PEG CROWE FOR WARD 1
Issues
Issue Table of Contents
Unions and the Trash Strike
Peg was born into a strong union family. Her grandfather was a member of the Teamsters and served as a Treasurer for the union during the Great Depression. Standing up for working families is a core value driving her work and public service.
Over the years, Peg has stood on the picket line with striking National Grid workers and Stop and Shop workers. This year, Peg has been a vocal supporter of the Teamsters workers, visiting them on the picket line as they fight for fair wages and benefits. She has also been a strong voice for public health on behalf of residents dealing with the trash strike.
Peg strongly believes that the company should come to the table and negotiate in good faith with the workers in order to resolve the trash strike.
Budget
Federal budget cuts looming and the end of ARPA monies from the federal government, we are anticipating budget shortfalls for Malden across the board in 2026. Necessary programs like public safety and our schools could be impacted.
This isn’t the first time Malden has faced tough times, though. And it’s not the first time Peg has been ready to take on the tough choices and decisions facing our City.
When the pandemic hit, Peg worked on multiple fronts to protect Malden’s financial stability. With many Malden families facing immediate hardship, she worked closely with the United Way to establish the Malden Together Fund. The fund raised $100,000 for nonprofits in Malden so they could disseminate financial aid to residents in need of emergency support. Peg also worked directly with small business owners in Ward 1 to offer support and to help them emerge stronger from the crisis.
Peg has the experience and know how to help manage our fiscal decisions wisely in the face of budget challenges looming on the horizon for the City of Malden.
Here’s Peg’s plan:
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Leverage her strong relationships with our state legislative delegation and with state agencies to find funds for needed services in our community.
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Support efforts to protect and expand our commercial tax base.
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Be ready to take advantage of the funding that we do secure with shovel-ready projects that address Malden’s highest priority issues.
Public Safety
Safety for all residents is one of Peg’s top priorities. From traffic safety, mental health crisis support, and getting the lead out of our pipes, she’s worked hard to make our community safer.
Here’s what Peg’s done:
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Wrote the Complete Streets policy that gave Malden access to over $800,000 in state funds to make our roads safer for all our residents.Rolled out traffic calming measures to reduce accidents at dangerous intersections throughout Ward
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Led the successful effort to lower Malden's citywide speed limit to 25 miles per hour.
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Secured funds for mental health clinicians to work with our police department in situations where a person is experiencing a mental health crisis, helping those struggling the most in our community.
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Advocated for Ward 1 to get its fair share of funds for lead pipe replacement, road repairs, and crosswalk upgrades.
Here’s what Peg’s going to do:
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Continue working to improve the Canal Street corridor, balancing the needs of elderly and disabled Green Street building residents, nearby commercial businesses, and folks who use the bike path.
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Continue to leverage all opportunities for pedestrian and road safety upgrades that present themselves. For example: If the MTBA is reviewing a road corridor for changes in bus lines, using that leverage to get the state to pay for needed traffic calming measures.
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Continue working closely with residents and the police to identify and address crime such as drug sales when they appear
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Keep walking the ward! Peg prides herself on being out in every corner of Ward 1, every day – walking and talking and listening to residents’ concerns and answering questions. She firmly believes that being visible throughout the Ward on a regular basis is the best way to find out about emerging problems and solve them quickly.
Housing
Peg is deeply concerned about the rising cost of housing for so many Malden residents, which she hears about regularly from neighbors on her daily walks throughout Ward 1. Whether you’ve lived in Malden your whole life or moved here recently, Peg understands that housing stability is fundamental to keep our neighborhoods thriving.
Here’s what Peg’s done:
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Led the effort to create 20 new affordable rental units at the Salvation Army site on Main Street.
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Partnered with local non-profits like City Life / Vida Urbana and ABCD and worked closely with the Malden Affordable Housing Trust to expand affordable housing options for Malden residents.
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Supported the creation of Malden’s Office of Housing Stability during the pandemic.
Here’s what Peg’s going to do:
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Create more opportunities for long term residency and community building to help foster more stable, civically engaged neighborhoods in Malden.
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Provide assistance to home owners who have rental units in their houses to find reliable tenants.
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Take a thoughtful approach to short term rentals to ensure it does not reduce our rental stock or cause rents to increase.
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Support incentives for Section 8 renters to secure stable, affordable housing.
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Expand tenant/landlord mediation services to keep our renters housed.
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Continue to work with Green Street building residents to form a tenants association to advocate more effectively for much needed health and safety reforms.
Park Improvements
Ward 1 doesn’t have a lot of parks and greenspace compared to other parts of the City. Peg believes we need to be vigilant to preserve what we have while embracing opportunities for the creation of new greenspaces where possible.
Here’s what Peg’s done and will do in future:
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Completed the rehab of the field at Ferryway, which serves over 900 kids in the surrounding neighborhood and is the second largest school in Malden. Peg got this done by being proactive and making sure that the project was shovel ready. When labor to do the work unexpectedly became available, she was able to take advantage of the opportunity and get the project completed.
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Secured funding to improve the Green Street basketball courts.
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Continue to expand and upgrade tot lots throughout Ward 1 as more young families move into the neighborhood. Currently, Peg is coordinating work to improve the equipment at the Ferryway Tot Lot. In past years, she secured funding to resurface the Ferryway Tot Lot so it's safe and fun for kids of all abilities.
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Peg has been working with the Malden Tree Warden to save the historic trees of Bell Rock Park, which are 100 year old ash bora trees affected by disease. Ward 1 has the highest number of these trees in the City. This effort has successfully changed the trajectory of the disease spread at Bell Rock.
Seniors
Peg believes that we owe our elders and people living with disabilities basic human dignity and respect. She believes seniors deserve to age in place and that it's her job to make it obtainable, accessible, and affordable. Malden has a lot of senior housing but the need is still greater than the current supply of housing stock.
Peg has worked for years to advocate on behalf of the residents of the Green Street building in Ward 1. Peg’s own mother lived at Green Street in her later years, before it was privatised. Since then conditions for residents at the building have deteriorated dramatically and Peg has been front and center fighting for the senior and disabled residents. She believes we need greater oversight and regulatory enforcement for elderly and disabled housing, especially privatized buildings. She has proven that she is ready and willing to get creative and pushy on behalf of vulnerable residents. Peg has been working with the Green Street residents to form a tenants association to advocate more effectively for much needed health and safety reforms.
Environment and Climate
Peg is a strong believer in protecting our environment and combatting climate change here in Malden. She’s backed that belief up with many actions over the years.
Here’s what Peg’s done:
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Voted to pass the Malden Climate Plan.
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Peg has been working with the Malden Tree Warden to save the historic trees of Bell Rock Park, which are 100 year old ash bora trees affected by disease. Ward 1 has the highest number of these trees in the City. This effort has successfully changed the trajectory of the disease spread at Bell Rock.
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Took advantage of the state level Greening the Gateways program to expand tree planting across Ward 1 every year. More trees make our air cleaner and help lower surface temperatures.
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Here’s what Peg’s going to do:
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Continue to work to bring the Malden Riverworks project into reality. This project would represent a large percentage increase in greenspace for Ward 1 and could also provide a variety of opportunities to develop small and micro businesses and create a destination within Malden for recreation, entertainment, and dining.
Community Building
Peg has worked tirelessly for years to bring community members together, create events and spaces in Ward 1 that are family friendly, and provide opportunities for our kids to have fun while being safe. Every year, Peg sponsors fun events for residents including Summer Movies in the Park, her Mother's Day Breakfast, Halloween Trunk or Treat, and Bike Fair.
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Peg founded Malden’s annual Trunk or Treat celebration on the Bike Path approximately 10 years ago after a 6th grader living in Ward 1 asked her if there could be a safe Halloween event for older kids. Trunk or Treat was born and has become a beloved Malden institution. The event is great for families and kids of all ages and has expanded to serve around 1,000 kids each year.
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Peg has hosted the popular Ward 1 Mothers Day Breakfast for 20+ years. It has expanded and grown over the years, attracting bigger attendance by moms and their families.
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Peg has hosted Summer Movie Nights in the Park for 12 years. The event is popular with families in Ward 1 and throughout the City.
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Peg has co-hosted the Greg Lucey 3 on 3 basketball tournament for many years along with Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, Ward 7 Councillor Chris Simonelli, and Joe Levine from Malden Recreation.
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Each year, Peg co-hosts a community Bike Fair with Ward 7 Councillor Steve Winslow to provide free bike helmets and bike safety tips to young people in the community.