Candidate Q&A No. 4: Housing Costs

Neighborhood View, with input from local organizations, sent questions to the three candidates hoping to succeed Jason Lewis as Malden’s state senator in the Fifth Middlesex district. Before the Sept. 1 election, we will publish each candidate’s answers, one question at a time, presented in rotating order by last name. Biographies submitted by the candidates and links to all of the answers appear at the bottom of each article.

What is an immediate state-level action that you would pursue to help alleviate rising housing costs in the 5th Middlesex district, and in Malden specifically? How have you worked to address the housing crisis in your current city- or state-level role or in the past?
– Submitted by a new community group, via Malden Safe Streets

Kate Lipper-Garabedian

Housing is perhaps our greatest affordability challenge as a Commonwealth, and the 5th Middlesex is on the front lines. The State is working to address decades of underinvestment in our housing stock, and there is no silver bullet policy that fixes that. There are many policy levers that can and need to be pulled at the state level, and I will keep pushing on all of them as your State Senator. For example, I will continue to champion policies that increase access to housing people can afford, including zoning reform, first-time homebuyer and down payment assistance, tenant right to purchase policies, and senior-friendly housing solutions that help older adults age in place in their communities.

I am proud to have supported the Affordable HOMES Act, which was the single-largest investment in state funding for housing production and preservation. The comprehensive 2023 tax relief law included a bill I filed that increased renters’ income tax deduction by 33%, the first such relief in decades. And as House Vice Chair of the Elder Affairs Committee, I ensured that the 2024 long-term care law I helped draft included the small house nursing home initiative to expand residential-style housing options for older adults. I will bring that same record to the Senate, and I will continue fighting for the range of housing investments and policies our District needs.

Carey McDonald

Stable and safe housing is a cornerstone of wellbeing. But right now, people are being pushed out of our communities because they cannot afford to stay and build a life. As a City Councillor, I have supported affordable housing, housing production, renter protection, and shelters/transitional housing. I brought in a graduate student team to evaluate our affordable housing zoning, sponsored an ordinance to expand the authority of Malden’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, supported the use of Community Preservation funds by the AHTF, and voted for the MBTA Communities zoning changes.

To support renters, I sponsored creation of a new rental registry so that the city has a local contact for all landlords, to ensure they are complying with inspections and providing lead-free units. I support the tenants’ right of first refusal to purchase a building, and expanding access to tenant counseling services like Malden’s invaluable Office of Housing Stability.

Massachusetts should prioritize more funds for creating affordable housing which people can actually afford. That includes backfilling lost Federal resources, key to making the funding stack for these projects work. I would consider using Rainy Day funds for this purpose, and explore new funding sources, like local option transfer fees. We should set statewide standards for swift or by-right approvals for 100% affordable housing projects. When the pieces come together for one of these rare projects, we should ensure it is completed. 

I also support ending exclusionary residential zoning with large lot sizes and unnecessary parking requirements, designed to stop housing. We need more homes that work with our neighborhoods, and I support allowing 2-3 family homes in Malden and other communities served by transit. This is the way wealth and housing access was built for generations of immigrants, and we need the same thing today.

Ryan O’Malley

In partnership with Mass Senior Action Council (MSAC), I was the lead sponsor of Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) in Malden. The proposal resulted in Malden’s first Housing Needs Assessment which served as the foundation for the IZ ordinance which I helped enact. I am also grateful to have been involved in the creation of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and campaigned in support of the Community Preservation Act which has helped catalyze affordable housing in Malden. As the chair of the Ordinance Committee, I shepherded the MBTA Community Zoning in Malden and as Council President, I helped enact the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) zoning.

To alleviate housing costs, I would continue to encourage transit oriented development (TOD) with reduced parking requirements near the MBTA. I would also empower local officials to streamline permitting of single, two-family, and three-family homes to better match the historic character of our communities. Up to 90% or more of Malden is pre-existing non-conforming – meaning the homes that have existed in Malden for hundreds of years would no longer be allowed to be built under the current zoning rules. I think the zoning in communities should better match what is actually built which would reduce permitting costs for something as similar as expanding a porch or home.

Biographies submitted by the candidates

Kate Lipper-Garabedian

Kate Lipper-Garabedian serves as State Representative for the 32nd Middlesex District and chairs the House Committee on Ethics. Since her election in 2020, she has led on legislation including nursing home and assisted living reforms, tax relief for renters, campaign funds for childcare expenses, and technology and data privacy protections and has been a vocal advocate for increased early education and childcare funding and universal K-12 school meals. A former seventh-grade public school teacher and education attorney, Kate served as Chief Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Secretary of Education after graduating from Harvard Law School and clerking on the First Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals. In a legislature of 200 Representatives and Senators, she is one of only 11 members who are mothers raising children at the same time they serve. Kate has secured more than $5.25 million in earmarks for her District in the last two fiscal years alone. Kate lives in Melrose and is the proud mother of two school-aged boys.

Campaign website: Kate Lipper-Garabedian for State Senate

Carey McDonald

As a working parent, a nonprofit executive, and a three-term Malden city councillor at large, I understand our challenges and I’m committed to getting things done. I bring my professional experience as an executive of a national nonprofit in budgeting, management, policy, and governance, strategic planning, crisis response and legal issues. I have a BA in Economics from Pomona College, and a MS in Organizational (Nonprofit) Leadership from Wheelock College. 

My spouse Sarah and I moved to Malden to raise our kids, and are proud parents of two Malden Public Schools students. I first ran for office in 2021 because I wanted to invest in building a better future for them.  I’ve been very proud to make progress on funding our library and schools, advancing climate action and environmental justice, lowering utility bills, investing in basic infrastructure like removing lead pipes and paving roads, making our sidewalks safer, and advancing racial equity and language access. 

I’ve worked hard to build relationships across our community and beyond. These relationships are the foundation of my campaign, because they are the people I am fighting for. I’m very proud to be endorsed by unions representing teachers, firefighters, human services workers and grocery store employees, environmental and progressive groups like Clean Water Action, Mystic Valley Progressives and the Working Families Party, and Malden Mayor Gary Christenson.

In our spare time (!) our family likes to travel and go camping. We enjoy music, concerts and dance parties together. During the winter, I volunteer with the Malden Warming Center.

My family traces its roots back to the founding of communities on the North Shore, including Malden and Winchester. My commitment is to work across the 5th Middlesex District to create communities where everyone can thrive.

Campaign website: Carey McDonald for State Senate

Ryan O’Malley

Ryan is the product of Malden Public Schools (K-12). He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Boston College Law School. He is a former Park Ranger in the Middlesex Fells and Breakheart Reservation. He currently works as an affordable housing attorney. He likes trees.

Campaign website: Ryan O’Malley for State Senate

Learn how to take part in the election

The Malden City Clerk’s office provides 2026 Election Information about polling places, how to vote, early voting, and more.

Watch the Malden candidate forums

• Malden Safe Streets forum, July 20, 2026
• Malden Candidate Forum Tech and AI Presented by Reconnect Malden & Schools Beyond Screens, July 22, 2026
• Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition Forum, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026
• Online Candidate Forum hosted by Chinese Culture Connection, Aug. 19, via Zoom

Maldonians ask, candidates answer

1. Professional experience
2. Transportation equity, submitted by Malden Safe Streets
3. AI in schools, submitted by Reconnect Malden
4. Housing costs, submitted by a new community group, via Malden Safe Streets
5. Structural budget issues for cities and towns
6. Economic development
7. Climate resilience action and advocacy
8. Auditing the Legislature
9. Closing statement