Incumbent Novoselsky faces two challengers for Ward 2 councillor seat

By Barbara Taormina

The Ward 2 race for the City Council seat will head into a preliminary election on September 19. Three candidates with rich and diverse backgrounds are competing for the opportunity to represent the Ward that many think of when they think of Revere. Incumbent Ira Novoselsky, who has held the seat since 2002, is facing challenges from Danielle Osterman, a social worker and the city’s Community Development Program Manager, and Universal Life Church Minister Sandro Anaya.

Novoselsky lives in a multifamily home with his extended family in the house he was born in. He said he is running for another term because it’s a job he enjoys.

“I like keeping my Ward beautiful,” said Novoselsky, who has insisted that his heart and soul belong to Ward 2 and the city of Revere. He lists his accomplishments as improving the Ward’s streets and sidewalks with reconstruction and repaving projects and adding crosswalks, streetlights and signs and speed bumps to slow down traffic. He is also proud of the new playground at Garfield School, the renovation of Curtis Park and the public staircase from Hillside Avenue to Campbell Avenue. A dog park at Fitzhenry Square is on his to-do list.

He seems most proud of the revitalization of Shirley Avenue, which has undergone a major makeover with millions of dollars in investments.

“My target is Ward 2 and taking care of my neighbors,” he said.

But on a broader level, Novoselsky serves on the zoning and public works subcommittees. He said he advocated for a new DPW facility paid for with community investment funds. It took eight years to push that project along, but the new DPW is expected to open in September.

Novoselsky is a big supporter of the Suffolk Downs development. He acknowledges that the residential component won’t do much to alleviate Revere’s acute need for affordable housing, but he said the project will bring a lot of good things to Revere, including solid union jobs that will allow people to afford a Suffolk Downs apartment and recreational opportunities.

Several years ago, Novoselsky worked with a private developer to create 30 units of housing for veterans on Shirley Avenue. Overall, however, he said affordable housing is a challenge because it’s not profitable for developers.

As for the new high school, Novoselsky said the Wonderland site was his first choice and he was unhappy the council voted to shift the project to the existing site. “I’m a sports guy and they will be losing the fields,” he said.

He also feels the original site will be a costly problem because of its underground infrastructure. And he is concerned about the need for a new middle school, which was planned to be sited in the renovated existing high school building. “I don’t know if I’ll vote for the money for a school at the current location,” he said.

Danielle Osterman is hoping to parlay her experience as a social worker and Revere’s Community Development Program Manager into a seat on the City Council. “I decided to run because I think the neighborhood needs an elected leader to work for working-class families,” she said.

Osterman’s priorities are affordable housing, job opportunities, fair and reliable transportation and environmental justice. Her work with the city has involved running free tax clinics, workforce development initiatives, and expanding access to childcare.

Osterman describes herself as a macro social worker, meaning she works with other organizations and state agencies to form partnerships to bring funding to the city to boost businesses and workers and improve city facilities and services.

“Ward 2 is the most densely populated and diverse neighborhood in the city and I want to make sure its welcoming for everyone,” she said.

Originally from Connecticut, Osterman came to the area and first settled in East Boston. She moved to Revere after being priced out of her home, so she knows firsthand the challenge of affordable housing. She said she would like to go back and look at what happened on the City Council with the proposal for an inclusionary zoning ordinance that would have required developers to set aside a certain percentage of units in a development as affordable housing. “We need something on the books for affordable housing,” she said.

And as for the city books, Osterman would like to see more transparency, particularly with the budget. It’s presented and discussed but not posted online until after it’s passed. She feels the public should have access to it so they can take part in discussing it.

Osterman feels the city should strengthen its partnership with the state’s Department of Conservation & Recreation to bring more events and activities to the beach. “We could have markets, food trucks, anything that draws more economic opportunity to the city,” she said.

As for the high school, Osterman said, “Wonderland is the place.”

She expressed concerns about students living through a construction project. “I understand the concerns and the need to be fiscally responsible but after listening to the experts, Wonderland is by far the best option.”

Sandro Anaya said he was inspired to run for the Ward 2 seat to bring some diversity to local government. Anaya said he voted for Novoselsky three times. “Ira is a good man and a vet,” he said. But Anaya said Ward 2 elected Novoselsky with a few hundred votes in a Ward with about 10,000 possible voters.

Anaya also said he is tired of seeing photos of city councillors at ribbon-cutting ceremonies and he would much rather see a city councillor delivering food to a family in need. In his work as a minister, Anaya works directly, one-on-one with people who most need help. He is part of an opioid ministry that walks the encampments checking on people and delivering Narcan when needed.

Some people may remember reading about Anaya a few years back when he was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer. Anaya admits the mistake and talks openly about what he learned from the experience.

He is passionate about his work as a youth counselor. He believes more resources need to be deployed before teens are arrested and locked up. “Once you send a 16-year-old to Walpole, you are hurting everyone in the state,” he said. “I don’t want to over punish them.”

He said Revere is vulnerable to the same type of drugs and crime scene in Boston, and the city needs to be proactive. “Revere has let gangs and drugs into the schools,” said Anaya.

“I would bring churches, chaplains, everybody together. We need a lot more than what we’re getting,” he said.

Anaya is not particularly impressed with the makeover of Shirley Avenue. “We’re bringing in housing because new people are coming in with money,” he said. “And that’s scary. None of it is affordable for the people of Revere.”

He feels the city doesn’t know how best to use its resources or balance its budget. “I know everything a councillor can do. I know every level of government I can pull to make this the best city it can be,” he said.

He is particularly concerned about parking in Ward 2, and he said residents are getting ticketed like mad. “It’s like hunters out waiting for you. That’s what city services look like,” he said, adding that those types of things bother him in abundance.

Anaya said he is open to hearing more about the options for the new high school. “They have a place at Wonderland on a rotary jammed with traffic,” he said. “We need to look more at state and federal grants for funds,” he said.