working with residents, my Council colleagues, the Mayor, and city staff, and then advocating at the state level for months to get it approved.

The MCE program is a part of our overall new city-wide Climate Action Plan, to protect our neighborhoods and do our part to protect the planet. It’s our city’s strategic roadmap for clean energy, planting more trees, and making it easier and safer to walk, bike and use transit. I pushed for a climate action plan when I first ran for office, and I’m proud to say we got it done.

Focusing on affordability also means addressing our regional housing crisis. We need to do more in Malden – that includes making it easier to improve your property, streamlining approvals to build affordable housing, and cracking down on the absentee landlords while supporting landlords who manage their properties well.

Our city is at a crossroads, and we need leaders with the focus, creativity and teamwork to make it through. I’ve chaired the Finance Committee for the past three years, leading a transparent budget process to identify the long-term challenges and opportunities that can make our city finances more sustainable. We’ve invested in repairing our roads and sidewalks, funding our schools, parks and libraries, and removing lead pipes. In our city budget challenges ahead, I’m committed to having the hard and honest conversations we need, and ensuring our residents get a chance to weigh in on the future of our city.

In my two terms on the Council, I’ve been a bridge-builder to get things done. We won’t always agree in our diverse community, yet we can find the common ground to work together, and disagree without attacking each other. My kids watch our city council meetings, and I want them to be proud to watch our leaders figure things out.

Right now, our community needs leaders who will fight for our values, for our city, and for what works to directly improve the lives of our residents. Malden should be a safe and inclusive community for everyone who lives here. We don’t know what the next awful news from Washington might be, or when the next big storm may come, but I find hope here in Malden through the ways people show up, donate, volunteer and bring their passion to our city. Visit mcdonaldformalden.com to learn more, and I ask for your vote on November 4, 2025.