Veterans Position Restored

The state gave Malden until September to restore its full-time Veterans Service Officer position — cut by the Mayor's FY27 budget in violation of state regulations. Councillor At Large Karen Colón Hayes previously conveyed her concerns about the city's elimination of a full-time Veterans Service Officer when MNN visited her at City Hall on April 24, 2026.

After significant public concern over the reduction in support for the Veterans Office, and months of continuous effort by Colón Hayes, a new plan is in place. She published a five-minute YouTube video on August 12 with a good-news recap for veterans and the Malden community.

What the video covers

• Recognition of community advocacy — Colón Hayes opens by thanking local community members who spoke out during the budget process when cuts to the Veteran Service Officer (VSO) position were first announced. [00:08]
• State compliance issue — Community members and council members raised concerns that reducing the VSO position to part-time violated Massachusetts state statute, which mandates a full-time VSO for municipalities with populations over 12,000, and threatened potential grant funding. [00:58]
• Position hours increased — Following months of outreach to city officials and the state Department of Veterans' Services, the Mayor confirmed via email that the city will increase the VSO position to 32 hours to align with state compliance guidelines. [01:34]
• Personal reflection — She shares her own connection to veterans' services, describing how helpful Malden's veterans office was when caring for her late father, a Navy veteran, during his hospice care. [02:33]
• Community need & hiring process — Colón Hayes notes that Malden has roughly 1,500 veterans who require proactive outreach. While glad the position was filled by a veteran, she expresses disappointment that the role was not opened to a public application process. [03:38 / 04:28]

Mayor Christenson sent an email to the City Council on August 12 with his own update: "We have been in discussions with the state Veterans office. The regulations state that as a city of over 12,000 residents we have to have a full-time VSO. The regulations don't define full time."

The city's VSO, Emery Haskell, had been working 20 hours a week under the FY27 budget — the level at which staff still qualify for benefits including health insurance and pension. "It was our hope that at the 20 hour fully benefited level we would meet that definition," Christenson wrote, "but after the state researched, they have shared their opinion that it does not, and gave the city until September to make the change." Rather than wait, the city increased Haskell's hours this past week and says it wants to work with the state on establishing a Veterans Services District — a step that, if pursued, would likely need to come back to the City Council in September to address the added cost of staying compliant.

In a story posted April 28, MNN highlighted significant cuts in the Mayor's budget proposal, including Veterans Services (-46.2%), Emergency Management (-47.5%), the Cannabis Commission (-65.9%), and the Fourth of July (-50%) leading proportionally. Police (-4.2%), Fire (-4.7%), and Information Technology (-11%) were smaller in percentage terms but larger in dollar impact and service consequence.

In the state Department of Local Services' data-reporting framework, "Human Services" generally covers municipal expenditures for programs whose primary purpose is the welfare of individuals and families — as opposed to infrastructure, public safety, or education — including social service programs like veterans' services.

MNN wrote to the Mayor and senior city staff on April 24, asking for the criteria used in identifying positions for elimination. The Mayor's August 12 email is a bit of a late response, but in this case it seems to indicate the Veterans Services Officer position was reduced because it was a required full-time position that budget-writers thought could be replaced by a part-time one. Except it turns out you can't do that in Massachusetts — not in a city Malden's size.

References

• Malden Veteran's Service Position update, YouTube — https://youtu.be/tBsKm5-a9UU?si=bpu2oDevmkXyLGi_
• Councillor At Large Karen Colón Hayes, City Hall Tour, 4/24/26 — https://www.facebook.com/MaldenNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid0bLAxqffZZrRHZHxCr2WXyrJm9ZUpDaf2A5uTCAQFkNdVzu1r6ZSq9ZiAZoiPDABJl
• Veterans Day on MNN, 11/11/2025 — https://www.facebook.com/MaldenNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid0hCUHfBRJNFMSs8J7ayC5iG3mnMbGBWogC9BHXAP7BfirzLmFyjTy2yAswhxLc8CGl
• 6/7/26, Linden Victory Delta - Vietnam Memorial, "In Honor of All the Veterans of Malden" — https://www.facebook.com/MaldenNewsNetwork/posts/pfbid0SofmVzE3uaASrgWXCx8dMfksEFN1wYtDcMQfvaDBBEuX3ar4GYSv9EQ4Nq9KLPKVl
• Malden Population Growth (snapshot taken 8/12/26) — https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/massachusetts/malden