Election 2017: Questions for City Council Candidates: Grant writer and zoning for marijuana sales

The 2017 Malden City Council elections are approaching. The Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. A preliminary election on Sept. 19 determined the final candidates.

To help Malden voters decide on which candidates to support, a group of citizens organized by Prisco Tammaro, a Malden resident, in partnership with local media,  developed a series of “Quality of Life” questions for City Council candidates.

The questions were sent to the candidates in August with instructions on how to respond. The questions ranged from issues of affordable housing to development, grant writing and bike trails. Neighborhood View has run  the answers to these questions every Friday; the last is next week.

This week’s questions are:

Question 1: Would you support the City Council request a full-time Grant Writer work on grants for the top 5 projects from an online public poll?

Question 2: Marijuana State Law will require at least 4 parcels to be allowed under City Marijuana zoning. Provide 4 parcels, streets, areas, neighborhoods, or zones that should allow a Recreational Marijuana Dispensary, OR if you support a marijuana moratorium?

Note: NR indicates No Response.

Dave D’Arcangelo, Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. In 2012, Massachusetts voters approved medical marijuana. The Council established zones for medical dispensaries. Any further zoning should only proceed after careful citywide consideration.

Debbie A. DeMaria, Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. Consistent with the intent of 2016 Referendum, locations should not be unreasonably concentrated in specific neighborhoods or schools, churches, daycares.

Craig Spadafora , Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. Yes, and currently working on creating a “use” category in our local ordinances. which includes standard terms of setbacks, parking, overlay districts, buffer zones etc

    

Stephen P. Winslow, Councilor At-Large, Challenger

1. No

2. Residents voted to allow adult marijuana use so I oppose using zoning as defacto marijuana prohibition. Allowable zones could include Industrial, Highway and Central Business.

Peg Crowe, Ward 1, Incumbent

1. NR
2. NR

Paul A, Condon, Ward 2, Incumbent

1. NR
2. NR

John P. Matheson, Ward 3, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. I sponsored a moratorium to allow time for the law to develop and for residents to tell us if and where sales should be allowed.

    

Candace L. Julyan, Ward 3, Challenger 

1. Yes

2. I support working with residents and other city officials to find appropriate locations for marijuana dispensaries.

Ryan J. O’Malley, Ward 4, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. The People of Malden voted to legalize marijuana. The ideal location for these establishments is commercially zoned areas like on Route 1 North in Malden.

    

    

Barbara M. Murphy, Ward 5, Incumbent

1. NR
2. NR

David Camell, Ward 6, Non-Incumbent

1. Yes

2. Spot zoning (specifying addresses) is illegal. Preferable zones would include highway business and central business zones, and staying away from schools, and substance treatment centers.

    

Jerry Leone, Ward 6, Non-incumbent

1. No

2. I support the marijuana moratorium.

Neal Anderson, Ward 7, Incumbent

1. Yes

2. The Council imposed a moratorium, awaiting finalization of state marijuana laws. Over the coming months, we must focus on balancing competing community viewpoints and interests

Scott Ciccone, Ward 7, Challenger 

1.  Yes

2. The residents of my ward, and every ward, should be able to cast a vote on any proposed recreational marijuana dispensary where they live.

Jadeane M. Sica, Ward 8, Incumbent 

1. No

2. I am not in support of Marijuana moratorium however I feel proper zoning must be in place to
   keep such businesses away from schools and daycares.

Richard J. Correale Sr., Ward 8, Challenger

1. NR
2. NR

Previous Quality-of-Life Questions 

Sept. 15: Candidates’ answers to questions about future development at the former Malden Hospital site

Sept. 22: Candidates’ answers to questions about the Northern Strand Bike Trail.

Sept. 29: Candidates’ answers to questions  about water quality.

The deadline to register to vote in the Municipal Election is Oct. 18, 2017. For general information, please see: http://www.cityofmalden.org/vote

To check your registration status, click here https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

To find out where you vote, please see http://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx

Photos for this feature were taken from the City of Malden website and candidates’  social media sites, where available.