Winslow will serve as Malden City Council President in 2024

Ward 6 Councillor was elected unanimously by fellow Councillors on Inauguration Night

By Steve Freker

Malden Ward 6 Councillor Steve Winslow was unanimously elected as Council President for the 2024 municipal legislative year at a special organizational meeting held Tuesday night during the Malden Inaugural Ceremonies.

Winslow – first elected as a City Councillor in 2017 – was reelected to his fourth consecutive term this past fall, his second as Ward 6 Councillor. He served as Councillor-at-Large for two terms, from 2018-2022. Council President-elect Winslow also served as Ward 6 School Committee member earlier in the decade.

Winslow told the Malden Advocate he is grateful for the support of his colleagues and the voters of Ward 6 – which is largely the Maplewood neighborhood – as well as to outgoing Council President Barbara Murphy, from whom he will assume the gavel. “First of all, I want to thank outgoing Council President Barbara Murphy whose leadership of the Council this past year and her commitment to her constituents in Ward 5 serve as models for all of us on the Council,” Winslow said. “I thank the voters of Ward 6 for electing me once again to serve as their representative and also my Council colleagues for entrusting me to lead the Council in 2024.”

Winslow was elected as Council President for the first time in his years on the Council during a recess in Monday night’s municipal Inaugural Ceremonies. He previously sought the post in 2021, when colleague Craig Spadafora was selected by his peers. At Tuesday’s Council caucus, Winslow was elected with a unanimous, 11-0 vote. He was nominated to lead the Council by Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe. Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley was among several other Councillors who moved to second the nomination. Winslow was the only Councillor nominated for the post at the caucus.

Aside from being tasked with wielding the gavel and conducting the weekly City Council meetings, the Council President also appoints Council colleagues to the various committees, where a lot of debate and decision-making is undertaken before issues are brought to a vote of the full Council. The Council President also determines the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the committees. Council committees run the gamut from the key committees, such as Rules and Ordinance Committee and Finance Committee, to ad hoc committees, which have a more specific, singular focus.

Council President-elect Winslow is expected to announce his 2024 Council Committee appointments, including naming chairpersons, by the end of this week.

Winslow expressed gratitude for the support of his family. “I must be sure to thank my family; as I tell all new candidates for office, public service in part means family sacrifices,” Winslow explained.

“My wife, Helen, has been my most loyal and dedicated support which I appreciate so much,” Winslow said. “Thanks to my granddaughter, Ashley, for my last minute haircut, my granddaughter, Hannah, for leading the amazing ceremonial Lion Dance performed by Wah Lum Kung Fu students as well as my youngest, Teagan, who all together bring the joy of living that keeps me humbly grounded in what’s important to the work we do for our future.”

Council President-elect Winslow said he is excited by what lies ahead for the city of Malden. “I look forward to working with Mayor Christenson, Senator Lewis, Representatives Donato, Ultrino and Lipper-Garabedian to serve the best interest of our community and the Commonwealth,” he said.

Winslow, a longtime active Democrat in the city of Malden, noted the political climate of 2024. “In this presidential election year, we locally face the same challenges our country does in how to make a multicultural democracy work,” he said. “As Pastor Whetstone noted, Malden serves as a model for this work and I pledge to continue the work of Mayor Christenson and former Mayors Howard and Lucey to proactively engage the community in Council decision making.”

The Council President-elect had some words of encouragement for his Malden City Council peers. He told the Advocate: “I call on my Council colleagues to listen to the community and have respectful dialogue in order to find avenues for sensible compromise on the top challenges we face such as: (1) ensuring Malden remains an affordable place to raise a family, one key reason why my family choose to live in Malden, (2) responding to the persistent calls of constituents for Safer Streets for All, and (3) developing and executing plans for a Malden that will adapt and prove resilient in the face of Climate Change.”

Well-known as a local history buff, Council President-elect Winslow implored his fellow Maldonians, “Let’s work for all the best for Malden’s future in this our 375th anniversary year!”