We are pleased to support Steven MacDonald for City Council. He has been in Rockland for 44 years. He worked for the City of Rockland as Waste Water Director for 22 years. During that time, he filled in as Director of Public Works and Director of Solid Waste (dump and landfill) to help out the City when those directors left. Steve knows the workings of the City. He has successfully managed two million dollar budgets for the City, to 10 million dollar budgets for out-of-state waste water plants and government work. He believes in prioritizing needs. 

When Steve was looking for a home, he was lucky to purchased a repossessed home on Old County Road and raised two boys there. When employed by the City, Steve worked well with Rodney Lynch, who was the previous Community Development Director. Steve hopes to be a voice on the council to implement Rodney’s housing plans for Downtown upper story development as well as reinstate the rehab grant development of houses in need. Steve also wants to reuse the empty houses all over the city. None of this requires drastic zone changes.

Steve feels the Flanagan Center is a great place to nurture kids and should not be tore down. For some kids, that is their only safe haven. The building can be secured by a contractor accessing the outside needs. And the City must follow up after a project is done, if work does not perform as the contract states. 

Steve’s stated priorities would be correcting the brooks, so homes would no longer be flooded in various parts of the city. He also wants citizens working with the council to do annual project planning with goals remaining on the wall of the council chambers for the entire year and followed. 

Steve does not want to move city hall, but instead run a sidewalk from Broadway right up to the entrance for those that choose to walk. 

When Steve first announced, we phoned him and asked to sign his papers. Steve is a registered Independent and would be an independent voice on the council. He wants to use his knowledge to help the city. We asked why now? He said he lost his son to kidney failure in April. Steve had given him a kidney that lasted 10 years, so his son had 10 extra years. Steve would watch the Council Meetings on tv with his son and would get so upset, as most of us do from time to time.

Before his son died, he told his Dad that you need to run and do something about it. 

Adele Grossman Faber and Barry M Faber live in Rockland