Mayor Brian Arrigo.
Revere is making the right moves in an evolving effort to give local residents more voice in city services and solving local problems.
Mayor Brian Arrigo this week announced his administration has revived Revere’s long-inactive Commission on Disabilities with the commission meeting on Jan. 10, 6 p.m., in City Hall. If its tentative agenda is any indication, the commission is going to get to work quickly with plans to open an office accessible to disabled residents who want to discuss their concerns and get information on access to services.
The new year will see the commission prepare a report looking at accessibility to public buildings. The report’s scope and the changes it spurs remain to be seen. But Arrigo deserves credit for taking decisive steps on behalf of local residents and giving them a voice in public discussion and planning.
The revived commission echoes proactive efforts taken by Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli to give residents a look at police work from an officer’s perspective. The department organized a city awareness program that includes an opportunity to drive around the city with a police officer and learn the challenges and work involved in keeping Revere safe.
Revere is a city of immigrants that has seen people from countries around the world call it home. They have changed the character of neighborhoods such as the ones around Shirley Avenue and they have risen to prominence in the city’s business and political communities.
City officials have work to do when it comes to bringing every nationality and ethnicity into public discussions. A police raid where officers acting on the information available to them at the time that spurred protests from Moroccan residents represents a misunderstanding Arrigo’s administration can sort out.
The same outreach to disabled residents and engagement marked by the scheduled Jan. 10 meeting can be extended to immigrants across the city. Revere’s oldest residents can remember coming to America and calling Revere home. They can share that recollection with the city’s new residents and help foster respect and appreciation for what Revere has to offer everyone.
Arrigo is a bold mayor who is not afraid to take a stand on issues he believes are important to the city. He demonstrated that strength when he stood in opposition to the push to bring slot machines to the city. He can demonstrate it again by ensuring every city resident has an equal voice in Revere’s governance and its future.