I hope you’re staying warm and covering every bit of skin if you go outside – I had gloves on this morning and still felt like I got frostbite!

Please note that snow-emergency parking rules will take effect Saturday evening to prepare for a big snowstorm on Sunday. More info from the City:

The largest snowstorm in a number of years is forecast for Quincy this weekend. Snow-emergency parking rules will be in place in neighborhoods beginning the night before the storm is expected – 6 pm, Saturday, January 24, 2026 – to assist in preparations and facilitate adherence to parking rules.

Trash collection is postponed on Monday, January 26, and will follow a citywide one-day delay for the rest of the week similar to a holiday schedule.

Residents may park on the ODD numbered side of non-emergency neighborhood streets keeping 20 feet from intersections, but should always park in driveways if available.

Parking is prohibited on all designated emergency arteries, although enforcement in business districts will be limited until Sunday evening.

Residents on side streets posted permanently as one-side parking should park on the side always allowed.

Cars parked in violation of emergency rules or impede snow plowing operations pose a public safety risk, and WILL BE TOWED. Regardless of parking rules, vehicles determined to be in obstruction of snow removal or emergency vehicles are subject to towing if not moved.

For updates and emergency notices, please tune to Quincy Access Television; visit quincyma.gov and follow the City of Quincy’s Facebook or Instagram Pages. For assistance, residents can use the City’s snow request application at snowhotline@quincyma.gov or call the DPW's 24-hour snow operation hotline at (617) 376-1927.

In case of power loss, residents should call National Grid at 1-800-465-1212 or visit their outage page. Coastal flooding issues are currently not forecast as part of this storm.

The last week has been busy!

Resident council kickoff

On Sunday, about 45 folks came to the main library for our first meeting about “resident councils.” These are intended to be groups of people from any part of the city who want to advise the city council about their neighborhoods or specific issues. The idea is that I will help connect people who sign up on this form, then they will work in their group(s) with others, and then the groups can present their research to the council during public comment periods (more on that below!).

At the library, we sat in a big circle, did a quick round of warm-up motions (pictured), took a few minutes to find someone we didn’t know and find the weirdest thing we had in common, and then broke into groups to come up with ideas for things we’d like to see in the city. Some ideas discussed included a senior center in Wollaston, requiring developers to include some affordable housing units in their buildings instead of allowing them to pay into a housing fund, and Chinese and Vietnamese classes for English speakers so we can communicate better with some of our neighbors (local organizations offer English classes already; maybe they could also offer other languages!).

Everyone was a wonderful sport and came with open minds and generous spirits. We had some current and former elected officials: former Ward 5 Councilor Chuck Phelan, former School Committee member Jo-Ann Bragg, and current councilors Ziqiang Susan Yuan, Walter Hubley, and David Jacobs. The city’s community liaison, Damion Outar, attended, as did Chinese translator Wincy Wu from Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (thank you!).

One attendee, John, kindly offered to be an administrator for an online platform (think Slack, Discord, Teams, etc.) where resident councilors can share thoughts and documents. I’ll meet with him this coming week to discuss the pros and cons of each platform, and after he’s set up the one we choose, folks will be invited to join and can sign up for a training session if they need some technical help. In the meantime, if you haven’t signed up for a resident council but want to, please fill out this form.

*Yours truly leading resident councilors in some silly warm-up exercises*

First council meeting

Tuesday was our first working council meeting, and I expected it to be short and sweet, since anything of substance was simply going to be voted into a committee for future study and discussion. But before the clerk had even finished reading out an agenda item proposing a new council rule to start every council meeting with 20 minutes of public comment (3 min/resident), At-Large Councilor Noel DiBona shouted, “I object!” He did that four more times, when agenda items recommending redos on the mayor’s and council’s raises were being read out. He did not explain himself, and despite the fact that he objected to items that we just wanted to send to committee, the city clerk said his objection meant we could not even do that until the following council meeting. (She read out council rule 23b, which states: “Any ordinance, order or resolution may be passed through all its stages of legislation at one session, provided that no member of the Council objects thereto; but if any member of the Council objects, the measure shall be postponed for that meeting. Rule twenty-three cannot be suspended.” Some of us pointed out that we were not trying to pass the items through “all stages” of legislation – introduction, discussion, and a final vote by the full council – that night, but the clerk said the rule could be used. And in the shock of it all, we didn’t remember that the parliamentarian – the clerk – does not make rulings but simply offers advice, and it is the council president who rules on that advice. We’ve certainly learned a lot about parliamentary procedure this week!)

Other councilor activities

This week I also had a nice preliminary conversation with a constituent who wants to help the city and our resident councils become more accessible to those with disabilities. It was a great conversation I’m very grateful for, and I look forward to more!

I also met with the chief of police, who graciously took me on a tour of the new public safety building (he showed me some rooms we could potentially use for community meetings, pictured below) and answered some of my questions about Flock cameras (information and policy here) and ICE (the Quincy Police Department does not cooperate with ICE except when it arrests people for serious/violent crimes, per state law; unfortunately it also can’t do much if ICE comes to town, even if ICE breaks the law). If anyone does see ICE or other federal agents in Quincy, please do not make any physical contact with them. Here is legal guidance from the Attorney General’s office, and here are some slides on how to protect our neighbors.

Meeting room with four rows of tables, each with 12 chairs. There are screens at the front of the room and large windows on the side of the room. This is a community room at the new public safety building on Sea Street — *This room at the new public safety headquarters on Sea Street can be used for community meetings*

Yesterday, I and many other councilors and government employees from Quincy and across the state attended the Massachusetts Municipal Association annual conference. Some of us heard an interesting talk about the dignity index, a gauge to determine whether disagreements are met with respect or contempt, and ways to move conversations towards the dignity end of that spectrum. I also attended talks on municipal law and housing supply and chatted briefly with councilors from other cities. I took home a lot of questions and ideas and will try to set aside time each week to work through the resources provided.

Yesterday I also attended the funeral mass for Arthur and Shirley Tobin, former mayor and first lady of Quincy. I never met them in person, but the eulogy from one of their sons made me wish I had. During the campaign, I was lucky enough to meet one of their daughters, Tracey, a warm-hearted soul who lives in ward 5 and is herself a former first lady (her husband is former mayor Bill Phelan). When we met months ago, she spoke of her parents with so much love and admiration. May the Tobins’ memory be a blessing to all who knew them.

Upcoming events

Saturday, Jan. 24, 6 pm: Emergency parking rules in effect. Anyone who needs a warm place to come in from the cold can go to the main library (40 Washington St) or Father Bill’s (39 Broad Street). Apply for home energy assistance through QCAP.
Monday, Jan. 26 and beyond: Quincy Public Schools will notify families and staff of school closures through the School Messenger system. Text "Yes" to 67587 to opt in to receiving text messages. (If schools are closed, all after-school activities, including athletics events and practices, are cancelled. Information will be posted on the Quincy Public Schools website and on our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. The City of Quincy will also post regular updates at quincyma.gov.)
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2 – 4 pm @ Thomas Crane Library Community Room (40 Washington St, lower level): Screening of celebrated “Inundation District” documentary, featuring Q&A with Pulitzer prizewinning filmmaker David Abel and climate experts.
Monday, Feb. 2, 6:30 pm @ Old City Hall, second floor. City council meeting. (Agenda to appear online the preceding Thursday.)
Friday, Feb. 6, 6 – 8:30 pm @ The Fours (15 Cottage Avenue): Quincy Votes! Fundraiser. Featured speakers include State Senator John Keenan, Dr. Kimberly Dong of Tufts University, and Quincy Votes! President Liz Speakman.
Monday, Feb. 9, 7 pm @ Quincy High School (100 Coddington Street): State of the City Address by Mayor Koch. Reception to follow.