We hear so much about mayors, councilors select boards and school committees. What they say and do seems to dictate the fortunes of their communities.
But do they really?
They are but one aspect of a large, intricate network of people who — either professionally or through volunteerism — work to make their communities better, and more livable.
Essex Media Group inaugurated its annual Persons of the Year honor two years ago. There was only one elected official that year, as our recipients covered a wide variety of activities, volunteers and professionals.
We followed the same trend last year, and again this year. We had an elected official as part of our group — but only one.
That’s not exactly intentional, but it does reflect our desire to acknowledge the contributions all people make in their communities, whatever they are. If what they do results in a better community, people nominated for the honor merit serious consideration.
The reception for Essex Media Group Persons of the Year will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the Lynn Museum, beginning at 6 p.m.
For the third straight year, we will be honoring an impressive array of people who have affected not just their communities but other people on the North Shore in so many way it’s almost impossible to quantify.
Let’s start with Lynn’s Kiame Mahaniah, the CEO of the Community Health Center. The LCHC found itself in the maelstrom this year for partnering with Lynn Public Schools to distribute contraceptives to students who felt they needed them. The objective was to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in those schools.
But he has also presided over a wide variety of programs and services that makes the LCHC indispensible in many sections of the city.
We also honor two people — Phyllis Sagan of Swampscott and Helaine Hazlett of Marblehead — who are not only friends, but committed volunteers for their causes. Both have worked extensively with the LCHC, and both have their own causes as well.
Hazlett says, “I have it in my blood to be an activist,” while Sagan believes in giving back.
“At the end of the day, I ask myself … did I make enough of a difference?”
Moving on, we’ll be honoring George Markos of Nahant for a lifetime of philanthropy in and around Lynn. For all he does — including the free Thanksgiving dinners he gives to people each year as owner off Brothers Deli on Market Street in Lynn — he laments that he doesn’t think he does enough.
Our only elected official this year is Revere city councilor Jessica Ann Giannino. She’s only 28 and began getting interested in politics when she was still at Salem State. She prides herself on being attentive to constituent concerns.
“The best thing you can do is listen,” she said.
Carmela and Dick Dalton of Lynnfield took one of the most horrendous tragedies that can befall parents — the death of their son — and turned it into a positive story about helping others with substance abuse issues. They established at 501(c) (3) charity that provides financial aid to recovering addicts’ transitional rehabilitation to the real world.
Deanne Healey of Peabody, president of Peabody Main Streets, has been instrumental in the revitalization of the downtown area.
“We’re at a tipping point,” she says. “We are at a really exciting time.”
Veronica Robles of Saugus considers herself a cultural ambassador and advocate for diversity through music and dance.
“When somebody is not happy with themselves, when they feel their culture is not valued in their society, they tend to do other things, and usually those are bad things,” she says. “They want to be like other kids, and that makes trouble.”
While there can only be one Person of the Year in each community, there are others who were nominated and were under consideration for making a positive contribution in their communities.
These “2019 Community All-Stars” are:
LYNN: Wendy Joseph, Donna Stevens Huggins Harkness, Melissa Waldron, Paul Crowley, Nicholas Meninno, Richard Starbard, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, Fred Hogan, North Shore Latino Business Association, Peter Cipriano, Bryan McAskill, Verny Samayoa, Rosa Feliz.
LYNNFIELD: Joe Markey.
MARBLEHEAD: Merry Mixers, Edward Bell, Donald Doliber, Steve Rosenthal.
NAHANT: Jeffrey Musman
PEABODY: Corey Jackson, Cheryl Holbert Millard, Jon Turco, Tom Gould.
REVERE: Diego Alejandro Pizarro, Moroccan-American Connections in Revere (MACIR).
SAUGUS: Tom Whittredge, Joseph Dennis Gould, Gordon Shepard.
SWAMPSCOTT: John McLaughlin.
To purchase tickets to Tuesday’s event, go to www.itemlive.com/emg-awards.
