Letters to the Editor

Mr. Abrams was all wrong

Dear Editor,

This letter is in response to the letter about me that was published in the Revere Journal on February 24th by Mr. Hal Abrams. First, I would like to thank the many people who reached out to me in outrage about this letter. Thank you for your support.

I have always had the utmost respect for Mr. Hal Abrams regardless of whom he supports as a candidate for Senate. I always make myself available for constituents, therefore it was quite disappointing how he jumped to conclusions by making a public accusation about me rather than calling me directly. Most people look twice before crossing the street… In this case he did not check his facts and think twice before coming to a conclusion and making it public. The letter was distasteful. Unfortunately, I should have expected it sooner or later, because ‘Tis the Season for an election’.

Mr. Abrams said in his letter to the editor that I support Bill S.1135 and alluded to my not supporting punishment for illegal immigrants who commit horrendous crimes. He also alluded to me being anti-law enforcement, anti-senior citizen, anti-family and anti-Revere.
This is not true. I was the Chairman for the Subcommittee of Elder Affairs for two years. I used the council chambers as a means for the Senior Center and Senior Citizens to discuss their concerns. My uncle is a retired police officer of over 30 years and I have many good friends who are law enforcement officers who I admire and deeply respect. Keep in mind that Mr. Abrams came to his conclusion of me supporting this bill because I simply shared it on my Facebook.

When I share something on Facebook it does not mean I condone or support the content in the post. I share and post information, events, new bills and I even repost news articles that are trending on Facebook.   I share posts on facebook to create awareness and inform friends and constituents about news. I am running for State Senate. If elected Senator, I am the voice that the courts will hear. Listening to people’s reactions to topics and issues I share on Facebook not only help me better stand ground but also help me make the best decision for those I represent.

Once again, i did not support nor have i ever made a comment in support of Senate Bill s. 1135 or any associated bill.   I simply posted this bill on my Facebook as an informational post, so that citizens are aware of them and can make their positions known to elected officials. This does not necessarily mean that the person who posts these articles supports what is being posted.

In closing, in the upcoming weeks there will probably be letters written to the newspapers, ads placed in the papers, posts made on social media and outlandish comments made up about me, but guess what? The people of this city are not naïve and did not just fall off the turnip truck.

They understand there is an election on April 12th and that I am a Candidate for State Senate.

The people of this community will see right through these dirty campaign tactics and immediately realize the falsehood of statements made and how the true intentions are only to smear a candidate. I will continue to run a clean and positive campaign and hopefully the other candidates and their teams will do the same.

Regards,

Steven Morabito
Candidate for State Senate
Revere City Councillor-at-Large

Clarifying the RTA position

Dear Editor:

The Revere Teachers Association (RTA) believes that it is necessary to clarify its role and position in the discussions around school closings for religious holidays.

The RTA wholeheartedly supports members who observe their holy days of obligation, and they should continue to be able to do so without using their personal days. Still, the association is not convinced that it is necessary to close schools for every major holiday observed by Jews, Muslims, and Christians as they occur during the school year.

Nowhere in the RTA’s contract with the School Committee is there any mention of closing schools for specific holidays. The School Committee and Superintendent of Schools determine when schools will be open.

The previous administration stated that there was no interest in bargaining changes to holiday procedures in the RTA contract. The RTA and School Committee settled a new contract just last spring, and there is no need to reopen bargaining to resolve the issue of when schools will be closed for holidays.

The current policy on holiday closings does merit review. The School Committee’s decision to close schools for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim holidays led to a string of incomplete weeks of classes early in the school year. Educators and many parents found this disruptive.

The School Committee should reconsider its policy on school closings and examine the effects on staffing as employees take time off to observe religious holidays. It is in the best interest of Revere Public Schools students for administrators to make an informed decision on when it makes sense to close the schools.

Erik Fearing

Revere Teachers

Association President

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