[SPEAKER_09]: The 37th regular meeting of the Medford City Council will come to order. The clerk will call the roll.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Councilor Arena? Present. Councilor Camuso? Present. Vice President De La Rosa? Present. Councilor Longo Fernandez? Present. Councilor Monk? Present. Councilor Pepin? Present.
[SPEAKER_09]: Present. Seven members present, none absent. Kindly please rise to salute the flag. 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, Do you recognize Vice President Del Russo for suspension?
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, move suspension so that we can hear from the representative of the Jingle Bell Festival. Yes.
[SPEAKER_09]: Representative from the Jingle Bell Festival, Mrs. Judith Lonegan, why don't you give us an idea of what's going on.
[Mn4KS2yu_8U_SPEAKER_26]: Well, tomorrow night starts the Jingle Bell Festival and the mayor has all his festivities with the ice carving, Santa Claus, hot dogs, all kinds of things going on. The first time we're going to do a community carol sing, not to beat our Guinness Book of World Records, which we hope to attempt again in a couple of years or maybe next year, but just to bring the community together to sing during the tomorrow night's festivities. And then the trees will be on display, which we have 60 decorated trees who have been donated by some of our Councilors and businesses, people in the community, citizens in the community have graciously donated over the last, this is our 13th festival, Some of them have donated for 13 years to us. All the money that's raised on the chances is donated to Medford's Buddy Coholan Alzheimer's Daycare Center on Washington Street. On Saturday night, the trees will be available for chances from tomorrow night on up until 7 o'clock at night. And from like 12 o'clock to 7 o'clock, someone will be here. And then on Saturday night at 4 o'clock, we have a gala house tour and we have six homes that are decorated in Medford. and they do the house tour, and then we come back for dinner at City Hall afterwards. And then on Sunday, that starts at four o'clock, and on Sunday we have a tour again that starts at 12 o'clock. Tickets can be purchased. We're sold out for Saturday night pretty much, but if people are interested, they can contact me or go to jinglebelfestival.org in Medford, Mass., if you're interested in tickets. We still have tickets available for Sunday. And we invite everybody in the community to participate either tomorrow night, or come in by chances from us for this worthy cause, or over the weekend attend the house chores and the dinner and receptions. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_09]: And you have some of your committee members here, Judy? I do.
[Mn4KS2yu_8U_SPEAKER_26]: Rosemary Adagna, Rosalie Sullivan, Claire Qualantino. We have a committee of about 40 women and men who have been working on this festival for 13 years. And it's become kind of a great tradition in the community.
[SPEAKER_09]: You get on the radio in the morning, too. I've heard you.
[Mn4KS2yu_8U_SPEAKER_26]: Great publicity, it's great work. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_09]: Nice work, congratulations. Terrific. Also, we're under suspension. If we could have a moment of silence. Rita Snyderman was mother of Sandra Finn and mother-in-law to our city clerk Edward Finn passed away recently. If we could all rise for a moment of silence. Remembering Mrs. Snyderman. Also on suspension, 2011-727 off by Councilor Marks, be resolved that the Mayor McGlynn appointed Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee to establish a new transportation policy and planning framework to include a parking management plan, a traffic flow study, bicyclist-friendly master plan, transportation needs, and to develop a long-term plan to improve pedestrian safety features like crosswalks, signage, and lights. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, the purpose of this resolution tonight, uh, is to create a transportation advisory committee, uh, with volunteer citizens who shall act as a clearing house for transportation issues affecting the city of method. The committee should provide input and advisory direction to boards and commissions and city administration to assist in suggesting creative ways to deal with the myriad of traffic, pedestrian safety issues, transit service, and transportation planning issues in the city of method responsibilities. I perceive this committee to have Mr. President is to review and provide comments and recommendations on a longterm plan to improve pedestrian safety within our community. Also to review city bus ridership, bus routes every six months and make appropriate recommendations to the council review and provide recommendations on transportation policies, issues and programs, which involved the MBTA and the commuter rail. Review and advise on citywide parking management plan and traffic flow. Review and provide recommendations on a citywide bicycle plan. Establish an annual work plan to address specific issues. You know, the town of Arlington has had a Transportation Advisory Commission, which they refer to as TAC, in place for several years now. And the city of Newton has had this same advisory committee in place, manned with volunteers throughout the community. And they are not to replace current traffic commissions, boards, authority of anyone in the city. It's to act in an advisory capacity to assist in moving issues forward that deal with pedestrian safety. deal with transportation issues in the community, traffic flow. These are the issues that we hear week after week, month after month, year after year within our community. And we as a community can no longer afford to sit back and wait for accidents to happen on our street and then react. We can no longer afford to do that. We need to take back our streets. Our streets have become raceways. They're no longer a place safe for children, seniors, families to walk down our sidewalks or cross the street. We as a community have to get serious about this. And one way I believe we can do this is not to react on every street that comes before us or every issue that comes before us, but to have a board, an advisory committee, whatever you want to call it, that is there to address issues, to do research, to offer opinions, to hold meetings, to get community input, and to follow through on issues. One of the biggest concerns I have in this community is the lack of follow through. And it's not just the administration, it's this council. We need to follow through on issues. You know, we had the residents of Golden Ave that came up before us several months ago. I'm still getting emails from those residents that were concerned about heavy trucking and speeding on their street. Nothing has been done to date to improve the conditions on Golden Ave. This is symptomatic throughout the entire community. We need, Mr. President, to tap upon the many involved citizens in this community. We can no longer say that this is being handled by the traffic commission, or this is being handled by off-street parking. We need to get people that want to be involved in this community, want to offer their expertise, their life experience, and involve them in committees. Residents want to get active. They want to know how they can help out. I've already had several emails from residents of this community stating, Mike, if I can get on this committee, please mention my name. I'd be interested. Unsolicited. People want to get involved. People want to know how they can help out their community. There's no salary attached with this citizen advisory board. It won't cost the city a penny to establish this. And I'm hoping the mayor sees fit in his capacity as the chief executive officer to create a committee, not just to serve for a year and then dissolve or two years and dissolve, but to be established lifelong committee in this community. Transportation, although the forms may change and the type of transportation, there'll always be a need to oversee transportation within our community. There will always be a need. to make sure pedestrian safety is at the forefront of every issue. There will always be a need to make sure that our streets are safe, that the T's are accessible, that the current routes work, that the Green Line extension, whatever the capacity may be, It's going to be beneficial for our community. These are the things I envision this volunteer committee to work on and make recommendations and they will have a yearly agenda. This won't be behind closed doors. This won't be operated in a vacuum. These will be meetings held by committee posted by the city clerk and attended by residents of this community. You know, I talked to one of the town administrators over in Arlington and they said, honestly, they don't know where they would be without this advisory committee. That's how involved, how influential and how active this committee is in pushing issues forward and doing the research and offering the framework that needs to be done in order to get the plans. You know, these are the issues that need to be looked at, and we can't afford to address them one at a time. What street comes up that doesn't have resident permit parking? The unfortunate accident on Winthrop Street where a student was hit, and now we have painted crosswalks and signage. No, we can't afford to operate a city no longer like this, Mr. President. I know there's a resident that came up, there was several residents that emailed me that said they couldn't make it tonight, but we're in full support. I believe they sent the entire council the email also. They're in full support of this and I'm hoping, Mr. President, that the mayor sees fit, that it's time that we move this community forward. We start addressing the transportation issues. You know, we're five minutes from Boston. We have all sorts of commuter rail access, T access into town and it's about time that we take this issue by the horns. And it's about time we take our streets back. And I don't want to hear from families that they're afraid to send their kids out because of the speeding on their street, or they're afraid to send them to the square because of the traffic and the cars and the lack of enforcement. Thank you, Mr. President.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. Councilor Penta.
[Paul Camuso]: Councilor Camuso or Penta? My light went on.
[SPEAKER_09]: Your light was on. Councilor Longo-Curran.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Oh, I'm sorry. It was Councilor Camuso. Sure.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: I'll be brief. Thank you, Councilor Mayeco. I just want to go on record. I think it's a good resolve. I think it's something that obviously is working for other cities and towns. And I think it's something that, you know, I thank Councilor Marks for bringing it forward. I think it's something we definitely need to look at and hopefully the mayor will really take this under advisement and go forward, and especially if we have residents who are willing to, whether it's once a week or once a month, meet and really go through our city bit by bit to see where the traffic problems are, what can be improved upon. I think it's a way, and we speak about it all the time, to be proactive. You know, what happened a couple weeks ago with the Winthrop Street, George Street intersection, that was a, it needed to be in front of the council, but that was a reactive situation where the city reacted to an unfortunate accident. And these accidents are happening all the time, all over. And it's because there's truly concerned residents with small children in that area. They came forward. We were able to push the resolutions forward. And I think because of us, it got done quicker than it may have gotten done. But it was a reactive situation. I think we need to be more proactive. We need to, what Councilman Marks alluded to, go through the city and really map out a master plan on how we can improve upon the speeding, the traffic, the accidents, and a whole host of different issues. My one concern, Council Box, and the rest of the council would be the fact that you sat on a committee for over a year and discussed traffic with the chief of police, you went to other, you know, the committee went to other communities, you come up with this lengthy report on what is needed in the city, and it just fell on deaf ears. It went nowhere. So I would hate to see residents of our community sit and give up their time to not be heard. So my hope would be not only to implement this committee, but to take the recommendations seriously and to act upon them. Some of the things that will need to be acted upon are going to cost some money, but at the same time I hope the administration And I know this council will be committed to improving on what is going on in our community now. So that would be my concern. And I hope the administration would not act as they did with the traffic commission report. Um, my last comment is, you know, the people serving on our traffic commission, they do a good job, they're working hard, but they also have full time jobs. We're talking the chief of police, Lauren D Lorenzo from the office community development, Jack Buckley from the DPW yards. from the DBW director. Those are three people work too many hours to being, you know, to really get into the nitty gritty of what a traffic committee would be able to do. So I'm in favor and I hope that it not only moves forward, but that the recommendations and the time put into resolves are acted upon.
[Paul Camuso]: Thank you. Councilor Camuso. Thank you, Mr. President, and I applaud Councilor Marks for bringing this forward. I think now more than ever, Mr. President, this is something that would be a good addition to the boards and commissions that we have that look at some of these issues. As we know, statutorily, under mass general laws, certain boards and commissions have the statutory obligation to act or not act on these because it falls under their jurisdiction. With that being said, though, having more citizen input, other than just having them attend the regular business meetings of the boards that are tasked with putting some of these into place, I think is great. And now more than ever, Mr. President, there's more vehicles on the road. And quite frankly, I think this may be a good time for the mayor to look at all the boards and commissions. throughout the entire city. Maybe some of them are not needed anymore. Maybe new ones are needed, maybe more in technology area or other areas. So at the same time, if Councilor Marks wouldn't mind, actually make it a B paper because I certainly, I understand the importance of his proposal before us to maybe take a look at all the boards and commissions and see if it's an appropriate time, Mr. President, to either add combine or delete some of the commissions or boards based upon, um, uh, just today's day and age. And we have many fine members that are on these boards. And, uh, if the, uh, board is no longer needed, maybe they're willing to serve in another capacity, uh, where their professionalism will be recognized and, uh, help this community move forward. But, uh, thank you, councilor marks for bringing this forward. Thank you. Vice president Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Uh, mr. President, uh, through the chair to Councilor Marks, thank you for your, uh, You're moving this. I think I have over the years mentioned in one way or another that what we have doesn't work all that well most of the time. I'm grateful for the people that serve on those boards and commissions. But there's some things not working in this community. I know a lot of it boils down to money that we're not able to implement and do the things that a lot of people have the vision to see done. This is a worthy step. I wonder if, I just wonder out loud, I don't have the answer to it, if it adds another layer to government that might become cumbersome. So the whole thing needs to be looked at. The other point that Councilor Lungo-Koehn had brought up so aptly is that sometimes one is left with the feeling that these boards that have great participation, which is what you envision, Councilor, great participation, talent from the community, insight, vision, forward thinking, oftentimes they end up in stagnation in an action because of whatever reasons not being theirs. And I wouldn't want to see something so grand as this to be diminished. and to have people's hopes dashed. I don't know what the answer is. This is a worthy start. What we have and what we're doing in this community isn't working. And I think that's what this is motivated out of my senses from what you shared with us tonight. And I, as the chairman of the subcommittee on transportation and as somebody who's worked at sometimes more diligently than others on the Green Line project. I share your frustration to some level with this, and I'd like to see progress be made in that area. I'll support this.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. On the motion for approval, want to speak on this? Name and address for the record, please.
[Anthony D'Antonio]: Anthony D'Antonio, Yale Street. Thank you for bringing this up this evening, Councilor Marks. I'd like to go on record as saying I'd like to volunteer to be a member of this advisory committee if it does become, if it does come to fruition. And I will promise you that if I'm on this board, it will not lead to stagnation. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Here we go again. Dr. William Wood, 25 Basel Row. Mike, it was a great job. Fantastic, but it's political. You talk to people in Arlington, I did too. I brought their names up at public meetings, people who didn't like what was going on and had no root to discuss it other than through politics, by coming up in their town meetings and screaming, we don't want the green line here. We don't want it at Route 16. It's in the record, public record. By the way, I am one of the organizers of GLAM, Green Line Meeting Group. I'm not opposed to what you're saying. In fact, you and I have been friends for many, many years, Michael, and I support community import. But I support total community import. meaning everybody gets a chance, not like some of the things that have happened at the Green Line, where certain people, certain educated class people, certain, as was said in today's Boston Globe, barbarians at the thing about the Harvard 99 group that's inside Harvard, are the only ones that get the permission to work on these committees. We and GLAM are the only recognized federal transportation group in Massachusetts that work with disabled environmental justice. You never talked to me, Mike. You never asked me a question. You never even knew what it was. I'm embarrassed since I've been your friend for many years. I'm embarrassed that I have to come up here and say I can't support it. Parts of it. There's many parts of it I can. But there are many parts of it that need to be hacked out of it. Because if they're not, what you're gonna do is set up a political group that's gonna fight for things that people in this city don't really want. And they proved it by voting for you. And they proved it by electing you people for transportation. As I went out there and screamed for my candidates, well, you being one of them, and I do look at my candidate over there, who is not on the board right now, against the green line. That's against the transportation because of what the tragedy it will commit in our community. Now, I ask you to go back, and the council to go back, and rephrase all this. Rephrase it where people like myself actually get on it, or my wife gets on it, or some African-American who wants to be on it but can't, as what the state did on the design workshop, did not allow. In fact, there's a gentleman in the first row, right there, who was denied being on it because he was disabled. Jimmy, you don't mind me saying that, do you? Go right ahead. So, you know, you've got to really look at these things and talk to them. Now, on planning, Mike, MPO, we just sued MPO. We won. They left out disabled and African-Americans out of their planning process. I'm going to say it one more time, Mike. They left out... Dr. Wood.
[SPEAKER_09]: Bill. It's Councilor Marks. Councilor Marks. Thank you.
[Michael Marks]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_09]: Point of information.
[Michael Marks]: And I respect the gentleman at the podium, as he said, stated, I've known him for a lot of years. Um, I think he's missing the resolution. And if I could just state, no, you're hiding the resolution, Mike. I met Councilor Marks. He's got a point of information. The resolution is printed on our agenda. So nothing is hidden here. The intent of the resolution, Dr. Wood is to establish an advisory committee in nature to assist the city, and I know you're trying to make this a Green Line issue. No, I'm not. That's all you've stated is Green Line. Well, you want me to go further? This is not a Green Line issue, Bill. This is an issue relative to having citizens of this community take an active role and taking back our streets. If you heard the issues that I hear on a daily basis regarding people that are afraid to cross our streets, regarding transportation issues, regarding speeding on our streets, regarding the lack of signage, the lack of crosswalks, and the list goes on and on, Dr. Wood, then you would realize that there is a need to supplement what's currently taking place, as Councilor Del Russo alluded to. What's currently taking place right now is this community reacts to everything. Rather than having a committee, in my opinion, there would be advisory in nature, and it would be appointed, and that's why this wasn't crafted to create a committee. There's no language here that says how many members, who will appoint, or so forth. We're asking the mayor in his capacity as the chief executive officer to look into this and establish a transportation advisory committee. We're not asking him to turn this into a political ball. We're not asking him to sway this to put people that are in favor of the green line on this committee and, and, and, and make everyone else not part of this committee. So I don't think there's any, um, you know, as you state that, uh, you know, there's no malice behind this. There's no intent to exclude people. Anyone would be welcome to serve in a citizen advisory committee. I appreciate your input, but I just don't want people to believe this is Green Line or against Green Line. This has nothing to do other than with improving transportation within our community.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Now, Mike, you just, I mean, Mr. Councilor Marks, you just made a great speech. It was wonderful and I agree with most of what you said, but you didn't let me finish. I also served on a bike committee, the formation of a bike committee in the city. Most of those people had no idea what a tricycle meant to a disabled person. Most of them didn't understand what it meant to be in a wheelchair for disabled people. I brought this up, by the way, at a meeting which, unfortunately, you weren't at. You were working. But I think other Councilors can remember. I said that Bruce Kulick and I served together. to work on a committee on bicycle. Two years ago, they didn't even know what the real name of a bicycle path is. And I asked the councillor, are you sure it's a bike path, ladies and gentlemen, and it's not a community path? And those issues we've been working on, I only bring the green line up because it's the biggest political issue now. I can bring up others that you don't know I have worked on in terms of transportation in the city. I do volunteer my time. I also research extremely on issues like this. I found out that new stops. a program that would give us money for such things as bike paths, pedestrian ways, in this. I brought it to the city and to other people in the state level. So, Mike, maybe you ought to talk to people more I'm sorry, I apologize. Councilor Marks, maybe you need to talk to others who are critics and skeptics too. Not just those people who raise a flag and say we should do it. The cost factors. I've studied cost factors. I've studied it. Yes, I would love to be on that committee because I'll be back here at this council if it doesn't go right. and bringing up the same issues. It won't be something brand new to me. It won't be something I'm learning about. And yes, I do agree with Councilor Marks and Councilor Dello Russo on things like transportation in the pedestrian ways. I do agree with that. But I also agree that there needs to be more handicapped spaces. There needs to be more disabled people being able to ride down the street in their... bicycle, tricycles, or in their wheelchairs. I also agree that there's a lot more to transportation than we've seen in your amendment. Whether the mayor appoints a committee or not will not matter to me. I'll probably be there as a participant without chairman status or status as a member of the committee. But it's a damn shame you're not listening. And Councilor Marks, it's the first time I've ever heard you not listen. I said in the beginning, I used the green line as an example, only as one. There are many other examples I could talk about. I also went to the parking thing and also was one of the people who favored And I know some people don't favor it, but I favored the parking lot in Medford Square. So it's not something new, Mr. Marks. And I do not like the way you've written this. If you take certain things out of it and split it in two, I think you've got a great idea. But more community active, more what the city needs in terms of parking, in terms of traffic, in terms of pedestrians, And leave the rest to people who are arguing on both sides of it to argue it out. And leave the commissions alone. They're doing the best job yet possible. I'm not saying it's the best that can be done. But you're usurping your own commissions, and I don't see the sense in usurping a commission. I see the sense of fighting with them, and I think everybody here knows if there's something wrong, I will go in and fight. So thank you very much, Councilor Marks and all the rest of your councilors.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[Robert Penta]: Councilor Pater, the motion for approval. I think it's very unfair that Mr. Wood came to this podium and virtually attacked a city councilor on a resolution that is nothing more than a result of numerous, because we all received them, numerous resolutions of public safety issues in this community, whether it's signage, crosswalks, intersection, lights, speeding, not enough police protection at certain places. I think maybe Mr. Wood didn't get the issue. I don't think he understood the fact that Councilor Marks, in his resolution, did talk about pedestrian safety, did talk about bicycle paths. He made references to a long-term approach, and in this long-term approach would be inclusive, I would assume, of all the things that Mr. Wood would want to be talking about. The unfortunate part about it is you can't win in this council, because when you put a resolution, this isn't even my resolution, I don't even know why I'm talking about it, but I will talk about it, because it's one of my colleagues, and if I agree with one of my colleagues, I'll support it, if I disagree, I won't support it. But I support it only for one reason, because we all have been inundated over the last few months from resolutions of people throughout this community who just get absolutely no satisfaction from this administration on their issues. I have to assume that part of this resolution smacks with a sense of frustration because we are at a, this council as a whole is sometimes just handheld with inability to do anything because it's this mayor who just refuses to do anything. Now the best part about this most recent election, hopefully you got a wake up call. from someone who was brand new running for office and got almost 36% of the vote. That's a wake-up call. He's got to start listening to what's going on out there. Councilor Camuso, you brought up a good point about maybe consolidating the commissions. But before we get to the idea of consolidating or eliminating any of these commissions, look at all the people that are sitting there with terms that have been expired for months, if not years. That needs to be reviewed first. Why would somebody be sitting on a board that's been expired for months and years and you're worried about whether they're even capable of doing the job or consolidating or merging them? I think it's a good resolution. I think the unfortunate part, one correction to Councilor Langel. It was two years, not one year. Counsel Mark said on that traffic commission report, it was submitted in September, October of 2009, and this is now 2011, so two years after the fact, and the mayor is yet to act on that traffic commission report. You have traffic supervisors on the street right now being told that they're gonna lose their benefits because they don't work enough hours. So we're gonna figure out a way how to give you more hours to work it out. Maybe the game plan, they're going to be the new traffic enforcement division. I don't know, but you know that's going to stir apart with the unions around here. You know, it's very hard to make a conversation come to a life where everybody can understand what's going on, especially the folks who might be watching and the audience that's here tonight. There's absolutely no communication coming from this administration on these particular issues. And I guarantee you, this issue, this resolution wouldn't even be on the agenda if the concerns that have been expressed by taxpayers, when a phone call is made to City Hall, as a resolution that I have on later on tonight, from over a year ago, has yet to be responded to. That's frustration. That is frustration from taxpayers who are paying their taxes in this city for simple little things. If you can't accomplish it right away, at least return the phone call. Let the taxpayer know that they've been acknowledged. So I support it, Councilor Marks. I think it's a good resolution. I think in whole the council supports it. It's just a matter of fact that, you know, when is the mayor gonna wake up and understand that these resolutions all revolve around the taxpayers of this community. It's not about any one of us, singularly or collectively. It's about the taxpayers within this community who pay the bills every single day, every single week. And that's what this is all about. Well, you might have your agenda, Dr. Wood, and I know it's the green line that you're impassioned about. I don't think there's any one member on this council at any point in time that does not have the public safety at heart of the people in this community, whether it's a crosswalk, a sign, a policeman, speeding, fire, public safety, public works, whatever it might be. That's one thing I don't think you can take away from this city council, because that's been our public priority since I think all seven of us have served on this council. On the motion for approval, I'd like to speak
[Robert Cappucci]: Yes. Name and address for the record, please. Robert Capucci of 71 Evans street. Uh, several months ago, a fellow citizen of mine, uh, John Stareller and I, we tried to get, uh, a charter commission formed by, by through petition, but we realized that we couldn't, we couldn't do this because it was a huge undertaking. So I'm just asking the council again, if it's within your means to do so, to appoint a charter commission, to serve as a body that could caucus I greatly agree with Councilor Dello Russo in adding another layer of government. That's not what I'm all about. But if we had a charter commission that could carcass on various issues like traffic control, like the expenditures in a parking garage, like lights going out all around the city. sidewalks that need to have crosswalks that are there. A board that can serve for the people to come as a third and final check and balance in our check and balance system of our public government. The federal government operates on it with a president. a judiciary and a legislature. This city has the city council and the mayor who never see eye to eye and a constituency that has to either keep emailing or running up to this podium. If it's within the purview of the Medford City Council to appoint a charter commission to caucus on all these various issues to consolidate different conglomerations of, of, of big government here in this little city, then please, by all means do so. Uh, uh, citizens, I'm going to have to ask citizens to, to help me like John Sterella and I, and we're going to have to get to this petition form to form a group, uh, as a charter commission that could serve the city and the citizens in a multitude of of areas that I think would only help to ensure better roads, better lighting, better expenditures spent by our tax dollars, and to review the policies and actions, or lack thereof, of this board and of the CEO. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[Laurel Ruma]: Hi there, my name's Laurel Aruma. I live at 149 Burgett Avenue. And thank you, Council Martz, for bringing up this commission idea. I think it's a great one. I have two points. One is from last week, which I didn't get to because I was making my pies, but you can get reverse 411 calls to your cell phone. It'll also text you and email you. So I hear from Mr. Clemente often. And then the other one was the part about doing Yeoman's work, figuring out where the permit parking needs to really be done in Medford. And it's pretty evident that we almost have like two cities. One is much more, urban, and a lot like Somerville, where there's a lot of people living in dense areas, and the other one is a lot more like Winchester, where we have a lot of open space and not as much dense population. So anyway, because we have a lot of parking on our street for Tufts, and with the, you know, thinking that the Green Line's gonna come to our neighborhood at some point, on some day, and Burgett Ave is a direct abutter to that Green Line stop, I went to the traffic commission to get permit parking on our street. So what I did, This is the yeoman's work part of it. We created a map of all the streets around Burgett Avenue that already have permit parking. Thank you. So this is easy to tell that, with one map, where the parking problems are, right? Because people have already spent a lot of time and effort to get permit parking on their streets. So this is just a simple example to show that there's a lot that can be done in the city. Thank you. And with the data and interested citizens, we can actually show the problem spots that we need to actually address and do something about. And this is why I think it's important to have a traffic commission and also a traffic enforcement policy of some sort. I fully expect that when permit parking goes in on our street on January 1st to be that crazy woman who calls constantly to complain that yet again there is someone parked in front of my house that works at Tufts all day long and I can't get my work done in the house or deliveries or whatever it may be. So I would like to say that Council Marks, I think this is a great idea, and there's also a lot of other places in the city that we can look at that need this sort of improvement that does come with citizen involvement. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[gvpawZbv1GQ_SPEAKER_22]: Hi, John Byers, 25 Brooks Park, Medford. I'm all for the idea of a commission, and I'd be willing to sit on that type of commission. I ride a bike throughout the city of Medford, and the one thing I see is the only place where I can ride it is on the sidewalk because the danger of riding on the street is just too inherent for anyone to be able to ride a bike. The only safe place to ride it is on the street, but then you run into the problem of having to watch out for pedestrians on the sidewalk. So it's just a no-win situation, and there aren't too many shortcuts around the city to get to where you want, so you gotta take the main roads. So I'd be more than willing to sit on a committee like that, thank you. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion of approval by Councilor Marks, all those in favor, all those opposed? Roll call has been requested, call the roll, madam.
[Unidentified]: Councilor Weiner. Yes.
[SPEAKER_09]: Clerk.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_15]: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
[SPEAKER_09]: Yes. And about a 70 per minute. None of the negative papers approved now on the B paper offered by council. So review boards and commissions, uh, across the mayor to, uh, perhaps a point, uh, yes.
[Robert Penta]: dates, the dates of expiration.
[SPEAKER_09]: Why don't we get a listing of all the boards and commissions in there with their names? I have that it's turned yellow, the paper. So all the boards and commissions with their point, their expiration dates, uh, date of service on that motion. We'll talk on this. No. All those in favor. No roll call. One roll call. On motion approved by Councilor Camuso. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Paper is approved. Now, want to revert back to regular business? Did you want to speak? Yes.
[SPEAKER_05]: We're running suspension.
[SPEAKER_09]: You name an address for the record, please.
[SPEAKER_05]: 51 Metcalf Street. A friend of mine passed away a couple of days ago. He's a retired metric firefighter, Larry Kelleher. And I'd like to see if we can get a moment of silence. I believe the wake was today and the funeral is tomorrow.
[SPEAKER_09]: Offered by Councilor Camuso. A moment of silence for former firefighter Larry Kelleher, recently passed away. Thank you. On the motion of Council Penta, revert back to regular business. All those in favor? All those opposed? On page one, motions, ayes, resolutions. 2011-726 off by Council Penta being resolved that the issue of agenda 21 in the UN International Baccalaureate IB program be discussed as to the educational consequences of harm it can cause, if in fact the Medford public school system is participating in such programs, officially or unofficially. Councilor Panto.
[Robert Penta]: Mr. President, um, some weeks ago, a young gentleman who's sitting out in the audience right now, Mr. Capucci came and brought an issue before us, which was called agenda 21. It's a very, depending how you view it, It either can be complex, or it can be very simple, or it's cut and dry, depending on how you view it. To me, I find this to be somewhat complex, because the ingredients that make up Agenda 21 have a spillover effect, and that also, unfortunately, spills over into the whole educational philosophy of what Agenda 21 is all about. The IB program, the International Baccalaureate Program, it's hard to pronounce that.
[SPEAKER_09]: Baccalaureate.
[Robert Penta]: Baccalaureate Program. It's something that started back in 1968 and it came out of, it was a result of a United Nations type of activity where they were looking at the idea of where are we going as United Nations and how are we going to get our agendas, so to speak, better understood throughout the world, throughout the world and the world economy. And as a result of that, I mean, I've just spent oodles and oodles of times and hours getting this thing, trying to understand it. Because what I want to understand is after Agenda 21, I have been inundated with phone calls with people for and against Agenda 21. And then these phone calls have now diverted themselves to the educational school system here in the city of Medford, be it public or private, but leaning more toward the public school system. And if in fact, or does in fact, the public school officially or unofficially participate in any of the programming. And to some degree, I would have to assume it would, because some of the things that are in the budget for which the city of Medford pays for, for which the Medford city council votes on and approves as part of this international, um, baccalaureate, what'd you call it? Baccalaureate. Baccalaureate program. But anyway, It started off in the beginning years as a secondary level high school type of a level program. It's now got itself down from the third grade all the way up to the 12th grade. Strike that from three years old up to a 12-year-old person. And it's recognized it's a non-governmental activity. And its recognition is that it's not an advanced placement. It's not an AP program. And by not being an AP program, colleges are not accepting any of these classes or any of these courses. that unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whether you're a supporter or a non-supporter of the program, takes place. I'm going to just quote some of the terminology that they use. It is basically, it's a transformation system of education, instructed to change the attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior of the student to conform to the world government system. So if you watch anything about what the United Nations is all about, and part of their whole effort is to bring a world agenda together, and if this world agenda together is actually going to be successful, it has to go through an educational process, not a military or a political process, it's an educational process. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Education established a $1.2 million grant program for middle schools that are willing to participate in this program, which become feeder schools for the high schools throughout the entire country. And as a result of that, the programming consists of six questions. Who we are, where are we in place and time, how do we express ourselves, how does the world work, how do we organize ourselves, sharing the planet. These are the six themes that basically make up this whole idea of the agenda. And as a result of that, In 2004, the Washington Times reported the following, that the America's foundational principles of national sovereignty, national law, and inalienable rights are at odds with the IB curriculum, and they're not being taught as such.
[Fred Dello Russo]: What information, Vice President Dello Russo? What is the source of this information that you're giving to us?
[Robert Penta]: I think I just got through saying that, number one, the Washington Times reported in the newspaper article My other report comes from Newsweek. It also comes from Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica. It also comes from people who are well established. It comes from the United States Department of Education. Where do you want me to stop? I'll stop. Are you questioning the authenticity of what I'm saying? I hope you're not, Councilor, because this is a very serious program. And if the program is operating here in the city of Medford, we are paying for it in part, whether you realize it or not. And that's what I'm trying to find out. And as a Councilor, I'm trying to find out how this budget works and what incorporates itself into the taxpayers of this community. It's an important issue. So if you want to question me, go ahead and question me all you want. Everything I have here is verified. Aren't we have somebody from the school department here? Well, my agenda at the end will be asking a joint meeting, because there are many parents that would like to have a meeting with the school committee and the council, because they don't feel they're getting satisfaction from the school committee. Continuing on, Mr. President. You know, I just want to say something. Of all the things that this council is going to get itself involved in, whether you want to call it a school department issue or a city issue, there is nothing that's more valuable than making sure that the kids in this community are getting an education that talks about, that talks about whether it's in their social studies, their sciences, or their math, that they are individuals, and their rights as individuals are protected, and they should not be taught that they have to live as a world society person. There's nothing wrong with looking out for your fellow man, but there is something wrong when they tell you you have to share your wealth and everything that you've earned to take care of people that are in other countries that are impoverished. That's why we have our freedom of choices to make our donations whenever and whoever we want to make it to. The United Nations is ongoing right now, trying to do between now and the year 2020, they're going to be down in Africa, at a convention on November 28th, well it's already yesterday, to raise $100 billion a year to fight air pollution for which they want the United States to be the prime mover on because we are the richest country in the world. But that's not the way for us to spend our money and we shouldn't be told by people in the United Nations or 40 other countries We became successful for one reason. We worked at it. We used our brain. That's what we teach our kids in school to do. Use your brain. And if you use your brain to become successful, then your intellect as an individual will surface and rise. But if you want to go to this group world attitude that we have to think of ourselves globally as an individual and share whatever we have globally as an individual, we have now dumbed down upon ourselves and relegated ourselves to the same third world opportunities, or lack thereof, that those countries don't have. They can have the same world opportunities, they just need to get themselves and their political right of way, so to speak, in order. We did it some 243 years ago. And look what's trying to happen right now. They're trying to have, through the United Nations, couched this IB program to take away everything that our servicemen that we go and celebrate every Memorial Day and Veterans Day died for. The individual rights of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. not globally to take away your right of religion, to take away your right of making a living, and to take away the fact that you have to take care of the rest of the world because unfortunately your parents or grandparents made it for you and you've succeeded upon that. That's not what we're all about. We're all about a country, a group of citizens whose family and parents emigrated here, Mr. President. You detoured me. You did a good job of it, but I'm glad I got it out because I'm gonna finish what I have to say, Councilor Dello Russo. More importantly, Mr. President, partnerships. They talk about working in partnerships. Well, you can be partners with anybody you want politically or socially. And if you want to put a child in a classroom to be a partner with the student next to him, that's okay. I'll leave the name of the school, and I'll leave the name of the teacher, and I'll leave the name of the class that's out. But there's a program that's being distributed right now and implemented in one of our schools that talks about the fact that you should share that for what you have, which is your wealth and your right to have things that other kids and other families and other people don't have. That's okay to learn as a learning process, but don't indoctrinate a child at that age who has never, ever gone through the process of knowing what the difference is between right and wrong, because this is when they're their most, this is when they're their most informative. This is when their mind and their imagination takes place. And if this is all that they're hearing, that's what they're gonna grow up to think and believe. And where does that put us in future 10 or 20 or 30 years as a country? It takes away everything that we stand for. Our ability to stand alone, to be alone, and be that individual that our parents told us and taught us to be. Mr. President, We have in our public school system here, Medford is part of a $9.5 million National Science Foundation and it's called TERG, it's the other part of the Medford Public School math program for which unfortunately is causing a problem with some parents who believe that the program is not satisfying or completing the child and the MCAS scores and grades like they're supposed to be. At the elementary school level, the worst of the National Science Foundation funded programs is widely used in the K through five series. The program relies heavily on calculators and does not include textbooks in the usual sense. And as a result of that, there are parents who have addressed this issue before the school committee. And the school committee, through some of their members, leaving them nameless, just do not want to address it or accept that for which the parents are talking about. We are part of that $9.5 million programming. And therefore, Mr. President, it's well within our daily work to talk about it, and it's well within the school committee's department to talk about it. You're talking about the kids within this community. Also, Mr. President.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Point of information?
[Robert Penta]: Point of information, Vice President Del Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: So this curriculum that you're speaking about comes out of Agenda 21? No. interruption here, with all due respects, is to, has any administrator or anybody who helps form our school's curriculum spoken on this matter?
[Robert Penta]: From my understanding and speaking with parents, they have addressed this to the school department. Certain individuals in the school committee, they have not responded in a like manner of concern. Has it been before the school committee? Yes, people have addressed it before the school committee. As a matter of fact, one of the issues that were addressed before the school committee some two to three weeks ago was the fact that the school committee might be considering taking algebra out of the eighth grade. I mean, these are one of the prerequisites for children to go to college if they want, if they want to be math folks, they want to succeed. If you start taking away some of these programs, once again, it goes to this whole IB program.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Where are the high school administrators in this? Or the school administrators?
[Robert Penta]: Where are the principals in this? I can't answer that, other than the fact that parents are now starting to bring this up. And I want to thank Mr. Cappucci for bringing this thing up a few weeks ago, because this whole thing with Agenda 21, it's more than land, and it's more than smart growth, and it's more than that. It's the whole educational philosophy. And if this thing gets itself entrenched into the minds of these students, as I just said a few minutes ago, they're gonna know nothing different. They're not gonna know what we knew growing up. Let me ask you this from the chair. If it's so nefarious. I didn't say it's nefarious, no.
[SPEAKER_09]: It's not what I'm saying.
[Robert Penta]: Your inference is bad. No, my inference is this. Let me get to finishing what I'm gonna say. Finish what you're saying. Go ahead. All right. There's a critical review which comes out of Texas, the place where the It's called We the People, the Citizens, and the Constitution. It's a civic textbook written by the place in Texas that writes the textbooks for the entire country. And what they are doing, they are being taught that in the United States, number one, we are the number one terrorist nation. That's what it says. And they are being taught that the rest of the world is mired in poverty because of the greedy capitalists in the United States. That's what these kids are being taught. That's what's in these textbooks. Point of information. What textbooks have that? These are the history books that are coming out of Texas, which serve the entire country. When we buy our textbooks, the civics. This is already in print. It's already in print. They are in our schools. I can't tell you, it's in this school, but if it's coming in this school, it's in print and it's ready to go. These are the new textbooks that are now being printed and ready to go. Who's the publisher?
[Fred Dello Russo]: This sounds like something out of the McCarthy era. No it isn't. I'm concerned here.
[Robert Penta]: Well, it's not that it's Marxism. Let me just go on. The United Nations Global Education Program took a major step in 1968 when they started this whole programming. And it basically said we're living on a planet that is becoming exhausted. A guy by the name of George Walker wrote this. He is the director in general. He comes out of Geneva, Switzerland. And he says that the program remains committed to changing children's values so they think globally, rather than in parochial national terms from their own country's viewpoint, okay? Mr. President, the IB program has been dropped. 550 schools have picked it up. 74 of the high schools that have picked it up have now dropped it because they have seen what it's done everywhere from California to Rhode Island. The goals and the methods of the IB program reach much further than the 502 U.S. schools now officially enrolled. The Center for Civic Education, which by law writes the curriculum for civics education in the United States, says, quote, in the past century, the civic mission of schools was education for democracy and a sovereign state. In this century, by contrast, education will become everywhere more global, and we ought to improve our curricular frameworks and standards for a world transformed by globally accepted and internationally transcendent principles. The global influence can be clearly seen in the new mission for the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. This is the national curriculum. This comes right out of the United States government. This is their philosophy, which is now gonna be transcended into their new books.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Point of clarification.
[Robert Penta]: I don't know if we have the new books yet.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Whose philosophy?
[Robert Penta]: The International Baccalaureate's philosophy? No, no. What I just read to you comes from the United States. It's in Washington. They print the civics books for the entire country.
[Fred Dello Russo]: It sounds like post-war socialism from Europe.
[Robert Penta]: Well, that's part of the argument, and I'm not saying that it is. The whole idea of bringing this to the attention of everyone, I want to find out if in fact, what if in fact our Methodist public school systems are involved with this, if anything. The idea of an automatic cutoff. The United States cut off its financing because the United Nations decided to give money to Pakistan. And the argument in rebuttal by certain legislators and congressmen is that we should be cutting off this type of IB information being disseminated through schools. Now remember, as I told you before, the IB information is something, if I understand this correctly, it's something that does not garner college graduate credits or college accepted credits. So it takes away from the AP programs if kids are taking this. with the 502 schools that have already accepted and the 74 that have opted out, they've opted out because they found out what this programming entails, which basically allegedly is diminishing the value of the individual and making the individual feel that he or she needs to transform their way of thinking globally. The question then becomes, if you read Read what they have. Their whole program is revolved around environmental, multicultural, and citizen global world agenda. That's their agenda. This isn't my agenda, this is their agenda. And my question that needs to be asked, and through the Medford Public Schools system, are they in fact participating in any shape, manner, or form? We accepted this in 1999, September 2nd, 1999. The city of Medford accepted this. Mayor McGlynn signed off on it. And at that point in time, none of us probably had any idea what it was. And if you signed off on it and you're a participant, they pay you. Anyway, it's up to $135,000 a year to be a member in this particular program. And if you are and you're getting inundated or indoctrinated with that type of philosophy, that can cause a concern. Whether it's the sciences that talk about believing and worshiping the earth, or whether it's the multiculturalism and believing that we should be a hyphenated society of one, or whether it's the extreme belief that we should be echo green for everything because that's gonna save the world, There's more to the educational process than those three agendas, and that's the concern that I have, and I believe that's the concern that's been translated to me from folks, and I hope I've said it somewhat clear, but I think I've got the point out that needs to be addressed. I think we need to have a review of what the Medford public school system has in their civic books, what are they teaching in their sciences, in their social studies? Does it follow any of this philosophy of the United Nations IB program? And if it does, I think it needs to be reviewed. When parents bring these up to the school committee, as they did some two to three weeks ago, and they're ignored, or it's not what you're saying it is, you can't do that. I mean, last week was the best example. We had people come up here who for months and months and months complained about George and Winthrop Street. They finally came here, the council heard it, and it got itself corrected. This is a multiplying issue. This is so recent as of today in California. It's a big issue, and the issue is this. Are and is the United States gonna conform to the wishes of the United Nations, whether it's their political or their educational agendas, and if it's an educational agenda, how is that gonna reflect upon we as a country? Keeping our sovereignty, keeping our nationality, and keeping our individuality. because those three things they do not teach. And if they take that away from the kids that are being taught, then they've taken away everything that this country stands for. Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President.
[Robert Penta]: Yes. Vice president Dela Rousseau.
[Fred Dello Russo]: My recollections may be flawed, but I, as a former admissions officer of a college, I remember dealing with students that took part of this, uh, international baccalaureate program. Some of them were foreign students. Some of them, if I remember correctly, I visited a high school operated by the United Nations over there on the east side of Manhattan. and interviewed students there. They seemed like bright young men and women. They didn't at all seem like fifth column communists or anything. I want to get to the bottom of this in some sort of way here, because that's not how I recall the program as in my recollections. It was akin to an AP program. A lot of these kids were very bright and capable. They came in with some degree or another. I mean, every college had its own policy as to what degree of advanced placement credit they'd be able to get. And it pointed more to a rigor in the curriculum that these kids did some serious work. It wasn't necessarily the content of it. It was, you looked at a kid that applied out of New York State, for instance, took the Regents program and did well on their Regents exams. You looked at that as an indicator and that was my recollection of the International Baccalaureate program and not as something as a political agenda. While the United States often points historically to its rugged individualism, there's also the concept of e pluribus unum. And aspects of what's being purported here, though it might be extreme and secularist in my point of view, aspects of what the UN also could be attributed to the social gospel and a certain person from Palestine in Judea.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. You want to speak on this? Name and address for the record, please.
[Robert Cappucci]: Robert Capucci from 71 Evans Street. First and foremost, Councilor Penta, thank you for your eloquence, your wisdom, and your passion in sticking up for the fundamental American individualism. That is the whole reason why I brought this up. I didn't know myself the extent of reach into children three to 12 years old that this Agenda 21 has. Agenda 21, make no mistake, is about the redistribution of wealth. The United Nations charter calls for taking a back seat to individual freedoms. The director of ICLEI, a guy named Dr. Harris, I believe his name is, states right out that individualism has to take a back seat towards the redistribution of wealth. They blame the United States, as Councilor Penta said, for the problems environmentally of the world. So what they do, and what socialism does itself, is it doesn't raise the lower up to the higher. What it actually does is lowers the higher down and that doesn't help anybody. Now, Councilor Dello Russo, I'm sure that high school you visited did have individuals that were very bright and smart. That's, that's not the point of argument here. And you also brought up, uh, Joe McCarthy, McCarthyism and you, and it, and it kinda, it kinda puts this whole question that Councilor pent is bringing up that I, I tried to enlighten the city and the citizens to in a light as a certain, form of, oh, it's crazy wackoism to talk about something like this happening. But it is happening. And communities all over this nation have gotten rid of ICLEI and Agenda 21. The town of Cuyver Mass, Las Cruces, New Mexico, towns all over the United States are getting rid of it. Sir? Councilor Dello Russo, Joe McCarthy brought up an issue in the 50s stating there were 53 communists in the United States government. And he was ridiculed for this. He was dogged. He was called an idiot. He eventually left the Senate, became an alcoholic, and died young. Did you know that in 1995, the government of Russia put out something called the Venona Papers. And in those Venona Papers, it proved everything Joe McCarthy was saying as accurate to a T. There were 53 communists in the United States government. This is a real issue. It's nothing crazy. It's something very simple. I passed out that pamphlet. to you folks when I gave my presentation on the first. On the bottom, it had a website for a quick 12-minute video. I watched it before I came here tonight, and it's from 629 to 641. Did all you folks watch that? I certainly hope you did, because there were resources in there to look up All sorts of other things about Agenda 21, and Councilor Penta brought up a lot of things I didn't know myself. An environmental officer from the western part of Massachusetts first introduced me to Agenda 21, ICLEI and sustainable development. He's a conservationist officer for Massachusetts, and he's been going around this state giving a two-hour presentation on the true nature behind Agenda 21. And it is an indoctrination of our youth. It is teaching kids away from individualism and the foundations of the United States Constitution towards the UN Charter and the UN Constitution. And it's really a shame if that's happening because I'm 41 and when I'm 55, I don't want to see the United States of America where a 20-year-old Kids that are now stepping up to your positions, having their idea that it's not about the free individual American citizen, but it's about the big bad America and its corporate greed and how they have to be punished and their wealth has to be redistributed to other countries around the world. American excellence and American individualism must be fought for. And it's great that Councilor Penta brought this up, The way he argued the point was flawless. It was great. And I highly discount, uh, the Councilors for his interruption and for trying to highlight it as McCarthyism and crazy. When, when please look up the Venona papers, counsel Dello Russo, Joe McCarthy was proved right. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_05]: Jim was 51 Metcalf street. I don't know if you remember the story of doubting Thomas. Well, I'm the original. And when I first heard Mr. Capucci get up here and speak, I went right out. I've put maybe a hundred hours into research. It's a very, very complex issue. Today I got this from the city clerk. This is the official approval of the meeting that was held on August 10th, 1999. Councilor Penter and Mayorco are on it. And it is proof that we are a member of Italy. It's quoted in the climate control plan. I have this. I also posted it on patch today in the blog entitled agenda 21 in the IB. I'm just going to say IB cause I have trouble saying that word too. This document is there. It's real. If you don't believe it, you're either very naive or too busy because it's true. Okay, since then, for the last three weeks, I've been posting stories on my website, and for the home viewers, that's jimmymors.com. It's on the front page, more important than anything on my whole website. And my website's been in existence for five years in January. I have people from all over the world looking at it. I have 85,000 hits on YouTube, so people are reading what I'm saying. Evidently, they trust me. What I did, Councilor, specifically because I doubt things too, I wrote what's called ICLEI, part 10, science fiction of fact, because my friends were saying it's science fiction. My good friends were saying that. You read part 10, read it tonight, and you tell me that we aren't a member of a United Nations organization. I have no question about it. Now, what I did after that, is I started a very simple introductory course. Remember, agenda 21 is 40 chapters. It's huge, all right? The first thing you'll see in part one is Bob Cappucci. I spent a week trying to get that. Remember the motion I had? Not the motion, the request to speak to get that tape? I couldn't get it. I had to get it from a friend, from a neighbor who taped it. It was squashed in my opinion. Okay. Number two is false choices. That is the video that Mr. Capucci recommended you all watch. I wanted to get the name. I got the name. It's on my website. It's 14 minutes. If you don't have 14 minutes to watch that, I don't know what to say. The next one, Glenn Beck on agenda 21, 15 minutes. His presentation, he goes into detail what it's all about. Number four, Newt Gingrich on agenda 21, one minute video where he is pledged to not to fund the United Nations. Today, Rick Perry came out and said, he's questioning whether to fund the United Nations. These are Republicans, which by the way, I joined the Republican party today. This is my first day as a member of the Republican party and I'm very proud to be a Republican so far. subject to change. Part five, agenda 21 for dummies, nine minutes. That's all it is, nine minutes. Part six, agent 21 and sustainable development. All these terms. I've been involved in the Green Line for six years. I've listened to smart growth, open space, sustainable development. I have read books. I have read pages. I've read thousands of pages on it. I never saw the link till agenda 21. Now, knowing with Agenda 21 in my mind, everything has changed. These are all Agenda 21 terms. Open space, smart growth, sustainable development. They're all interchangeable. These are the warm and fuzzy terms that we like, oh yeah, we're going to save the planet. Yeah, we're going to cut down on greenhouse gases. All warm and fuzzy. They're all designed to deceit us. Part seven, part seven is a five minute blurb that I copied out of a 68 minute blurb video on education. Look at it as it pertains to this council in this, in the meeting that the motion that's on the floor tonight, that is pertinent. Five minutes, watch it. And if you have 68 minutes, number eight is a video agenda 21 in education that lays it all out clear as day. Number nine, is the, number nine is the tech committee report. They're all right there. That's the tech committee report that is before you to approve and for us to discuss. And let me read you something to this. What if I said to you, becoming contributing citizens in a global society, how would you react to that? Is that what you wanna teach our children? Let me tell you, that's appendix three. That is appendix three of the tech report right here. Let me read you another one. We want to use collaboration. That's another agenda. They're not going to teach one-on-one. They're going to have little groups, constructivism. This is all happening in our schools today, and our MCAS scores are below normal, and I say the reason is because of that. Let me read this one. This is, again, this is online. This is on my website. This is on the tech committee report. This is public information, and I'm taking some slack for posting it, and I don't care. act with integrity, respect, and responsibility towards themselves, others, and the environment. Everything on agenda 21 centers on the environment. That's how they're gonna transfer our wealth. Another one, collaborate in diverse groups to share knowledge, to build consensus. Did you hear Robert talk about a consensus? You know what a consensus is? It's when they have a meeting and there's a bunch of people, they're all stakeholders. They have a vested interest in the meeting. and me and Bill Wood and other ones were the only ones there. Councilman Mayorkas, let me give you an example of a consensus. In October of six, you and I and Bill Wood went to Somerville for the Magnum meeting at Somerville City Hall. They had a hundred supporters there, they had colored documents, brochures, and they announced the Green Line to Route 16, the first time we ever heard of it. You got up and said, come to Medford. That meeting was in Somerville and I was there and I remember you saying that and I respect you for that. But that's what a consensus is. And it's happening. It's been happening in this city. I've been going to meetings for 15 years and I see it happening every day. Now, these are some of the key words you want to look for in the IB report. Project-based learning. This is from the technology committee report too. It's there. Project-based learning. Inquiry-based learning. Constructivist learning. Differentiated instruction. This is all Agenda 21 stuff. Inquiry-based learning, again, inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, 21st century skills and critical thinking. That's what Agenda 21 is for, 21st century, it's all related. That's about it. If you have any questions, you can call me at my house, I'll come to your house, I'll visit you, I'll sit down with you, I'll talk with you, and go to my website, the home audience, it's all out there. Thank you.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Dr. William Wood, 25 Bustle Road. I'm proud. I'm a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. But I support what you're saying in essence, not necessarily in truth, because I have no facts, as you've pointed out. I don't have facts on which this is this or that is that. But one of the things I do have facts on And which is, and this may be bothering, is it? I'll have to, excuse me, I'm using it a different way. And one of the things I do have facts on, freedom of speech. We all have a right to freedom of speech. It's something that is probably the only way I ever got to be a doctor is because of the freedom of speech issue. I don't care if you vote against me. I hope Councilor Marks and I will have coffee together tomorrow. I hope Councilor Penta and I have coffee tomorrow. But you're not gonna stop freedom of speech. And Joe McCarthyism, from my humble opinion, and I do read history a great deal, was against freedom of speech for members of a party I don't belong to, don't adhere to. But by God, we in the state of Massachusetts have accepted 10-year planning, 20-year planning. That's a communist idea. There are many ideas that come back and forth between communism, socialism, and capitalism. I can say, without a doubt, I am a capitalist. I've owned three businesses. None of them have gone out of business. One is still in business. I sold it. I've sold my businesses for profits. And I'm retired at a very early age, so I could do what I really wanted to do, hang around and look good. And that was it. And I did it. But while I was doing that, I was also reading and studying. And it got to me. The thing that Jimmy and I think the Area 21, all of them, are talking about is they're not having input, that so-called community input we're all talking about in different ways. I don't know what the answer is. I've looked at Jimmy's stuff. I've listened to Mr. Consular Penta, who I have a great deal of respect for, even though we argue a lot. I listened to him and I said, my God, if there's that much thing, it brought on a very interesting point that maybe many of you in the area, 21 people out here, don't know. Canada is threatening to leave the Cato agreement done in Japan. It was in Boston Globe this morning. So there are other people out there looking at some of these ideas that has been thrown out there by the UN. I know there are people who, friends of mine, by the way, they're theater people, who will not work for the UNICEF. I asked them why, and they have their reasons. I'm not going to go through all of them, but one of the most interesting reasons is, why am I working for UNICEF when I have 16 million children in this country going hungry every night? I can't answer that question. My heart bleeds. My heart feels sorry for them. But my heart also says, we have to be trained some way. MCAS is not the answer either. And those of you who want to fight me over it, I'll ask you to go back and read how many intelligence we've discovered in the last 30, 40 years. Right now we're up to 13 or 14. And the MCAS only approaches one of those types of intelligence. I don't know if this group, as Councilor Penta was talking about, was saying, that they are approaching it a different way. I really don't know that. And by the way, I have a master's in education too. I don't know if that's the right way or the wrong way. I do know we do have to keep the individual freedoms and the right for free speech. And I thank you for listening.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[Robert Cappucci]: All right. What do you want? What's your, uh, uh, Bob Capucci, 71 Evans street. I just want to make the point that this isn't a Republican or a Democrat issue. This is an American issue. There is a website, Dr. Wood, actually, www.DemocratsAgainstAgenda21. This isn't a partisan issue. But for full disclosure, I am a Republican, and I'm a candidate for a Republican State Committee. I just thought I'd plug that if that's okay with you. Thank you, thank you very much.
[Robert Penta]: Okay. Yes, Councilmember. There's a gentleman that I alluded, and I really didn't want to allude him, and his name is Thomas Sowell. Thomas Sowell is a very well-known, renowned, and respected gentleman, especially in the area of ethnic background and issues regarding ethnic backgrounds of certain individuals. And he wrote a column in the Jewish Review, it's a newspaper, and this is regarding the IB programming, and one of the parents of his students basically put it in a very different way for which he accepted. And this is what it says. It says, one of the parents, critical of the program, put it quite differently for which he supports. She said, quote, it promotes socialism, disarmament, racial environmentalism, and moral relativism in attempting to undermine Christian religious values and national sovereignty. Now, anyone? If you don't know anything about Thomas Sowell, read up on him. He's another one, Jim Moss. He's well known, he's well respected from Stanford University. Writes in the column, he's syndicated. This is not an attempt to scare anyone. As I said, I've spent all week on this. Trying to get my head revolved around the fact, if we get ourselves to the middle of the road in this, what is the value of the program if in fact, It is operating here in the city of Medford. Are they paying us for it? And what are the programs that are being taught under it? And if some of the programs or if any of these programs are being taught under it. that take away the individuality, the right of religion, the right of free speech is already in this program, because it's obvious, it's in 500 schools throughout the country, so that's not the point. And as a lot of these quotes from a lot of these folks will say in some of these schools, and I went into all 74 of the districts, and all 74 of those districts, the end results from the parents that met, they were sold a bill of goods, they really didn't check into it, they didn't really get into the whole thing, until the subject matter was taught. And this is where we're going. The subject matter has to be taught in the school system for someone to understand this is what it's all about. The philosophy has to be spread. It has to be taught. The kids have to bring it home before the parents finally get to it. You know, they're hitting, as I told you before, they're hitting the brightest children at their weakest time and age because they just don't really know how and where this government came from before it all started. So if they're being indoctrinated or entrenched with this type of philosophy, through education, not through politics, smart way to go to education, they're not going to know the true values that we talk about and they're not going to know the real values of why and what our veterans have died for over and through the years. You know, if we decide to become a world citizen and become that collaborative, become that collective and not become we as one, then we have basically lost this whole idea of why do we send our children to school. You know, I'm not a fan of corporate greed, and I think I have stated that on a couple of occasions when I have given my Memorial Day address. But the corporate greed that I'm talking about is how it maneuvers itself through Washington through the legislative process, not how it's taking America and making it a third world country, so to speak, by making it become global. And that's what's gonna happen. So, anyone who might be watching, if you just wanna send me some more information, I'd be happy to. What I would like to do, Mr. President and Councilors, I would like to call for a roll call, no, strike that, I want a roll call vote. I'd like to call for a joint meeting with our school committee. I'd like to announce it to any and all parents throughout the city of Medford that have children in the public school, whatever your concerns might be on any of these issues that have an IB attitude or an overview, to bring it, and let's address it, You know, I think even between and amongst ourselves, we're probably not gonna grasp some of these issues. What happened? Tree fell. We're not going to be able to grasp these issues right away, but then again, you might because some of these social studies issues are very succinct. But as I alluded to in the beginning, we do participate in a math program for which part of the money has come from the Commonwealth of Mass, part of a grant, and that in and of itself presents a concern because it's part of the national science. So with that being said, Mr. President, I'd like to move the question.
[SPEAKER_09]: Well, let me just stop you right there. Sure. I'm not going to vote for this until I understand what I'm voting on. If someone said it was 40 chapters with this area 51, I think, excuse me, you want agenda 21. So until I know exactly what I'm voting on and what this entails, I can't support a roll call vote meeting with anybody until I'm educated on it. Go ahead. Vice president Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: And if we could, I think we need, where's Larry? You know, the school committee is wonderful. I don't even know if they set the curriculum. Does the state set the curriculum in our schools? We need to talk about the curriculum. Because I've had more than one person tell me that they don't teach civics in the schools anymore. Kids don't even know our national story. They don't know our national myths. They don't know our basics of how our government works. So maybe we ought to be looking at that. As someone who worked in education and someone who particularly focused on curricula and courses of studies and assessing students for their worthiness for college, I understand some of these concepts and I certainly looked for basics and for students who got the things that build them into people capable with the capacity of doing college work. So I'm all for having a meeting on that type of thing, but we don't even have a resolution before us other than to discuss Agenda 21 and the baccalaureate program. So I don't know if, there's not even an agenda here. We need some language if we're gonna take a vote on anything. you know, we need to hear, we need to hear from administrators in the school system and what is, I'd like to know what's being taught in the schools if this is so alarming. And I'm the last person that, no, maybe, I wanna see what we're about as a nation be taught in the school. And I think it's worthy to look at other points of view in the academic process at some point when someone's ready for that. But are we doing the best for our students? If this is what the issue is about, because we spoke about a lot of things, but if it's all funneling down to what is the curriculum being taught in our schools, and if parents, I'm not aware of parents having a concern about their students being turned into socialists. Um, but, uh, I think we ought to look at this then. Um, obviously, uh, this type of agenda and if, if this is what the UN, I think it's a far cry from what Eleanor Roosevelt had in mind some 70 some odd years ago. Uh, if this is what we're getting at, but this is what, if we look at our friends in Europe, uh, and what's happened to them, In, uh, their efforts to, uh, have some sort of, uh, elimination of, of uniqueness, uh, to each nation. Um, uh, we only have to look at them to see the, uh, the ramifications of this. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you, Mr. President. I'm also not prepared to. to support any motion tonight other than, because we've been asked to look at a lot of different items tonight. You mentioned the 40 chapters, there's various video clips, and I'm wondering if it's appropriate to even ask the superintendent to come up here maybe next Tuesday and give his position on all of this.
[SPEAKER_09]: You can request anything. All right, Councilor Camuso.
[Paul Camuso]: Thank you, Mr. President. And I certainly agree with Councilor Arena, but I think that this is something that the people that live in this community put the school committee into office to discuss these very important issues, Mr. President. And the voters spoke a few weeks ago. on the school committee, and I think that they are the people that are tasked, excuse me, with setting the educational standards and curriculum for our children. And quite frankly, this issue is way over my head at this point, and Agenda 21, Area 51, I'm not about to take a vote on any of this this evening, because quite frankly, I just, I don't have enough grasp, and it's something that I don't feel comfortable, I don't think it's fair for any councilor to take a vote on anything they don't feel comfortable with at this point.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. Councilor Marks.
[Michael Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. From what I understand, Councilor Penter is looking to establish a joint meeting with the school committee, which would include the superintendent of schools, and I would assume the head of curriculum and headmasters and so forth. And then we can probably get some answers on what the curriculum is, what's being taught, and so forth. So I would support having a joint meeting. We actually have one of the newly elected school committee members in the audience, Aaron DiBenedetto, who I don't expect to get up to the podium, but is showing an interest by coming to our meeting tonight on this particular issue. And I believe that it would be worthwhile. None of us are gonna sit down and read 40 chapters. I can speak for myself. I'm not gonna sit down and read 40 chapters. So if I say let's postpone this until I'm done reading the 40 chapters and viewing the 60 minute video, it's never gonna happen. But I'd be more than happy, and I'm interested enough in this particular issue, to sit down with the school committee, listen what administrators have to say, listen what Mr. Belson has to say, the head of curriculum at the public schools, and then make an informed decision on which way. But I think to say we don't have enough information, you're correct in one aspect, but the other aspect, when are we gonna have enough? When are we all gonna get together and say, you know what, we have enough information, let's move forward on this issue. I only think a joint meeting would help us have a better understanding on what's being taught in the public schools. Maybe listening to parents that have concerns, as Councilor Penta mentioned. about what's being taught and so forth. And that's, speak on fact, not what we believe or what might be. But, you know, so I'm in favor of a joint meeting. We asked several months for a joint meeting regarding the high school pool. Has that ever happened? So, you know, there's a lot of things that we asked, you know, to get together with the school committee. And this, I think, is a worthy issue to discuss. And so I would support having a joint meeting with the administration and the school committee. Thank you.
[Robert Penta]: Uh, counsel Penta. Well, Mr. President, uh, first of all, before we got to the joint meeting, I would want that joint meeting to be prefaced by the fact of what a report back from the superintendent and his director of curriculum are, is the city of Medford officially or unofficially partaking in any of the UNIB programming and does the city of Medford participate in the receipt of any monies for many of these programs? And does in fact the city of Medford participate in a math program, That basically is part of the National Science Foundation and the TREC program. And if that's the case, Mr. President, you know, these are leading principals that are going to get this. So when we have our discussion with the superintendent and the school committee and the directors of curriculum, let me just say this to clear it up. You say you're not going to have a meeting because you don't have enough information. I've heard that before. When are you ever going to have enough information? The whole idea of bringing the information forward is to go to the next step. They'll have enough time to get their act together, whether the programming is taking place or isn't taking place. And I hear what you're saying, Councilor Camuso. It's a school committee issue if it was a school committee issue, but it's not. It's before this council. We vote on the entire budget, which also includes the school department. And if the school committee is not satisfactorily answering the questions of parents and taxpayers, and they have to broach councils with it, I being one of them, that I'm bringing it forward because this revolves not around the education, this revolves around the life of an individual who doesn't have a chance to grow up and understand, understand what and how this country got to where it is. He or she is being told that she globally has to become part of a conglomerate, a conglomerate, a collective whatever it might be. And she's losing that sense, or he's losing that sense of being the individual with a brain that God gave him to use. Not to share everything he has with people less fortunate because that's the guilt that this whole programming, if that's what it's all about, is trying to devise. It's not gonna take place overnight. it's gonna take place over a period of years. As I said, you may have spent 100 hours, I'm reading it, I have some concerns, some questions, but my real concern is if in fact we are to any degree, and Mrs. Benedetto, she's on there, and I'm glad she's here, and I compliment her for being here, because that's how serious she is about her job. Well then if there's a smidge of it taking place, then that's what's gotta go, the smidge that's in there. Because it doesn't speak well for the Medford public school system, if in fact it's in there. Now if it's not in there, and as Councilor Dello Russo has alluded to, I heard that we don't have civics anymore and this and that, we can get into this whole issue of what is being taught in behalf of the welfare and the education of the kids in our school. Why maybe is algebra gonna be taken away out of the eighth grade? I mean these are all quality courses to make kids become a better person. to become a better person in society for his life. In this country, in the United States of America, not in a third world nation, not to support some other underprivileged country that can't make it on its own, but the guilt trying to make we in this country pay for everyone else's either mistakes or inability to go forward because they haven't gotten to that point yet. And if we relegate ourselves to that position in life and to this world, we might as well hang up 234 years 43 years of what we were, because we won't even last another 25 years at the rate we're going. Thank you. Councilwoman, go current.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Thank you, President Mayeco. I mean, I kind of agree with all my colleagues. I feel like we don't have enough information to vote for or against getting rid of ICLEI, but I feel like we owe it to the people who are very passionate about the subject. People that have, I mean, I've gotten five or six emails without having even really talked about it. besides Mr. Cappuccio's presentation on the first of the month, I feel like getting answers, asking questions is what we need to do, and I'd like to get some answers. I mean, it was mentioned that cities and towns are paid up to $135,000 a year. What, if anything, is Medford paid? I don't think it's gonna hurt to ask these questions and get the answers. I'm sure it's gonna take a while for us to set up a meeting with all administration and school committee members, so in the meantime, Let's get some answers, let's figure it out. We also have the time to look through whatever of the 40 chapters we want to, watch some videos and try to get educated on the topic because it's also, it's obviously a very passionate issue of so many.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_05]: I just wanna make a point. Not one person on the school committee was on the technology committee. The list of names is there, I'll post it tomorrow. These people should be invited to participate in this joint meeting. They're the ones who came up with these plans. And I said two weeks ago, Council, we were trying to figure this out. On page 11 of the technology report, it says it's a done deal. There's an approved list of vendors. that it's already in place, that they've already been chosen. So that's what you want to do is you want to get, I'll tell you who you want to get. You want to get the city solicitor up here. I'd like to see Roy Belson on this committee and every person on the technology committee who came up with this plan. That's who should be on the committee. And remember, the school committee was not, there wasn't one school committee member. I think Bill Wood was alluding to the fact like when he was talking to you about, yeah, the commission's great, for transportation, but we'd like to see you people appointed, not the administration. There's a big difference who gets on that committee. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you. All right.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_15]: My name's Caroline Rosen. I live at 25 Bustle Road in Medford and I actually support the Councilors here tonight who would like to research this issue. a little bit more before making any kind of decision. There was something said here tonight around the McCarthy era. I actually grew up as a child during the McCarthy era. I grew up in a liberal family with a Jewish father. And it wasn't a pleasant time to live in that era as a liberal Jew. And there were many writers and artists in America that were blacklisted at that time. And we often like to revisit history in this country, which is an educational issue. There were many people hurt during that era. And I would like to say around this topic, I researched it myself today because I found it very interesting, and I could see both sides' point of view. But we're living in a time and an era where people are hurting economically. I just come back from my home state in Ohio, and it looks like a city out of the Great Depression. We're very lucky here in Massachusetts in many ways, but we have to be very cautious about how we handle these kind of issues. And McCarthyism was one of those issues where we should ask ourselves, when did we know we were into a red witch hunt? When did we know that we were fighting our very own principles of individualism and free speech? And I'm asking you tonight to be very cautious. I understand the argument of socialism. I understand the argument of communism. And I understand the argument of capitalism. And I also understand the Occupy Wall Streeters, and I understand the issues of the Tea Party, because a common ground they have is that the individual voice in this country has been suppressed by a government that very rarely listens. And that's something you should take note of as you sit here, because that was an issue before the election, as to whether you were actually listening to the citizens of this city. Now, I don't want us going off into a witch hunt about socialism, because the issue is really around social equity, disclosure, and transparency in government. And that's why I encourage you to research this issue. Find out what the real points are. Because I saw a program that talked about critical thinking skills and developing essays, but I also saw a program that was focused on science and technology and math. but not particularly on interdisciplinary studies around humanistic issues. On the other side, I can see that we could set up indoctrination programs, and we have to be aware of those, because McCarthyism was also an indoctrination. When did we know it was happening, and when did we decide to stop it? There's a balance that we have to weigh in this country. and people look to you in this city as elected officials to make sure that balance happens in social equity and justice and that we don't run off on theories that we haven't had time to research. So I would say to the young man that came up and talked about that McCarthy was right, well maybe you should have lived during the era of my family who had a brief touch of McCarthyism in my own family. And the artists like Dalton Trumbo, who wrote a great movie called Spartacus, but couldn't use his real name, talking about individual justice and not economic slavery. But he couldn't use his real name because he was blacklisted for a number of years. So let's be very cautious as we talk about these issues. Because the question is, when do we really realize when we walk into oppression? And when do we really realize when we're actually asking critical questions? And where do we find that balance? Thank you very much.
[Robert Cappucci]: What is it? Go ahead. Bob Capucci, 71 Evans Street. Nobody's advocating a witch hunt. Nobody's advocating to attack on anybody's infringements of rights of free speech or anything like that. I came to this issue based on fact, based on looking at the empirical data and then researching it beyond that. The offshoots of McCarthyism, which is which is, which is, it's, I'm sorry, but it's fear mongering. I understand that people suffered and The facts of the matter are, though, that the things Joe McCarty was saying were later proven in 1995 by the very people he was saying them against. They came out with something called the Venona Papers, V-E-N-O-A-N-A. We're not gonna get into this.
[SPEAKER_09]: Everybody's made their point, thank you. I just don't want. Thank you, you made your point. Sir, sir. No sir, thank you, you made your point. All right, on the motion of counsel Penta. We've been going, excuse me, I'll preside in the meeting. All right? You're welcome. Go ahead. You name an address for the record.
[L7QFU4RDE4Q_SPEAKER_00]: Marie Masi, 06 Cudworth Street, Medford, Mass. I just want to say that I'm just somebody that happened to see Mr. Cappuccio speak that night at the city council when he brought up this 21. And just as a resident of the city of Medford, It made me concerned. I felt like I'm sitting there hearing something that seems so crazy and impossible. But he did present pretty good facts. And I'm sitting here tonight, and I'm listening to Councilman Penter talk about information that he got facts on. Jim Morse took time to put a lot of information together. And I'm very busy, and I really didn't have the time to sit there and watch the 60 minutes and the different things. But I did try to read through. And like all of you and many other people, it's perplexing. But there seems to be something here that I hope each and every one of you take serious and really listen to the people that have put so much time into this, as Ms. Dipenta did, trying to find some further information that makes me, a resident of the city of Medford, thanking God I don't have any kids that I even have to worry about in the school system, whether it be public or private. Because this is sad. And I think that, as Councilman Penter said, we have to think about what everybody has always died for us to have in America. And I hope that each and every one of you take what was presented tonight and originally by Mr. Cappuccio seriously and really look into this. Because if something is happening in the city of Medford, then we should do something to stop it from happening and stop it from educating the children in Medford not the way we want to see them become people of the United States. Thank you, Mr. Penter.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_16]: Hi. I'm Jean Avalani. This is my daughter, Marina Avalani. We live at 10 Daily Road in Medford. Sorry, we're at 10 Daly Road in Medford, and I was actually watching tonight's meeting, and I wanted to come up here and, you know, with my daughter and basically say that it is a concern of mine, sorry, in the city of Medford, to have the best education for my daughter.
[SPEAKER_15]: And I am concerned, sorry, oh my God. just to make sure that she does have the best education and isn't led into the wrong way. So please take your time to make this decision and think of, you know, the kids. Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying. But take your time and make the right decision with keeping, I know you guys do, but keep the kids in mind, because again, I just want the best for my daughter. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: We will.
[SPEAKER_15]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion, the table, the paper, that is undebatable. All those in favor? All those? Roll call has been requested. The table, the paper.
[sEpbONopS5E_SPEAKER_03]: Yes, on a vote of three in the affirmative, four in the negative, the paper is paper, in the affirmative, the paper is table.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion, the councilor repent of special rules. All those in favor, all those opposed, suspension is granted. All right. Offered by council. Come on. So be resolved that the electrical department look into replacing the crossing signal in front of five high street in the interest of public safety council. Come on. So
[Paul Camuso]: Thank you, Mr. President. In the heart of Medford Square, one of the cross signals that indicate for the elderly and seniors and anyone traversing the square is out and should be fixed, especially where it's the heart of our community. So, move approval.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion of approval, all those in favor, all those opposed, paper is approved. All right. Also on suspension off by President Mayorko, be it resolved that the Medford City Council congratulate Pastor Kevin Toomey of St. Rayfield Parish and Father Richard Meem of Immaculate Conception Parish on being selected to study in Rome at the North American College Institute's Theological Studies Spring Program beginning January 30th, 2012 and ending April 17th, 2012. This is a terrific honor for two of our hometown pastors, priests, Father Kevin and Father Meem. In the Ashtiosis is a program that offers only two priests in each program in the spring semester, a sabbatical for theological studies, and Father Toomey and, Pastor Toomey and Father Meem were selected, and we want to congratulate this outstanding program. Vice President Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes, I want to add my congratulations to them. Not only will they receive wonderful refreshment in the areas of theology and scripture, et cetera, but I'm sure they will not have one bad meal.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion of Vice President De La Rosa for approval, all those in favor? All those opposed? The paper is approved. Moved by Councilor Penta, be it resolved the Medford High School football team and high school band and cheerleaders be congratulated for their teamwork this year. Councilor Penta.
[Robert Penta]: Mr. President, once again, for 58 years, I have the opportunity. to go and watch the Medford High School game on Thanksgiving Day. The boys did a great job, the band did a great job when they were allowed to play, and the cheerleaders did a great job when they were heard, or seen, let's put it that way. It's just unfortunate that it's the game of the year that everybody waits for. The boys had a great year. They worked their hearts out. Didn't make any difference whether you won or you lost. It's Thanksgiving Day. It's a teenage game. It's a game for kids. It's a high school game. It's not a game for the Patriots or professional football. And the sad part about the whole thing, Mr. President, a band who waits all year long to play a big game of the year, never have the opportunity to play. They were drowned out by some crazy music that kept playing over and over and over again during the course of the game. And it just really made no sense at all. And I think it was just a complete insult to the whole football day activity. The kids worked their hearts out to play, tried to win. The band waited for this day to make sure that they have that opportunity to do at least their halftime presentation, completely drowned out. The only time you actually heard them was at the end of the fourth quarter. And then the cheerleaders, it's unfortunate, Mr. President, everything that you would normally go to see on Thanksgiving Day just didn't make it. I don't know who's responsible, who's in charge, but I would hope the message goes back loud and clear that this does not happen next year. This is a game for the kids. This is not about professional football and acting and playing like it and playing the same music they play in Foxborough. Who cares about that? This is a kid's game and it's the game of the year that everybody waits to go for and to see and watch. But let me underscore all of that by saying they played their hearts out this year. It's just, Maybe it's just a tough business being in football, a lot like it was years ago, but it's neither here or there. The coach and the team did a great job, the cheerleaders did a great job, and the band, they did a great job under the circumstances. But putting that aside, Mr. President, I would expect that something is done and this does not happen again because it just took away from the whole The whole excitement of the day, waiting for the halftime, waiting for the band to play, waiting to see the cheerleaders and do what they do. And they were just drowned out by that crazy, stupid music. That's no other way to explain it, because that's what it was.
[SPEAKER_09]: If I may, from the chair, this is one issue I agree with you 100%. I was there. I was disappointed that the band did not play, as you mentioned. I hope it doesn't happen again. And the appropriate action takes place next year that that will not happen. On the motion to Councilor Penta for approval. On that motion?
[Paul Camuso]: Yes. Councilor Camuso. Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to just echo the sentiments of Councilor Penta. I had the opportunity a couple days before Thanksgiving, I was invited to speak to the team, myself and some former players. And it really was just a privilege, Mr. President, because it's not just the winning and losing. And as I said to the young men that evening, When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to play in hockey and football. In hockey, we were actually one of the better teams in the GBL and made the tournament every year. And in football, we lost just about every game, minus maybe one or two. But the camaraderie and the brotherhood and the teamwork, it just developed more on the football field for whatever reason than it did during the winning hockey season, Mr. President. And like I said to those young men, the city of Medford is proud of them. The city of Medford is proud of the hard work and dedication that they've put into it. This city is moving forward on a new turf field for them. It reminded them that this is the last time they're gonna play a Thanksgiving Day game on grass and moving forward in that basically, Mr. President, they went out there, they left everything they had on the field. The 16 seniors are moving on and they have nothing to be ashamed of, Mr. President. They worked hard. They worked hard. As far as the band, that was something I didn't even pick up on, but, uh, Mr, uh, Mr. Councilor is a hundred percent correct. The band is just as big as part of that day as everything else. So, uh, in the future, I would hope that this doesn't happen.
[Robert Penta]: You know, they have a, they have a band director too. And you just jog my memory. You go and you have the dinner the night before these kids get all prepped up. The band gets all excited. How does this happen? And then when you go to find out and you ask the question as you were there, nobody know who everybody was blaming everyone else for doing whatever it was. There was absolutely no coordination on that football game for how the activities were supposed to take place. It's a shame. It really is a shame.
[SPEAKER_09]: The place was packed on the motion of Councilor Penta for approval. All those in favor of all those opposed papers approved also on a suspension off by Councilor Penta be resolved. Yeah, resolved. Then the same spirit of resolving the Winthrop street and George three safety issue The same sense of resolution be exerted to resolve the non blinking lights at the Winthrop Street and Boston Avenue intersection that had been non-functional for over a year.
[Robert Penta]: Mr. President, I had the opportunity this morning to watch a Medford policeman on detail for almost two hours, walk every single person with the baby carriage, student, person going to the hillside, hardware, anyone trying to walk across that street, because the blinking lights weren't working. The big one wasn't working, the one right there at the corner of Boston Avenue and Winthrop Street. A lady came into the store, the policeman brought her over to me, he says, there's the Councilor, you tell him. She told me she called that guy's office over that hall over a year ago. Nobody has ever done anything about it. She's just thoroughly disgusted with state government. Strike that, with city government. And she says, but you know, the policeman was very nice. He brought me over. And she seemed like a very nice person. This, again, It's an issue, Mr. President, that should be resolved tomorrow morning. The same way they took care of Winthrop Street in George Street, they should go right up there. You've been up there. You've seen it in the past. You've got speeding cars up there. You have people driving through red lights. You have people that don't park eight feet away from the intersection. You have traffic lights that don't work. You have streets that don't get striped. So, Mr. President, if this is just part of this collective activity, the council can do, I think tomorrow morning, the mayor should go up there post haste and fix that light. Fix those lights, that four-way intersection. Because you can't have a policeman there every day directing traffic, he just happened to be there because of a detail. And he should be complimented. He walked every single person. He didn't stop the cars, he walked them from one side of the street to the other. Get the name of the police officer? No, I don't want to embarrass him because he knows who he is. I told him I wouldn't do that. He should just be complimented, and he was for doing his job, period, that's what he said.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion of Councilor Penta for approval. All those in favor. All those opposed. The paper is approved. Next Tuesday evening, whenever committee, the whole meeting, it should have been distributed, but apparently, uh, with Mr. Finn out today, uh, personal reasons, it wasn't, uh, for the, um, tech, uh, fiscal 2012 tax classification hearing, which will be held in the 13th. And next week we'll have a committee, the whole with the information, the council can discuss why we're on suspension. Would you like to speak?
[gvpawZbv1GQ_SPEAKER_22]: John Byers, 25 Brooks Park. I just have a commentary I'd like to make regarding the past elections. Now, everyone in this auditorium knows that I ran for mayor. I've been approached by about three dozen people since the elections. Evidently, there was a scurrilous rumor going around that because I decided to run, I crossed the city. to have a primary election and cost the city $70,000. I want to make it public to citizens of Medford and anyone who believes this, that back in August when we had the drawing for ballot positions, I was then approached by Stephanie Muccini-Burke, the mayor's representative, to sign on a piece of paper to request that the city of Medford not have a primary and it was going to be signed by the mayor, myself, and hopefully the third member, the third candidate, Tony D'Antonio. Now Tony has his reasons to why he did not want to sign on to it. I was more than willing to save the city the money. I signed on to that, the mayor signed on to that. The paper never came to be because Tony refused to sign on it. I don't want anyone to think that I'm throwing Mr. D'Antonio under the bus. I just feel that the people of Medford need to know that I did not want to have a primary. I felt happy with going into the generals. Anyone who wants to contact me can contact me at my email at TSW94. I will be more than happy to talk to you about it, but I just feel that I'm being made to look like the bad guy because we had to have a primary, and that's not the case. Thank you very much.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Yes, Vice President Dello Russo. Just by way of commentary on the last remark, I think, and I hope it's, I was aware of that, and I hope it's well known throughout the community that John Byers always tries to do the right thing. Very good.
[SPEAKER_09]: Right, yes, Councilor Panto.
[Robert Penta]: I know you're calling for Committee of the Whole meeting next Tuesday, but I think we really need to have a committee meeting on the school technology part of it because we are a part of that component to give our opinions and to forward them before any finalization comes in that. So I would hope that you call it within the next two weeks.
[SPEAKER_09]: Yes, yes, Councilor Marks.
[Paul Camuso]: I would just, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that, but I would like to see the paper that the school committee approved come before us so that we know what they're at least.
[SPEAKER_09]: That paper's on the table, by the way.
[Paul Camuso]: But we don't have the official request for a funding mechanism at this point.
[Robert Penta]: No, no, no. I believe if we, you were there at the mayor's press conference, he said he was going to be waiting to get input from the community, from the school committee and the city council, and then once he has all that together, then he would be making his recommendation.
[SPEAKER_09]: Yes, but the school, that paper 2011-706 is on the table.
[Robert Penta]: Well, take it from the table, then. Move to take it from the table.
[SPEAKER_09]: On the motion of Councilor Pentland, take it from the table. All those in favor? All those opposed? 2011-706, that's a technology upgrade paper.
[Robert Penta]: So keeping in concert, Mr. President, with the mayor's request that the school committee, the council, the technology committee, and any other citizen, quote, any other citizen who wants to give their input, I just think we should. The mayor's requested this meeting? The mayor stated in his press release on a Friday afternoon, the ones that only certain councils were invited to, that he would be making a request for $2 million at some point in time in the future. But that would be subject to change upon review by the school committee, the city council, the technology committee, and any citizen or group of citizens who want to give input. So I believe the city council has an opportunity to give its input.
[SPEAKER_09]: Yes, Councilor, Vice President Dello Russo.
[Fred Dello Russo]: I want Councilor Pence to give his input, but we don't have, I don't think we have. You have the report. I understood also that in that context that there was further revision to the plan forthcoming. So until we have further revision.
[Robert Penta]: You have the report. You have the report that was given to each councilor, and take that report and add a subtract to it. That's what the revision's going to be.
[Fred Dello Russo]: All right, then perhaps we ought to put, now that we have that report, perhaps we ought to plan on discussing it at a point.
[Robert Penta]: In two weeks.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President. Well then, let's do it in the Committee of the Whole in two weeks.
[SPEAKER_09]: That's what I just said. If you want to refer the paper to the Committee of the Whole, then it's up to the council. Motion to refer it to Committee of the Whole. Motion of Vice President Dello Russo, referred to Committee of the Whole, Vice President, yes, Councilor Camuso.
[Paul Camuso]: At this point, at least I'm just one member of this council, I am going to my stance is waiting for the school committee to get it. At that point, we can go as citizens, if we'd like, put our input in there, and then we'll officially see the request for funding at some point. But to try to dictate to the school committee what we feel should be cut out and this and that at this juncture, I just think is going backwards. But like I said, I'm just one member, and I look forward to the proposal. By the same token, Any project that ever came, a bond proposal before, Mr. President, whether it was the new schools, whether it was the roof for the schools, whether it was the improvement to the lockers a few years ago, it's always the school committee requesting it from the council what their priorities are. And at that point we can say, hey, we think that the money could be better spent somewhere else.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you.
[Paul Camuso]: If that was the case. On the motion.
[SPEAKER_09]: On that motion.
[Fred Dello Russo]: Mr. President, the motion to send to the committee of the whole. Yes. in two weeks. Two weeks.
[SPEAKER_09]: Move the issue.
[Robert Penta]: Mr. President?
[SPEAKER_09]: Yes, on the motion.
[Robert Penta]: Mayor, as quoted from the day the press release took place, Mayor McGlynn said the plan is subject to change based upon public input and the approval of the school committee and the city council. The technology upgrade should begin before the school year is over and is considered phase one of the upgrade. What we're talking about is what's in this report. It's a voluminous report.
[SPEAKER_09]: I've read the report. Pardon me? I've read both reports.
[Robert Penta]: I've read both reports too. The paper to go to the Committee of the Whole is for what purpose? The purpose to discuss, discuss that which is before us. If in fact we are going to accept any part of it to discuss, are we going to, listen, are you going to wait for someone to turn around and say, okay. I'm asking you a question. I'm giving you an answer. Will you wait a minute? What is it with you tonight? No, it's what's with you. Calm down. There's nothing wrong with me. Just give me an answer. Yeah, your answer's very simple. Are we gonna discuss refurbished computers or new furthers? Are we gonna talk about leasing them or are we gonna talk about buying them? That's what's in the report. And once the city council gives this recommendation, once the school committee gives this recommendation, once the technology committee gives this recommendation, then the mayor will give his recommendation.
[Fred Dello Russo]: May we also add to that motion, my motion, that we invite the chair of the technology committee to be present. Invite all the members. Who's that? Let's have all of them then. Invite all the members of the technology committee. 75 people in that little smelly room.
[Paul Camuso]: Mr. President, are we going to be talking about the, I believe it's an $8 million proposal or the $2 million proposal that the mayor talked about phase one? I mean, this is where we're getting, we don't want to give the children of Medford false hopes that we're looking at doing 8 million if the school committee is only going to give us a request for two or three. So the, as Councilor Penter very eloquently alluded to the press release in the mayor's own words. It was going to be public input, which I believe was done or is about to be done. There was a meeting either scheduled or scheduled to be done. And then the mayor went on to say it still needs the approval of the school committee, according to what the councilor just read, and the approval of the city council.
[Robert Penta]: But you can't give approvals, Councilor. This isn't just coming up with money for a bond. This is coming up with, number one, you're going to do the infrastructure first. And I would assume as a group of level-headed individuals, we'd be looking at the proposal and indicate, well, if we go to the infrastructure, we'll do the infrastructure for us, because you have to have that before you go forward. And then if the next phase, excuse me, if the next phase is, are we gonna buy new or used, and let's make that decision, and then however you get to that decision, are you gonna have the one-for-one programming? And if you're gonna have the one-for-one program, is it gonna be in the lab, or is it gonna be in a cart that takes it away from one class to another the next day that has the same one-for-one programming? And we can go on and on and on. Are we gonna go out and seek outside vendors, or are we gonna take the ones that are already in the proposal? If you read it and you have it all broken down, you'd have your, all your questions ready to go. And at least we'd have some kind of uniform way of going. Then the mayor can do whatever he wants for 2 million, 3 million, $4 million and plug it in. You see where it goes. My suggestion is, is there a chairperson of this committee? Yes.
[SPEAKER_09]: That he'd be in bio. She'd be invited to come to the meeting. If in fact, we're going to discuss this intelligently. Huh?
[Paul Camuso]: And Mr. President, I just have always been a big advocate of the citizens. It has spoken. They elect the school committee that are ready, willing, and able to serve. They're the people that are put in the role to make decisions.
[Robert Penta]: So like I said, I just don't want to step on their toes. We also have, Mr. President, another part of this component. And the other part of this component, while we're talking about the school department, the resolution entails entirely the entire community. It talks about municipal building, the police, and the fire, and the school department. So if we're going to do it, we're not going to piecemeal it. Let's find out where in this wonderful world of a mind that the mayor has how he figures to put this all together. That's all. If we're going to talk about it, let's talk about the big picture, not the small little picture.
[SPEAKER_09]: Well, so we have a quarterback, if I may. If we have a quarterback, the gentleman or the person who's the chairman of this committee.
[Robert Penta]: There's no chairman listed by name. It's just 24 members. So no one's identified as a chairperson.
[SPEAKER_09]: Then who is the consultant? Edge tech, I think.
[Robert Penta]: Well, he's the first name on there.
[SPEAKER_09]: Well, the consultant, whoever the person is or people.
[Robert Penta]: Mr. President?
[SPEAKER_09]: Vice President, yes. Councilor Lungo-Koehn.
[Breanna Lungo-Koehn]: Just briefly, thank you, President Mayako. I think it's necessary that we meet, that we all review this and meet on it, give our input, discuss it in its entirety, because ultimately the buck stops here. It's been said by many councilors before, and I think we need to get a grasp on it and speak. The seven of us need to get together and really review it and go through our concerns and give our recommendations.
[SPEAKER_09]: inviting the appropriate parties that certainly can give us the input. On that motion, all those in favor? Yes, Vice President Dello Russo?
[Fred Dello Russo]: May I, with all deference to Madam Clerk, amend my motion to include an invitation to the mayor?
[SPEAKER_09]: Sure. By the way, Madam Clerk is Madam Dennehy that's taking place of Edward Finn this evening, the assistant clerk. On the motion as amended all those in favor all those opposed papers approved as amended Records of the meeting of November 22nd were passed to counsel marks now some marks have you reviewed the minutes? Mr. President I reviewed the records find them to be in order move approval on the motion approval by my Councilor Marks all those in favor all those opposed Those minutes are approved on motion of Councilor Marks this meeting be adjourned all those in favor all those opposed meeting adjourned
|
total time: 10.02 minutes total words: 574  |
total time: 12.09 minutes total words: 366  |
total time: 6.54 minutes total words: 615  |
total time: 4.42 minutes total words: 211  |
|
total time: 39.45 minutes total words: 1669  |
total time: 8.61 minutes total words: 400  |
||