[Adam Hurtubise]: meeting of the Medford City Council of 2022 will now come to order. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.
[Unidentified]: Councilor Bears?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Present.
[Unidentified]: Councilor Cabrera? Councilor Scarpelli?
[xyqJQrsXvc0_SPEAKER_27]: Present.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Present. Thank you. Councilor Morell? Fantastic. Councilor Morell is participating by Zoom, so all votes have to be roll call votes tonight. Alrighty, onto the agenda. Oh, actually, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, this is the five minutes every year where I get to preside over the council meeting, and the goal is to set a record and be less than five minutes this year. So item number one on the agenda, 22001, is election of a council president for 2022. And I will turn it over to, are there nominations?
[Zac Bears]: Mr. President, I'd like to nominate Councilor Morell for president.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears has nominated Councilor Morell for president. Councilor Morell, do you accept nomination? Council member, do you accept nomination? We have a Zoom issue.
[George Scarpelli]: There's a baby crying in the background.
[Nicole Morell]: Apologies, my Zoom froze at a very inopportune time. I'm here.
[Adam Hurtubise]: You're here and you've been nominated for president. Do you accept nomination?
[Nicole Morell]: I do accept. Thank you. Apologies. First time I Zoom froze. Perfect timing.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Congratulations on your new arrival.
[Nicole Morell]: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all for bearing with me as I navigate the space with a one week old. And thank you for allowing me to join by Zoom and bearing with me.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Is there a second on Councilor Morell's nomination?
[SPEAKER_13]: Second.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Tseng has seconded. Are there any further nominations for council presidents? Is there a motion to close nominations?
[Zac Bears]: Second.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Cabrera has a motion to close, second by Councilor Bears. The vote is for the nomination of Nicole Morell for council president. Madam clerk, please call the roll.
[Zac Bears]: Don't we have to vote to close nominations technically?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Uh, let's vote to close nominations. Just sorry, everyone. Let's vote to close nominations. Councilor Bears a second it. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.
[Unidentified]: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. And now there is a motion on the floor to nominate Nicole Morell as council president for 2022. And on that, Madam clerk, please call the roll.
[Zac Bears]: Nicole Morell.
[Unidentified]: Nicole Morell. Nicole Morell.
[Adam Hurtubise]: On a vote of six in favor and one abstention, Nicole Morell is elected Council President for 2022. Congratulations, Madam President.
[Nicole Morell]: Thank you all. Very much appreciated. I look forward to serving and working hard for you all. And again, I appreciate just the moment of pause and joining by Zoom as I navigate a space I know many of you have been through first time for me. So I thank you and I'm excited to lead the council and continue to work with all of you and work for the first time with some of you.
[Adam Hurtubise]: And Matt president, while I have you, I'm going to administer your oath of office, which is valid via zoom as long as you sign the document at some point in the next few days.
[Nicole Morell]: Great.
[Adam Hurtubise]: All right. So I'm going to ask you to raise your right hand and repeat after me. I Nicole Morell do solemnly affirm.
[Nicole Morell]: I Nicole Morell do solemnly affirm.
[Adam Hurtubise]: That I will faithfully and impartially.
[Nicole Morell]: That I will faithfully and impartially.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Discharge and perform.
[Nicole Morell]: Discharge and perform.
[Adam Hurtubise]: All the duties.
[Nicole Morell]: All the duties.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Incumbent upon me.
[Nicole Morell]: Incumbent upon me.
[Adam Hurtubise]: As President of the Medford City Council.
[Nicole Morell]: As President of the Medford City Council.
[Adam Hurtubise]: According to the best of my ability.
[Nicole Morell]: According to the best of my ability.
[Adam Hurtubise]: And understanding.
[Nicole Morell]: And understanding.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution.
[Nicole Morell]: Agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution.
[Adam Hurtubise]: The laws of this Commonwealth.
[Nicole Morell]: The laws of this Commonwealth and the ordinances of the city of Medford and the ordinances of the city of Medford.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Congratulations, Madam President.
[Nicole Morell]: Thank you.
[Adam Hurtubise]: The next item on the agenda is the election of a council vice president for 2022. Are there any nominations for vice president?
[Nicole Morell]: I nominate Councilor bears.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Okay, President Morales has nominated Councilor Bears. Councilor Bears, do you accept nomination? Yes. Councilor Bears has accepted nomination. Is there a second? Second. Councilor Caraviello-Biela has seconded the nomination. Councilor Knight has moved to close nominations. Is there a second? Second. Councilor Scarpelli has seconded. Madam Clerk, please call the roll on closing nominations.
[Kit Collins]: Councilor Bears?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes.
[Kit Collins]: Councilor Capiello? Yes.
[Kit Collins]: Councilor Schell-Kelley?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Kit Collins]: Councilor Tseng? President Bears??
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. The vote is 7-0. The nominations are closed. The next vote will be on the election of a Council Vice President. Councilor Bears has been nominated as Council Vice President. The nomination has been seconded. Nominations are closed. Madam clerk, please call the roll.
[Zac Bears]: I abstain.
[Richard Caraviello]: Isaac B. Zack bears.
[Adam Knight]: On a vote of six in favor and one and one abstention.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Zach Bears is elected Council Vice President for 2022. Congratulations.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you all. And my grandfather is looking down especially happy with Councilor Knight and Councilor Tseng for saying my full name. So thank you very much. Look forward to working with you. Thanks.
[Adam Hurtubise]: And I'm going to administer your oath of office. Which you can do from there or from here? from that first step or a lot of stuff like that. I, Isaac B. Zach Bares, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as Vice President of the Medford City Council, according to the best of my ability and understanding. and understanding, agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, agreeable to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, the laws of this commonwealth, the laws of this commonwealth, and the ordinances of the City of Medford. And the ordinances of the City of Medford. Congratulations, Mr. Vice President.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Item 22- I want to, before you start, I'd like to thank the assistant clerk. Sylvia DiPlacido, thank you very much for sitting in tonight, appreciate it. And for all your effort when I was out. So, thank you.
[Zac Bears]: Item 22-003 is, I sponsored it, so if Councilor Caraviello would be so kind to share the next couple of items.
[Richard Caraviello]: I'm like a bad penny I can't go away. 22003 offered by Council of this being resolved at the standing rules, standing committee rules be adopted as standing rules of the city council and so far as they are applicable comes up as.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. I believe this resolution is a standard operating resolution of the council to extend our council rules from the previous session to the current session, and I move approval. The motion by Councilor Behr, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli.
[Richard Caraviello]: Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Paris. Yes. Councilor Caraviello, oh, actually you're resigning, sorry. Councilor Collins.
[Kit Collins]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Neider. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. Councilor Tseng.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: President Morell.
[Richard Caraviello]: Absence. I can't see.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Okay, I can't.
[Richard Caraviello]: I used to have a big screen I can't I can't see it.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Thumbs up. Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Assembly affirmative motion passes. 22-004 offered by Councilor Bears, be it resolved that the city council transfer all papers and committees on the table from 2000 to 2021 council to the 2022 Councilor Bears.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you again, Mr. President. This is another standard operating procedure, taking all of the papers that have been committee or on the table in our previous session and advancing them to this session and I move approval.
[Richard Caraviello]: On motion by Councilor Knights, seconded by. Then we'll make council call Mr. Clerk please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes, 70 in the affirmative, motion passes.
[xyqJQrsXvc0_SPEAKER_27]: If I may add also 22, 12 and 13. On the motion by
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Knight, to suspend the rules, take papers out of order. Seconded by? Second. Seconded by Councilor Pearce. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Pearce?
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Collins? Yes. Councilor Knight? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. Councilor Tseng?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: President Rowe?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Caraviello? Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Okay, 22-010 offered by Councilor Biz be resolved by the Medford City Council. The rules of the Medford City Council be updated to strike the following meetings. Rule two, regular meetings of the City Council shall be held weekly on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock in the PM, except there shall be one meeting during the months of July and August, and there shall be at least two meetings in September. They shall be held in Council Chambers, and replaced it with meetings. Rule two, regular meetings of the City Council should be held every two weeks on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock PM, beginning on the first Tuesday in January, and there shall only be one meeting during the months of July and August. Meetings shall be held in Council Chambers. Meetings of the Committee of the Whole shall be scheduled by the Council President. meetings of subcommittees shall be scheduled by the subcommittee chairperson. Scheduling preference of the meetings of the committees and subcommittees shall be on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, beginning at six o'clock PM. Councilor Best.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. The intent of this resolution is to open the discussion of the idea of moving to a different meeting schedule. I do know that in the past councils, this has been entertained. I believe several councils ago, Councilor Camuso, Councilor Miyako had considered moving to meeting three weeks and then the fourth week of the month being for Committee of the Whole. As this is just intended to start a conversation, my intent here is to move to refer this to the Subcommittee on Rules for further discussion.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Bears to send this to the Subcommittee on Rules. Second. Seconded by Councilor Morell. Do we have any discussion on this? Do we move on? No. On the motion by Councilor Bears, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. refer to the- If I can, Mr. President. Sorry? If I can. Councilor Scott Felder.
[George Scarpelli]: I thank Councilor Bears for bringing this forward. I just think that, just to make it clear, I know that I did get a few phone calls in regards, and I appreciate this going to subcommittee, because I think it is something that's important that's being vetted. So, you know, the fear is that will we get enough business done in two meetings a month? And the biggest question is really, The ability for again, which was said many times to the people's forum that. gives people a chance every week to come to the podium that have to express a concern or an issue that comes before them. So these are the, these are some of the topics we'll talk about during the subcommittee. I think that this is getting the ball rolling and making sure that we have deep dialogue to make sure that residents get involved and attend that subcommittee. And when it's, when we, know, share your concerns. I know that I've received a few phone calls and a few emails in regards to the fear of losing that venue where a resident has a place to speak on a weekly basis. So again, I've I look forward to the subcommittee meeting and welcome all the residents that emailed me and called that had concerns to come out and share your concerns and that, you know, I think are valid. And I also understand, coach, Councilor Bears is, Vice President Beas is, you know, thought process to get that dialogue going. So thank you. Any discussion?
[Richard Caraviello]: Okay, on a motion by Councilor Bears, seconded by Councilor Knight. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. Yes. Yes.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes. Yes. Motion passes.
[Richard Caraviello]: 22011 offered by Councilor Morell and Councilor Bears, be it resolved by the members of the committee that the rules of the Medford City Council be updated to strike the following committees. Rule 34, after the organization of the council, the president of the council should appoint members to the following committees. Committee of the whole on finance and budgets to consist of a committee of the whole meeting wherein all members of the city council meet with the president, provide a chairperson.
[Zac Bears]: Second.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Knight, do you have a brief synopsis by the person who presided on this, Councilor Morocco?
[Nicole Morell]: Absolutely, so the intention here is that the current subcommittees don't, what is in the council rules don't reflect the current subcommittees. So this would allow us to update those subcommittees and also allow us to be nimble in the sense of, you know, reflecting the names of offices in city hall and just appointing people related to the subcommittee. So just modernizing the subcommittees, especially since they don't actually reflect the current subcommittees that are doled out.
[Zac Bears]: And if I may. Thank you, Mr. President. In addition to what Councilor Morell said, the updated language would reflect how subcommittees have been created and appointed, at least as long as I've been Councilor, and I think longer than that. There's another resolution on here to review the full Council rules. So, you know, it's possible that we can make additional updates, changes, put a number of standing committees back in there. Again, the intent here is to just reflect how committees and subcommittees are appointed, created and appointed by and the members and chairs appointed by the President of the Council.
[George Scarpelli]: Hey, I can Mr. President. Also, like, if we can maybe entertain tabling this for committed a whole meeting where we can really get the input of residents and we can really vet this process as we go forward. I know that there are some of these subcommittees that, you know, I'd like to, as we just started, maybe, you know, bring in the school committee and ask their opinions, especially when, as a former member of the school committee, whenever you not that I felt this way, but some council, some committee members felt that when you did a combined subcommittee, a committee that it might overstep a bound and there might be some animosity. Now that not saying that it is or isn't, but this is something that it'd be nice to sit with, you know, sit with the committee members and I get some input. I know that I did get one city school committee member called me to remind me when we tried to do that years ago, which I didn't, I didn't see it being a problem, but it is, it is a change. And I think that it's something that I like to see in, you know, in a process where we could just discuss this as just this being the topic of the conversation. So, you know, making a motion to- Yeah, if I could send this to, I mean, rules or the committee of the whole- Yeah, with this involves all councilors should go to the committee.
[Zac Bears]: So, if I may, just to say that, you know, these do not reflect the current committees and subcommittees in 2020, 2021. And the intent here is really to say, hey, I think personally, how I feel is to actually put into the rules what we have done for the past two years and say, you know, the president will create subcommittees. Some of them are certainly, we certainly have some of these, but we don't have a school buildings, we don't have a school racial balance, we don't have public utilities, for example. And there are some subcommittees we do have right now that aren't reflected in this list. So, so you know the intent here is, is, I agree with you to have a discussion about this in the future that's actually what my next resolution is about, but just in between now and then, to make sure that the current president can appoint subcommittees in the interim, so it's not meant to be a permanent, you know, this is how it's going to go from here on out it's just, you know, I think it could be argued, right, that last term, Councilor Caraviello appointed a set of committees that aren't reflected in here. Is that against the council rules, you know? So that's all this is meant to be, is kind of temporary to say, we can appoint committees for now, and then we can also have those discussions.
[George Scarpelli]: Right, I completely understand. And I agree with, you know, with most of the subcommittee, the new subcommittee, you know, changes, but I think that really it's understanding each one with the vision of the President and what direction we're looking to go with when you're, you're talking and getting the input from, you know, our residents that that elected us to say, for instance, the school and racial balance, I think that's, you know, something that we need.
[Zac Bears]: Those are old.
[George Scarpelli]: Right, right. So we want to change those two.
[Zac Bears]: All this does this is actually taking all of the uh listed committees out of the current rules right and just changing it to the president shall form committees and the subcommittees and appoint chairpersons and members right okay so i think that's my confusion is like the the understanding of what
[George Scarpelli]: what is the change going to be. And if we're allowing the president to do that, and it's presented in a way that might have some animosity toward another city body, I think that's the concern that before doing that is understanding what the president's definition of each new title is. So I think that would be my only... Well, common practice is the president usually asks the members what committees they'd like to be on.
[Richard Caraviello]: You don't want to put people on a committee they don't want to be on. So I know when I was president, I'd always ask everybody, what committee do you want to be on? And the president hopefully tries to make everybody happy.
[Nicole Morell]: Yeah, if I could, Councilor Caraviello, And I absolutely hear what you're saying, Councilor Scarpella, and I think that's valid, and those are conversations that need to be had. I just don't want to, I think Councilor, Vice President Bears has the same concern. I don't want to inhibit, somehow inhibit ourselves from being able to form the subcommittees, particularly if we're sending things to rules right now, get stuck in kind of a catch-22 where we can't have that rules subcommittee because we're trying to hold for this committee of the whole. So I'm curious if the language, if you would be satisfied the language were clarified, that this is something we'll you know, have a meeting about down the road, but it doesn't inhibit the president from forming subcommittees, you know, in the interim.
[Adam Knight]: Yes, Mr. President, I see this nothing more as, you know, streamlining the way that we do business a little bit. Ultimately, I think it's safe to say that The President has always been given some flexibility and leeway in establishing subcommittees, whether or not they outlined in the rules or not. So I think what we're really doing is kind of splitting hairs a little bit over an issue here that's not really that big of a deal right ultimately. We have a number of subcommittees. My first term, when I was elected, Councilor Camuso and I went over the list, and I recommended that he create a number of different subcommittees, and he just created them. We didn't have to go through rules change or anything like that. So when I'm looking at this, I think, you know, we talk about some of the ad hoc committees that we've voted on to allow the president to have discretion to create. You know, I don't think this is anything that's outside the norm of the power vacuum that we've allowed in the past. So I certainly have no problem with it, Mr. President, ultimately. You know, we have a number of items on relative to the rules, the rules will be reviewed. But in terms of, you know, committees and committee structure and the standing committees, I don't think it's. worth getting into a hours long debate over it when historically, you know, the flexibility has been there for the President to take such action. So with that being said, I certainly wouldn't question the Council President's authority in appointing the subcommittees that are currently standing, the ones that we've, you know, we just transferred all the papers over that are in the standing committees now. So those standing committees need to be chaired. We just voted on that. That was the second paper we did. So ultimately, at the very least, the council president should have the ability to, at the very least, chair those subcommittees. And then if this is going to be an issue we can deal with in the future. But in terms of allowing us the ability to continue conducting business, I don't think that this is something that you get in the way of that. So I don't want this to be something saying, you know, we can't do anything anymore until we figure out who's going to be the chairman of the rules committee, the licensing committee, because we just took a vote to transfer all those papers that are in those committees over this year. So those committees right now are already standing committees. We took a vote on that. So I think we're really kind of beating a dead horse.
[George Scarpelli]: So Mr. President, if I can, I agree with Councilor Knight saying if it's standing committees, I'd support that. But I said, I think the question that we had were, if we're allowing the president to make some change. I think that has to be a discussion before. I think the standing committees I would support, but as we're moving forward to change or to add different committees, I think it's something that I wasn't privy to Councilor Knight's first few years and Councilor Camuso's, but I know what we've done here has worked in the sense that it's been transparent. I'd say that Councilor, President, I was not transparent and what I'm saying is having that extra meeting to talk about the new committees, I think, if there are, that'd be important. Other than that, I agree with Councilor Knight that we can move forward with the standing committees. I agree with that. Chair, would you like to support that?
[Zac Bears]: If I may. I would prefer to vote on this tonight. And that doesn't mean even if it were to pass, that we wouldn't have those discussions and they wouldn't come up with a new structure as we review the rules. And I just want to say, so if it goes, if it goes mixed, whatever, it's not unanimous. I just want to say either way, we're going to have the discussion and we're going to. We're going to get it going.
[George Scarpelli]: And I think it goes both ways. So it is. That's why there are there are seven votes and there's no animosity behind it. We just move forward in a positive light.
[Richard Caraviello]: You have to give the president the flexibility. to appoint the committees that she feels that she wants to work people in.
[George Scarpelli]: Don't disagree. I think that Councilor Knight said they'd support all the standing committees, but I'd like to, any new committees is just to have a committee of the whole meeting, just to discuss those few meetings. And again, Councilor Morell's a voted president, and I think it's just having that layer of discussion. So other than that, move forward.
[Zac Bears]: I believe you made a motion. I don't know if there was a second, but I would move approval unless there's a second on your motion.
[Richard Caraviello]: Councilor Scarpelli, you had a motion on the floor. I didn't hear a second, so.
[Zac Bears]: Seconded by.
[Adam Knight]: of the Committee of the Whole is going to be the establishment of what the new committees are going to be, then yeah, I don't have a problem having the Committee of the Whole in that, provided that the existing and standing committees still stand, you know. I'm not in favor of that whatsoever. We already verb that in standing array, so they're already in place. If the councilor has questions and wants to vet it, I don't have a problem providing that opportunity.
[George Scarpelli]: With the new committees.
[Adam Knight]: I'd certainly second the motion with the understanding that the other standing committees will still be filled.
[George Scarpelli]: And that would be my motion, that the committee We think it should be passed and we would have a committee of the whole discuss. On the new committees. On the new committees. That's all.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Scapelli, seconded by Councilor Knight. Any further discussion? We refer this to a committee of the whole to discuss the new committees. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Bears. No. Councilor Collins.
[Kit Collins]: No.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Naik. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. Councilor Tseng. No. President Morell.
[Nicole Morell]: No.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Caraviello. Yes. Three in favor, four against.
[Richard Caraviello]: Three in favor, four against, motion fails.
[Zac Bears]: I would motion to approve as written.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Bears, seconded by? To approve. Seconded by Councilor Collins. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Bears. Yes. Councilor Collins.
[Kit Collins]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Knight. Councilor Scarpelli. No. also saying, Yes, Councilor Morell.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: 2-2-0-1-2 offered by Councilor Bears. Be it resolved by the Medford City Council that the rules of the Medford City Council be reviewed, updated, and modernized. Vice President Baez.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. This continues kind of the conversation we've been having here. The intent of this resolution is to, and I will make a motion at the end of my statement, is to refer this to the Rural Subcommittee to discuss, review the city council rules, you know, maybe at a table of contents, maybe maybe it's time we can officially take out the no smoking behind the rail rule. Um you know, so, I think we're, I think we're a smoke-free building for sure. Um so, so, you know, there's there's quite a bit of stuff we could look into just maybe make it better organized, review what's in there, what's relevant, and again, specifically on these questions of subcommittees, look at and and you know, I think how we'd go, we'd have a real subcommittee, then we'd have committee of the whole, talk about it as a whole council, and really look at a structure that reflects what we've been doing going forward. So that's what this resolution is about. I had a motion to refer this to the rules subcommittee, and thank you, Mr. President.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Vice President Bears, seconded by Councilor Knight. Any further discussion? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Bears. Yes. Councilor Collins. Yes. Councilor Knight. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. Councilor Tseng. Yes. President Morell. Yes. Councilor Caraviello. Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: 7th affirmative motion passes. 22013 offered by Councilor Bears be it resolved that the City Council review the creation of the Election Commission through the acceptance of Mass General Law Chapter 51, Section 16A. Vice President Beas.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. many communities, well, I'll start here. Chapter 51, section 16A allows for cities to adopt a piece of mass general law, which would allow us to move to the system of having an elections commission. It would move us from having the clerk and the board of registrars model to a formal elections commission. I think there's a variety of reasons that we that at least I think that would be a good idea. And, you know, may also reflect some, some of the changes we've been talking about in general around elections, with it being more work and then we now have an elections coordinator and it really is its own own. animal, if you will. So part of what this allows this this section of mass general law allows us to do is basically if we were to adopt it, it would immediately transfer our Board of Registrars of voters to becoming a board of election commissioners. the clerk position would then come off of that board and any appointments going forward, the mayor would make those appointments subject to the approval of the of the city council. Um so, my motion here is to refer this to a committee of the whole so that we can discuss this with the city solicitor, with the clerk, with the relevant folks from from our the way that we should move forward. I can just say from my reading of the law and also from seeing which communities have adopted this it does seem like this is the way that the state law it's kind of pushing communities towards this model and away from the older clerk registrar voters model at least that's how I read the general law. I just think it's another example of something we can do, adopt state law and already allows communities to do this, to move forward on administration of elections. So again, move to refer this to a committee that will refer the discussion.
[Richard Caraviello]: On the motion by Vice President Bears, seconded by Councilor Knight. Mr. Vice President, this is something myself and Clerk Hurtubise had a discussion with the Mayor, I think earlier in the year. In June, I think, with the Mayor and former Chief of Staff Rodriguez about getting this career, this position created. I agree with that. I think this is something that should be done. I think it still falls, technically still falls under the clerk's office, but it takes the burden off of him and of the clerk and it puts it into another thing. I support this. Yes, yes. I think it's a good idea. Yeah.
[Zac Bears]: The clerk would no longer be a registrar.
[Richard Caraviello]: And again, the job of the clerk certainly isn't the job that we when we hired clerk for four years ago, we weren't doing early voting, we weren't doing weekly voting, so obviously now the job has changed significantly since the clerk has started. So on the motion by Vice President Bears, seconded by Councilor Knight, any further discussion? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Bears. Yes. Councilor Collins. Yes. Councilor Knight. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. Councilor Tseng. Yes. President Morell.
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Caraviello.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes, 70 affirmative motion passes to choose everyone for offered by councilor on council appears to be resolved that Medford City Council, uh, the city explored joining the state's paid family in medical leave program to provide a necessary benefit to the city and school employees. Be a further resolved that the Medford City Council review the relevant state statutes for the city solicitor including acceptance of national law chapters 175m section 10 required to join us. President Morel.
[Nicole Morell]: Thank you, Councilor Caraviello. So this is a space, apologies, this is a space that Medford can be a leader in. So this is a program that the state recently passed, something that I'm benefiting from right now that I'm on paid family leave through my day job at MIT and something that I think through the political process, unfortunately, municipal employees were sacrificed. The cities have to opt into this program. Medford would be among the first. I think one of the first, I think cities are looking at this. They have the ability to opt in. There's a lot of discussion. There's an outline process to join this, but it would allow our municipal pool employees to have those same benefits that are being extended across the state. And we've talked a lot about the value of our city employees. We've talked a lot about attracting top talent, And, you know, just valuing our employees as human beings with full lives. And this is something that absolutely would affirm that, would give people the time off they need for expanding their family, for a sick family member, for all of the things outlined in paid family medical leave. And I think this is something that we absolutely have to look into as a city because it's the right thing to do. But also, as I said, it will attract talent. It will give them the chance to be a leader. So my motion, I would move to move this to committee of the whole, invite, you know, the city solicitor, chief of staff, I think human resources to see how we can implement this as a city.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President, just to add to what Councilor Morell was saying, you know, I was in the room, my organization was part of Raise Up Massachusetts when we were negotiating what exactly are we going to look at for paid family medical leave and the $15 minimum wage, and it was kind of a hectic morning. getting phone calls back and forth from the leadership and the legislature back to us, what's in, what's out. And one of the things that was left out on both of those fronts, and we've discussed one of the other ones here before, was city and school employees. They were left out of the paid family medical leave, and they were left out of the $15 minimum wage because it was said that this was an unfunded mandate on cities. There is again this chapter 175 M section 10. It's an adoption of state law that this council that gives the authority to councils or whatever the equivalent body is in another community to join the paid family medical leave program for the state. We would be the first in the Commonwealth. I think that is a good thing. I think that puts us in a competitive position with a lot of other communities, especially right now in this job market, when top talent is going all over the place and looking for the best thing. And the other thing too, it puts us in a more competitive position with the private sector. I actually just was speaking with a family of someone who is now working for the city, previously was in the private sector. When they were in the private sector, they paid into this program, now they've moved to the city, they're at a moment in their family history where it'd be great to be able to take advantage of this, and they just found out they're no longer eligible because they work for a municipality. So certainly there are things to work out, look at the law, look at the process, and obviously there'll be a budgetary impact, but I think it's something that would be good for our city and school staff 100%. So I would second Councilor Morell's motion to refer this to Committee of the Whole.
[Adam Knight]: Councilor Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. This is something that I support wholeheartedly. Councilor Bears has brought up two issues that are very important to me. The $15 minimum wage for city and school department employees and also a sick leave bank ordinance for city and school department employees. These are two items that I brought up two years ago, asking to draft ordinances from our city solicitor appointment. and they must be very long pieces of municipal legislation, Mr. President, because it's been 24 long months, and this body's not received draft ordinances of either one of these items. So here we are this evening, and we're gonna have a paper asking us to further fund legal services in the administration, to further fund the legal service line item, to expand the budget for this fiscal year. This is a perfect example, Mr. President, of why this council needs its own legal counsel. This is an item that should have been addressed long before, long before today. This is an item that we could have handled through municipal ordinance that would have provided a sickly bank program for municipal employees and school department employees, just like they offer to state employees. Merit on the state legislation of which I printed out, drafted and submitted to the city solicitor's office when this ordinance proposal was made. So with that being said, Mr. President, I thank the councilors for bringing this measure forward. It's something that will benefit a number of workers here in this community, and it's something that I support wholeheartedly. I don't need a meeting with the solicitor or anybody else to know that this is something I'm going to support. What I need a meeting with the solicitor for is to make sure that when I vote for it, we vote for it the right way, so it's implemented properly.
[George Scarpelli]: Councilor Scarpelli. Thank you for, my fellow Councilors, bringing this forward. I think Councilor Knight remembered this very vividly because I'm like my, my, my first year colleagues, which I don't know the background yet but I'm fortunate to work in a municipality that that people don't might not understand is that the sick bank is so important for brothers and sisters that you work with. that fallen ill for some serious health issues and employees that have occurred sick days that can give back to those that are in need for that. So I think it's so important and something that simple, you think that the Family Leave Act is just automatic in different municipalities. And so it's enlightening to a few members in the community thinking that don't we already have this? And it's something that, you know, I appreciate my council's bringing this forward and something I will support and I look forward to the community to hold me. So thank you.
[Richard Caraviello]: So on the motion by Councilor Morell and Councilor Pence.
[Kit Collins]: Thank you, Councilor, thanks. not to drive the conversation out further, but I just want to thank President Morell, Councilor Bears for bringing this forward, Councilors Knight and Scarpelli for their words of affirmation. I think that this is an issue that really deserves a lot of affirmatory words. I think this is a really essential benefit. I would love to see this council embrace it, encourage the city to embrace it, because this is a measure that could, through extending this benefit for our city and school employees, help to make the city healthier and stronger and more resilient community, which is what we're here to do. So thank you for bringing it forth. I'm excited to advance it.
[Justin Tseng]: Thank you. I wanted to thank as well, President Morell and Vice President Bears for bringing this forward. I wanted to reiterate my support for this for this paper. And I wanted to thank my fellow city Councilors for, you know, already speaking up on so much that matters to me. This is definitely an important piece of important action going forward when we consider how we are going to draw talent to our city to work for our city. how we're going to compete with different municipalities and how we're going to compete with the private sector as well. I think it's important to also remember that, you know, paid paid leave is pivotal, pivotal for the development of children who are future, and that's why this is particularly, particularly important to me.
[Richard Caraviello]: Thank you. And again, there's some this council has supported in the past and will support again. And again, it's good for the people, it's good for the families. Any further discussion? So on the motion by Councilor Bears and Council President Morell and Vice President Bears, seconded by Councilor Knight, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. And this is to move to Committee of the Whole, correct? Move to Committee of the Whole.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Vice President Bears?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Collins? Yes. Councilor Knight? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Councilor Tseng? Yes. Yes.
[Richard Caraviello]: Yes, that'd be the affirmative motion passes motion.
[xyqJQrsXvc0_SPEAKER_27]: From 18 when whenever Winchester related to GMT pizza. I'm hoping that we can take this item out of order as well.
[Zac Bears]: One second, everybody. All right, so we had paper. 21-021, petition for a convictual license by Michael LaChapelle, 18 Glenwood Avenue, Winchester, Massachusetts, 01890 for GNP Pizza, 51 High Street, Medford, Massachusetts, 02155. Councilors, do I need to open the hearing? We'll go to the Chair of Licensing.
[George Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. Now we see this is just a business that is a pizza restaurant, I believe. Is the petitioner online?
[Zac Bears]: Mr. LaChapelle, are you on the line, or do you have a representative?
[SPEAKER_13]: Hi, yes, I'm here. It is an existing pizza restaurant.
[Zac Bears]: Can we just have your name and address for the record, please?
[SPEAKER_13]: Sure, it's Mike LaChapelle at 18 Glenwood Ave. in Winchester, Mass.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you.
[George Scarpelli]: Mr. President, I know my colleagues have some questions. I see all the paperwork is present in order for approval, so.
[Zac Bears]: Yes, Councilor.
[Adam Knight]: I've personally known Michael for a number of years, probably the better part of 10 years, Mr. President. His wife's a business owner here in the community as well. She runs a law office right down in Medford Square. And Michael's looking for an opportunity to continue in his wife's footsteps and be a business owner in the city of Medford. We all know GNP is a wonderful establishment here. It's some of the best pizza that you can get in the city of Medford. And I think this is gonna be a great opportunity for Mr. LaChapelle to partner up. with one of our existing successful businesses and expand upon the successes that we've seen there, Mr. President. So with that being said, I certainly have no problem by supporting this document, this paper that's before us. Like I said, I've known the gentleman for a number of years in a professional and personal capacity, and he's someone that I believe will bring a number of great assets to our community.
[Zac Bears]: Thank you, Councilor Knight. Any further discussion? Motion approved. Motion from Councilor Caraviello, seconded by?