Mayor Walsh recently welcomed the newly selected ONEin3 Council, a 35-member group that will spend the next year working to bring a young perspective to leaders in City government. Through civic engagement, the council hopes to empower and support the city’s 20-34 year old population, which makes up approximately 1/3 of the Boston population, hence the name “ONEin3.”
The North End neighborhood has two representatives on the council, Oliver Madden of North Margin Street and Tina Natale, who resides on Salem Street. Both are graduates of Suffolk University and are proud to be part of the growing young professional scene in the city.
Being millennials living in the North End, they each found out about the ONEin3 council from tweets by Mayor Marty Walsh and the City of Boston. After looking deeper into the council, they were eager to get involved and be a part of steering the city’s direction.
Tina Natale has strong North End roots, she was born and raised on Salem Street in the North End where her family still lives. Currently in the sports and entertainment industry, Natale also works as a real estate agent in the neighborhood. “My love for this city grows everyday, and I want to make a difference in the community,” said Natale, who has seen the North End neighborhood evolve over the course of her life.
“I feel like my perspective is important because even though the North End has a growing population of young professionals, it is also home for a lot of families.”
Proud to be involved in her home community, Natale pointed out that both of her brothers are active around the community, where she hopes to bring the same level of passion to the ONEin3 council.
Oliver Madden is from Nashua, New Hampshire, and moved to the North End in 2011 where he worked at Vinoteca di Monica on Richmond Street while attending Suffolk University. Since graduation, he has been working in marketing as part of the technology industry.
“I have no plans to leave the North End, and I think it is important to be involved in the community you live in,” said Madden, who views this opportunity as a passing of the torch for the millennial generation. “Although there are a lot of diverse backgrounds throughout the city, we all share the same connection in the fact that we are residents of Boston, we should all strive to contribute to its future.”
Madden has seen a lot of the North End since he moved here, currently in his fourth apartment. He recently moved in with his younger brother who moved to the neighborhood to attend school.
The council meets every month and is completely volunteer, something that Natale and Madden think shows the commitment of the members. “Boston is such a young city and it is important for youth to be involved, especially with how connected our generation is through technology and social media,” Natale added. Madden agreed with that sentiment, “the voice of our generation is pivotal to keeping Boston a vibrant and young city.”
If you would like to learn more about ONEin3, contact ONEin3 Manager Erin Santhouse at Erin.Santhouse@boston.gov.
Congratulations.
I don’t know Oliver, but I know Tina well, and a better choice could not have been made. Congratulations to you both!