WARD 5 CITY COUNCILOR Shawn MacMaster speaks at Board of Health Meeting about the dangers of unregulated CBD products.
MELROSE – City Councilor Shawn MacMaster, the longest-serving member of the city’s legislative body, announced this week that he will not seek a fourth term. MacMaster, who carved out a niche as a vocal advocate for neighborhood interests, pointed to increased professional responsibilities and a desire to spend more time with his young family as reasons for not seeking re-election.
MacMaster is the last elected official to serve as a member of the former Melrose Board of Aldermen. He joined the then Board of Aldermen in March of 2018, serving all but two months of the unexpired term of longtime Alderwoman Gail Infurna, who became mayor after Rob Dolan stepped down. He has served as dean of the City Council for the last three years, and was a regular presence presiding over meetings and hearings.
A self-proclaimed progressive populist, MacMaster has been front and center of several high-profile neighborhood battles in Ward 5, particularly in the Oak Grove and Pine Banks neighborhoods. He is perhaps most recognized for his vocal efforts to provide relief to the residents of the 2019 Brazil Street sewer disaster, in which he found himself at odds with the Mayor’s Office. MacMaster has also sparred with private developers, commercial real estate attorneys, and business owners when proposed projects jeopardized the quality of life in residential neighborhoods.
On the west side of Ward 5, he led the charge to block a marijuana dispensary from opening on Lower Washington Street and later compelled the developer of the Radio Factory apartment complex to add community and retail space to its architectural plans. To further ensure accountability, he also ushered through a legislative order, requiring the developer to monitor construction noise levels and submit weekly reports to the City to be posted for public inspection.
On the east side of the ward, he challenged the city’s longtime position that bicycle lanes could be unilaterally approved by the executive branch, resulting in a favorable opinion from the city solicitor that now requires new bicycle lanes to be voted on by the Traffic Commission. MacMaster also joined Montvale Street and Wyoming Heights neighbors to block a new development on a rocky plot abutting conservation land. Most recently, he thwarted efforts by Metropolitan Credit Union to add a drive-thru window at its former location across from Pine Banks Park, which he argued would have brought traffic and vehicle emissions dangerously close to homes on Ledgewood Avenue.
On the issues of traffic and pedestrian safety, MacMaster’s advocacy led to a number of improvements in Ward 5. He initiated the process to obtain a state grant that added new street markings and signage to the Lincoln School corridor and to the back entrance to the school’s parking lot; fought to make Lower Washington Street in the vicinity of Little Sprouts Early Education & Childcare a Traffic Safety Zone; and obtained funding to install a continuous sidewalk on Mount Vernon Avenue leading to and from the Sylvan Street entrance to Pine Banks Park. Funding also allowed for the creation of a crosswalk and flashing beacon signs in the same location.
MacMaster, who currently serves as President Pro Tempore of the City Council, has also served as Chair of the Protection and License Committee and the Public Works Committee. He was appointed by President Jennifer Grigoraitis in 2020 to Chair the Special Committee on the Rules of Order, leading to the passage of an omnibus order that increased transparency in the City’s legislative affairs.
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The following is the full statement released by MacMaster earlier this week, announcing that he will not pull nomination papers for a fourth term:
It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the Melrose City Council. After three terms representing the residents of Ward 5, I will leave office in January most proud of having served as a strong neighborhood advocate. I am also proud of my legislative accomplishments, which have focused on public health and quality-of-life measures, supporting Veterans and their families, providing tax relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, and creating legislative oversight over executive branch practices, ranging from sewer maintenance reporting requirements to management of the Melrose Emergency Fund.
As a City Councilor, I have also worked outside of the chamber to draw attention to public policy issues that affect local communities across the state, such as the marketing of unregulated cannabidiol products toward children and the act of rent gouging by landlords during the period of the COVID-19 eviction moratorium.
While I will miss serving as a local legislator and working alongside my colleagues and friends in the chamber, I vow to remain active in civic affairs and continue to give back to the Melrose community. To the residents of Ward 5, thank you for the privilege and honor of allowing me to serve you. The relationships I made with so many of you are the most cherished part of my public service. I will always treasure the fond memories of conversations we shared on your front porches, in your living rooms, and in your backyards. I look forward to continuing to represent you for the remainder of my term. After that, I will remain engaged and visible in the community — standing by your side, as always, to advocate for the best interests of our neighborhood and the city that I love.
