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.
A 2019 Climate Vulnerability Study found that Malden is in the top seven most heat vulnerable communities in Greater Boston. The 2020 Environmental Justice Populations map indicates that unlike other cities in the district, Malden has neighborhoods meeting two or three of the environmental justice criteria, established by the Mass. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
What will you do to increase Malden’s climate resilience?
Kate Lipper-Garabedian
My history of environmental advocacy and sustainability is long and unwavering, and I’m proud to be endorsed in this campaign by the Environmental League of Massachusetts, the state leader on these issues. As a Melrose City Councilor, I supported ordinances to curb the use of plastic straws and polystyrene products, and I consistently championed the conservation and sustainability efforts of the Energy Commission and Zero Waste groups. As State Representative, including as a member of the Zero Waste Caucus, I strongly support investments in Net Zero initiatives aimed at tackling greenhouse gas emissions and have supported comprehensive climate laws that explicitly incorporate environmental justice principles, including stronger state-local and regional partnerships that address this existential crisis. I have worked with municipal departments and community-based organizations to host annual recycling and sustainability events annually that empower residents to take action locally. I’m proud to have been recognized as the Keep Massachusetts Beautiful’s 2025 Legislator of the Year.
For a community like Malden, this means directing state resources toward urban tree canopy expansion, cooling centers, and green infrastructure in the neighborhoods that need it most. With the full legislative delegation, I have secured earmarks for Malden that support these efforts – including funding for public park improvements, flood mitigation, Malden River Works, and the Forestdale arboretum. And I have elevated local expert voices, like the Malden Tree Warden’s, to share best practices for initiatives like urban pocket forests.
As State Senator, I will continue to ensure environmental justice communities are prioritized when the State allocates climate resiliency funding and will push to make sure Malden gets its fair share of state investment in climate resilience.
Carey McDonald
Climate action and environmental justice have been a passion and priority for me since I first ran for office. I helped sponsor Malden’s community-driven Climate Action Plan, focused on both lowering emissions and boosting climate resilience. I helped create our new Climate Action and Sustainability Commission, to which I am the liaison. Malden is actually a 100% environmental justice community, so we approach every piece of our CAP with a commitment to climate equity.
For climate resilience, preparing for rising temperatures and worsening storms, we need to make sure we protect our most vulnerable residents. Key approaches include better management of storm runoff, scaling up urban tree planting, reducing flooding risks. I would pursue earmarks and grants for high-flooding areas, which we have already mapped. For urban tree planting, I would advocate to extend the Greening the Gateway Cities program in Malden, which has already planted hundreds of trees in our densest neighborhoods. For flooding, I sponsored a resolution endorsing a state earmark to raise the Amelia Earhart Dam, and we need similar support for the Town Line Brook gate, to prevent higher storm surges. High-flood risk areas are often the same neighborhoods subject to historic redlining housing discrimination, so this is a key equity issue. I also opposed the Roosevelt Park turf project.
For indoor cooling, I’m committed to protecting and improving the Mass Save program (the House recently voted to cut this by $1 billion), which provides thousands of dollars in incentives to electrify our homes and make them more energy efficient. This is a great way to get air conditioning in older homes. We also need to make sure these resources reach renters and non-English speakers – I’m working with our city staff on an “energy coaches” program to focus on helping these folks access those funds.
Ryan O’Malley
I first became a community organizer in elementary school when I helped plant trees with my classmates and teachers at the Holmes School (now the Early Learning Center). I fell in love with planting trees and continue to do so to this day. As a City Councillor, I partnered with the Malden Canopy Collective (a local tree advocacy group) to advocate for tree care and conducted the City of Malden’s first citywide public shade tree inventory. I then petitioned the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to bring the Greening the Gateway Cities Program to Malden. This has resulted in thousands of shade trees being planted on both public and private property. I also helped support the Friends of the Malden River and Malden River Works to increase public access along the Malden River through shaded use paths and the creation of an elevated waterfront park at the DPW site. Bravo to the environmental advocates who make it a reality!
All of these efforts have helped increase the urban tree canopy in Malden to reduce the heat island effect which disproportionately effects marginalized communities living near industrial corridors. That is why I was one of the leading councillors to fight alongside the Friends of Roosevelt Park to prevent the installation of artificial plastic turf at the Salemwood School. And we won! Now the site is being partially decontaminated and preserved as natural open space. Unfortunately, Malden’s Administration and the Finance Committee, Chaired by my opponent from Malden, wasted years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the turf project which could have been used to further decontaminate the soil and improve the park.
Lastly, I brought electrical aggregation to Malden through the Malden Community Electricity Program which has saved Malden residents money on their monthly bills and reduced our carbon footprint. As a former park ranger, I have been an environmental advocate for decades delivering impactful and immediate climate action NOW! Planning is great; ACTION IS BEST
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
at Malden Safe Streets candidate forum, hosted by Bay State Cohousing, July 21, 2026. (Photo: MSS)
Maldonians ask, candidates answer
- Professional experience
- Transportation equity, submitted by Malden Safe Streets
- AI in schools, submitted by Reconnect Malden
- Housing costs, submitted by a new community group, via Malden Safe Streets
- Structural budget issues for cities and towns
- Economic development
- Climate resilience action and advocacy
- Auditing the Legislature
- Closing statement
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