If there was an MVM Award – Most Valuable Manager – at the All-America City Awards Program, Fidel Maltez would have another prestigious plaque for his corner office at City Hall.
Make no mistake about it. Maltez’s leadership of the Chelsea contingent was instrumental to it returning home with the All-America City award it so greatly desired.
Yes, there was plenty of sportsmanship on display at the All-America City Awards but it was clear that Mr. Maltez was “in it to win it.” His competitiveness and confidence in his group radiated in the rehearsals, a lesson in life that the youths in the group will carry with them forever.
But Maltez also made sure that the Chelsea delegates stopped to savor the moment and treasure the honor of representing their hometown in a national competition. During one of the rehearsals in Denver, Maltez gathered the group into a circle and asked each member to explain the significance of his/her first name such as City Council President Norieliz DeJesus whose beautiful name, we learned, is actually a combination of two other family members’ names. During that exercise, Sgt. Star Chung revealed she was born on Christmas Day, and the conclusion can be easily drawn the community-minded police office was a gift to her family on that day and is now an ongoing gift to Chelsea.
Maltez was approached by many people at the conference to talk about his city and how it is confronting issues such as affordable housing, air pollution, and climate change, and how the city continues to try to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic which struck the city hard.
Maltez watched proudly as the Chelsea Police Department set itself apart with his presence at the event. The presentation about Chelsea Hub by Police Chief Keith Houghton, Officer Nicole McLaughlin, and Community Engagement Specialist was extraordinary and eye-opening, giving others a glimpse into the CPD’s innovative work with at-risk individuals in the community.
It was exciting to see Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey (who told us he will be a candidate for re-election in 2026 and not pursue the gubernatorial position and Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, who has been in office for 16 terms (32 years) approach and converse with Maltez at the forum. Maltez’s reputation as a competent and dynamic chief executive had preceded itself.
Maltez certainly lifted his personal profile at the All-America City Awards with Chelsea’s victory. Some observers feel that former City Manager Jay Ash ascension to a Cabinet post in the Governor Baker Administration was enhanced by his guidance of Chelsea to the All-America Award in 2014.
Maltez is eminently capable of following the lead of Ash (who is now president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership) into a statewide position, but for now, Chelsea residents can take great pride in the fact that Maltez is at the helm of Chelsea city government.
Yes, Fidel Maltez was that impressive in Denver. We witnessed it.
The fact is that if Fidel Maltez hadn’t decided to leave his town manager’s position in Reading and take the city manager’s job in Chelsea, this awesome All-America achievement would not have been made possible.
Rep. Judith Garcia credited the city manager for his decision to compete in Denver and build a team that united administrators, law enforcement professionals, nonprofit leaders, school officials, and youth in a now-successful quest to bring national prominence to Chelsea.
“I cannot thank our city manager enough for leading us, for taking the bold courage of really encouraging the City of Chelsea to apply for this incredible award,” said Garcia. “We took a shot and through his leadership, it hasn’t been easy – we faced a lot of challenges. But what I love about our city manager and respect about our city manager is that he never loses hope in this community, and he knows exactly that Chelsea is capable of everything.”