The Revere Journal has asked each candidate for Ward 2 the following question: What legislation do you hope to introduce at the City Council to revitalize Shirley Ave?
  The following are their responses:
Shirley Ave. is a vital area to East Revere development
By Councillor Ira Novoselsky
Shirley Avenue is a vital area to the development of East Revere. The transit-oriented development on Ocean Avenue along with the new development on Revere Beach and the old Shaw’s site have made Shirley Avenue a volcano ready to erupt with flourishing vigor. The vibrant stores and businesses are due for many benefits.
This past spring, I submitted legislation to upgrade the lighting on the decorative poles from Walnut Avenue down to Orr Square. These lights will brighten Shirley Avenue to diminish the threat of any negative activity on the street.  The RFP was advertised, and the work will be completed in a few months.
There are several MassWorks grants that have been authorized to provide the businesses with new signage and an upgrading of storefronts. A recent MassWorks grant of over $2 million was just announced to upgrade streets and sidewalks. The Revere Police Department is constantly on patrol due to various protection grants for community policing. Crime is down over 40-percent in the Shirley Avenue area.
With the assistance of the local Revere Community Committee, the diverse neighborhoods have been brought together with many community activities. These activities include several cultural festivals, holiday events, the installation of accent light on street trees and three wall murals to mention a few.
Other legislation that I have filed include providing permit parking from Walnut Avenue to North Shore Road specifically at the Shirley Avenue municipal lot for the local businesses and residents of Shirley Avenue to eliminate the high potential of getting parking tickets.. This will take effect when the DPW installs the proper signage.
There are always other issues that come up at various times that I will address as they occur.
New election equipment changes voting procedure
This year voters will be casting their ballot on new Election equipment. The new equipment allows the voter to color in the oval that appears after the candidate’s name.
The ballot for the local election on Tuesday, November 7 has the offices of councillor at large, ward councillor and school committee. At the bottom of the ballot appears Question 1 – Acceptance of Senior Tax Exemption. The ballot is bi-lingual and has two (2) columns. Voters are asked to carefully read how many candidates they may vote for in each race.
For the office of councillor at large it is vote for no more than five, for the office of ward councillor it is vote for no more than 1 and for the office of school committee it is vote for no more than six. The options for the ballot question are yes or no.
Signs will be posted on Election Day to assist you or you may ask the election officials on duty for assistance. After inserting their ballot into the DS200 vote tabulator the message on the screen reads: “Thank you for voting. Your ballot has been counted.â€Â Thank you, The Board of Election Commissioners.
