A Year in Review – Looking Back at 2023

By Barbara Taormina

For much of 2023, Revere news was dominated by the municipal election. Former Mayor Brian Arrigo made it clear he wasn’t interested in a third term, and in April he left Revere to take a job as the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). Ward 4 Councillor and City Council President Patrick Keefe stepped into the role of acting mayor, and the race for the office opened up and engulfed four sitting city councillors, including Keefe. Councillors-at-Large Steven Morabito, Gerry Visconti, Dan Rizzo and Keefe competed in the Preliminary Election, which ended with a two-man race between Keefe and Rizzo.

The election divided the city and left four seats open on the City Council, which was changed significantly with Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino also deciding not to run for another term and Ward 5 Councillor John Powers losing his seat to Angela Guarino-Sawaya. The candidates said the 2023 races were positive and civil, but that didn’t seem to always be the case. Rizzo complained that some of his supporters were harassed by the Keefe camp, and there was a lot of tense back and forth between Keefe and Rizzo during their public debates. Ultimately, Keefe won the office by a 360-vote margin and he survived a recount requested by Rizzo.

One issue that made the mayoral campaign so contentious was the new high school. Keefe favored the original plan to build the school at Wonderland. Rizzo was part of a City Council push to study the possibility of building the school on the existing site. Councillors were deeply concerned about the school’s $500,000,000 price tag and help from the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA), and those concerns were exacerbated when the former owners of Wonderland, CBW Lending LLC, which the city took by eminent domain, announced early in the year that they were suing the city for $100 million.

The year ended with the council viewing designs for a four-, five- and six-story high school on the existing site and warnings about potential costly infrastructure repairs that will need to be done. Some residents who favored the Wonderland site for the school are hopeful the new City Council will vote to return to that plan.

But the high school wasn’t the only building project that made some news in 2023. The Public Works Department finally got a long-awaited new garage on Charger Street. The new facility will have the space for the department to work and store vehicles.

In May, the city broke ground for the long-promised Point of Pines Fire Station, which will not only provide emergency services but will also house a community room for voting and meetings for the Point of Pines neighborhood.

The City Council approved a $2.6 million capital improvement budget with a shopping list that includes three new police vehicles, new cameras for the police department, new firefighter gear, maintenance of city fire alarms, vehicles for the parking and elder affairs departments.

But the best news wasn’t always about buildings or City Hall. Revere High performed “In the Heights,” its first musical production in 30 years. And the cast and crew received a surprise break-a-leg video message from the show’s creator, Broadway heavyweight Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The city hosted another proud moment when the basketball courts next to the Harry Della Russo Stadium were named in honor of Robert “Ace” McCarrick, a Revere basketball star, coach and organizer of the summer outdoor basketball league. McCarrick was devoted to the city’s young athletes – organizing leagues and games throughout the summers.

There were several stories that began on difficult notes but ultimately had positive endings that reflected the ability of the community and neighborhoods to work together; the proposal to open a warming center to care for the city’s homeless population in the senior center initially drew fierce opposition from seniors who were concerned with safety issues. But the warming center went forward with no complaints or issues.

A shooting on Revere Beach during Memorial Day weekend led to an uneasy, unsafe feeling throughout the city. But the police response, including public talks about the incident and follow-up measures, reassured the community the beach and the city were safe.

Neighborhood opposition to a plan for a homeless facility on Arcadia Street led to developers changing plans and moving ahead with a plan for townhouses.

The redevelopment of Gibson Park began in the fall. The baseball diamond will be replaced by a multi-use field, two of the four tennis courts will be moved and the boat works building will be renovated to make space for storage and a community boating program.

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