The plea in last week’s Revere Journal that was voiced by Mayor Brian Arrigo in a column in our opinion page, in which the mayor urged his fellow residents to become involved in their city government by volunteering for a position on a city board, was both refreshing and unprecedented.
Mayor Arrigo has made openness and transparency a hallmark of his administration. His request for volunteers to step forward for service to our community serves as a perfect illustration of his desire to achieve those goals.
The mayor made a number of important points in his column last week, but chief among them was his statement that municipal government affects all of us more directly than does government at any other level.
Our public safety, schools, trash pick-up, road maintenance, and just about everything else you can think all lie within the province of our local government.
Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest to make sure that our city government operates in a manner that benefits all of us. But as the mayor noted, unless each of us takes the time to get involved, “government by the people†becomes a meaningless phrase.
The mayor acknowledged that in a city of 53,000 persons, he does not know everyone personally. Therefore, it is essential  that those who want to take an interest in serving our city in some capacity must make the effort to make their desire known.
Mayor Arrigo urged those who have such an interest to visit the city’s web site to become familiar with the various boards and positions that exist and then to submit their resume to his office.
We urge as many of our fellow residents as possible to take Mayor Arrigo up on his offer. A government that truly is “by the people†will best serve all of the people and thereby help Revere attain the greatness that lies before us.
