A Message to the Melrose Community From Mayor Paul Brodeur

Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Colleagues,

After weeks of careful thought and reflection, I have decided not to seek another term as your mayor this November.

This was a very difficult decision for many reasons. It has been rewarding and challenging in a way that you can only truly imagine if you have been in the role, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside a talented, dedicated group of public servants committed every day to making things better for our residents – no matter what their age, background, or circumstances.

My family moved to Warwick Road in Melrose in 1969, and I became a kindergarten student at the Roosevelt School that fall. It was the beginning of a life-long love affair with this incredible city. I first ran for the Board of Aldermen in 2001. This was before my kids were here, before I owned a home, and well before my dad passed away. Despite being pretty inexperienced, I was able to take office in January 2002 because of the faith that so many people demonstrated in me. There is no more gratifying and humbling experience.

I spent nine years on the Board before becoming your state representative in 2011. With the support of the great people of Melrose, Wakefield, and Malden, we made important progress in making the Commonwealth a better place – better for our students, our seniors, our workers, our families (no matter what those families looked like). I will always be grateful for the friendship and partnership of so many, but especially State Senator Jason Lewis, in bringing paid family and medical leave to Massachusetts.

In 2019, I became mayor, the greatest honor of my professional life. I don’t think there is anything more special in public life than becoming the leader of the city you grew up in. The challenges have been great, but so has the progress. We have invested in many of our long-neglected buildings, recognized the value of the arts and culture sector, expanded our social services to help our residents, established a net-zero roadmap, and developed public-private partnerships to help our city thrive. A city is always a work in progress, but I have learned over my career that you can’t go wrong when you tap our strongest resource, the people of our incredible community.

So after over two decades of elected service, I will be stepping away. I am looking forward to spending more time with family and friends. I am also looking forward to the next chapter and finding different ways to stay involved and serve the public interest.

I will always be grateful to the residents of Melrose for putting their trust in me and for having the opportunity to help shape the future of our community. And to my mom and dad, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, in-laws, and especially Liz and Ethan and Sam, thank you for your love and support as you indulged my career choice. I love you all.

Sincerely,

Paul Brodeur
Mayor

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