Special to the Record
City Manager Fidel Maltez has placed an emphasis on communicating with residents since he took office. Earlier this week, Maltez recorded the latest in his series of public outreach videos to air on Chelsea Community TV. The text of his October video, which focuses on the RC Link transportation program, is below:
Hello, residents of Chelsea. Welcome to Our Community! My name is Fidel Maltez, and it is my honor to serve as your City Manager.
We know that there is a transportation gap in Chelsea and Revere that makes it difficult for residents and visitors to travel within and between our two communities and access critical services, jobs, and essential destinations.
Today, we want to share some big news with you: the Cities of Chelsea and Revere have teamed up to make it easier for all of us to get around by launching RC Link, a new on-demand transportation service serving our communities!
This service improves transit access for our residents and visitors, particularly in areas where public transportation options are limited.
One of the most important features of RC Link is that it is affordable, especially compared to traditional on-demand services. Each ride costs only $2, and rides are even more affordable for students, seniors, riders with disabilities, and income-eligible members of our community.
We encourage you to give RC Link a try – take a ride to Market Basket, or to go shopping downtown Broadway, visit Rumeny Marsh Reservation, or walk Revere Beach, with this new program you can visit anywhere you want within our two communities.
Most importantly, it is easy to use. Anyone in Chelsea or Revere can book an on-demand ride through the RC Link app or by calling 339-331-1995. Service is available Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. RC Link gives you a pick-up destination, and you will walk to meet your driver. From there, you are off to your destination.
Beyond the obvious perks of affordability and on-demand service, using RC Link means you can leave your car at home, reducing traffic congestion and freeing up parking spaces in high-traffic areas.
You can learn even more about RC Link by visiting city.ridewithvia.com/rclink
I’m also hopeful that having this new, affordable way to get around Chelsea will help increase voter turnout for our local election on November 4, 2025.
This is an important election – one that will determine who will serve on the Chelsea City Council and School Committee in 2026 and 2027.
Several key election deadlines are approaching, and perhaps the most important is the last day to register to vote, which is Saturday, October 25.
You have until 5 p.m. on the 25th to register in person at the City Clerk’s Office, or, if you prefer to register online, you have until midnight.
We want voting to be easy, so we made you an easy-to-remember site for our elections webpage. Write this down or type it into your browser now: www.chelseama.gov/elections
On this site, you will find links to register to vote, your polling location, information about voting by mail and voting early in-person, and more.
During Chelsea’s last local election, less than 10% of registered voters actually voted. That means 90% of our voters did not participate in the most important action to ensure our Democracy and representative government truly works.
Voting is our right! And voting is our responsibility. It is more important than ever to raise our voices, exercise our rights, and join together in forming a stronger and better Chelsea that works for all of us. So please, cast your vote – our vote is our power.