Council meeting rundown & coming events
On Monday, we had our full council meeting, preceded by two committee meetings. Here’s what happened:
Open forum: We added a regular open forum opportunity for folks to publicly address the council at every meeting. Interested folks can sign up on a sheet near the podium, then take turns speaking for up to three minutes each, for a total time of 20 minutes. Quincy residents will be given first priority; the open forum will end early if no one shows up to speak after five minutes; and the council can vote to extend the total open forum time. This rule change now puts Quincy in line with similar Massachusetts cities, most of which offer opportunities for public comment at every council meeting.
Auditor powers: The ordinance committee voted unanimously to support restoring the city auditor’s oversight powers, which had been transferred to the city’s chief financial officer nearly 20 years ago. The change would not take power away from the city CFO, who reports to the mayor – it would merely add oversight power to the city auditor, who reports to the city council. The hope is that this change could protect taxpayers by allowing another set of eyes to look for potential red flags in expenditures. The order will now go before the full council at a future meeting for a final vote.
Snow protocols: City officials led by Public Works Commissioner Al Grazioso gave a detailed presentation of their response to recent snowstorms. Watch the presentation here. Councilors thanked employees for their hard work, asked questions, and made some suggestions for the future. Commissioner Grazioso suggested that residents could help prevent flooding in the coming weeks by ensuring that their neighborhood storm drains are cleared of snow and debris. (Not discussed in the presentation but something I found out recently: Space savers (cones, chairs, etc.) are considered trash by the city and will be thrown away. Also, the snow-emergency parking rules are lifted!)
Loan for firefighter gear: The mayor requested that the council approve his request to borrow $2.6 million for new firefighter gear. The council voted unanimously to send the request to the finance and oversight committees, which will discuss the proposal on March 16. Before Monday’s meeting, there was a lot of misinformation online about the council “stalling” on this request – even though the request had not yet been made and even though state law and our city charter require that any loan request be advertised in a newspaper for 10 days before a vote. As a result, I made these remarks at the meeting. The next day, the mayor said on QATV that he never expected the council to vote on the loan that night. A gentle reminder: please take all online commentary with a warehouseful of salt!
Historic preservation: The mayor, acting on the recommendation of the Community Preservation Committee, requested $325,000 in community preservation funds to be used to paint and do repairs on the Dorothy Quincy Homestead at 34 Butler Road. Councilor Jacobs made a motion to table (postpone) voting on this request until he can find out if the state, which owns the property, can contribute any or all of the money, and the rest of the council agreed.
Board appointments: The mayor requested that the council approve the reappointment of two members to the Quincy Housing Authority Board, the policy-setting arm of the authority, which runs low-income housing developments in the city. The city council received no information about the nominees so tabled the requests. (The housing authority board is organized so that members serve until their replacements are named, so the board’s makeup will continue as is, per the mayor’s chief of staff.)
Financial oversight: Councilor Riley put forward two resolutions that had been submitted by members of previous councils but never got public presentations: (1) a request for how federal COVID funds were spent, and (2) a request for information about how the retirement board lost $3.5 million to a phishing scheme in 2021 and any lessons learned from the loss. The finance and oversight committees will request those presentations in the future.
Donation accepted: The council voted to accept a $2,000 donation from Manet Construction to the D.A.R.E. drug-abuse-prevention program.
Upcoming events and reminders
Coming weeks: Fill out and mail back your city census!
Coming weeks: If you want to learn more about urban planning and how to help shape it locally, apply for a free series of four classes that meet Thursday evenings beginning March 26. Sponsored by the Asian Community Development Corporation.
Sunday, March 8, 2 am: Clocks spring forward one hour! 🕑🔂
Tuesday, March 10:
4 pm: License board hearing CANCELED
5 pm: Commission on Disabilities (Zoom)
6 pm: Zoning Board of Appeals (First floor, Old City Hall)
Wednesday, March 11, 6 pm @ Old City Hall, first floor (1305 Hancock Street): Planning Board meeting. Please note that two items on the agenda are in Ward 5: a seven-unit building proposed for 4 South Street and a battery storage system proposed for 475 Hancock Street. I have heard from the company proposing the battery system that it will request a continuance for another month so will not be presenting at this meeting.
Thursday, March 12, 7 am – 3:15 pm @ 440 East Squantum Street: Dana Farber’s Mammography Van on site. Pre-register for a mammogram in the van (insurance required) by calling 617-632-1974 or emailing mammo_van@dfci.harvard.edu. A mammogram saved my life – anyone 40 or over should consider taking advantage of this local opportunity for a screening!
Thursday, March 12, 7 pm @ Main library, bottom-floor meeting room (40 Washington Street): “Community Trees of Quincy” talk sponsored by the Quincy Tree Alliance.
Before March 15: Free Trees for Kids registration. Kids (or their caretakers) can register for a free tree, through a partnership between the library, Neighborhood Forest, and the Quincy Tree Alliance.
Monday, March 16, 6 pm onwards @ Old City Hall, second floor (1305 Hancock Street): City council committee and full meetings. 6 pm: Utility hearings; 6:30 - 7:30 pm: an ordinance committee meeting where politicians’ raises will be discussed and a finance/oversight meeting where the $2.6 million bond request will be discussed (order as yet unclear); 7:30 pm: full council meeting.
Wednesday, March 18, 6:30 pm @ Central Middle School (875 Hancock Street): Community meeting to discuss possible plans for Eastern Nazarene College.
Thursday, March 19, 6:30 pm: Bicycle Commission Meeting. Agenda to be posted here by Tuesday, March 17.
Saturday, March 21, 2 pm: Environmental Treasures tour of Nickerson Rock. Space is limited. Registration is required by emailing sowen@quincyma.gov indicating the number of people in your group. Tour details, including meeting place, will be provided upon registration.
Saturday, March 28, 10 am: Resident council meeting. Fill out this form to work with other residents on issues you care about. I will send out an email with meeting details to folks who sign up!
Wednesday, April 1: Deadline to apply for a property tax exemption.
Recent local news
Gas station in Quincy seeks strolling violist to play for customers
Ly Y of Quincy, journalist who wrote of escaping Cambodia’s genocide, dies at 83
Quincy man sentenced to prison for fatal 2023 assault on St. Patrick’s Day in Downtown Crossing
Will the Quincy City Council approve money for new firefighter gear?
Free coffee for all as Quincy cafe celebrates 30 years
Owner of Quincy's Rubato enjoys recent accolades in the culinary world
Developer proposes new Taco Bell for Quincy. What we know
Quincy votes again on police pension for security guard. What happened
Quincy boys basketball's turnaround season now includes a playoff win
Ex-official to plead guilty in fraud case involving steak tips, Prius
PHOTOS: Quincy boys basketball beats Hopkinton in D1 playoff opener
How Quincy is faring after historic blizzard pummels the region
Resources and ways to plug in
Anyone interested in serving as a volunteer on a city board or commission can send a note with your interest and background to the mayor’s chief of staff, Chris Walker, at cwalker@quincyma.gov. Please cc me at mmckee@quincyma.gov if you’d like me to follow up on your application.
To receive future newsletters by email, please sign up here.
To sign up for a resident council, fill out this form.
To learn about local organizations you can join and volunteer with, go here (and feel free to add any that are missing!).
Report a pothole: Call 617-376-1914 or email potholehotline@quincyma.gov.
Report streetlight outages: Call 617-376-1478
The City’s Department of Elder Services offers FREE transportation to medical appointments for Quincy adults aged 60 and over. Call 617-376-1242 to register and schedule rides.
The City’s Department of Elder Services is aiming to connect adults aged 60 and over who require assistance shoveling snow from their front stairs, walkway, and sidewalk with high school students interested in community service. To apply to get paired up, call 617-376-1239.
Free legal help: Lawyers Clearinghouse offers three legal clinics to help connect people with free legal help: (1) low-income and homeless clinic (they take a variety of cases but not immigration or family law); (2) record sealing and expungement (since people's records often keep them out of jobs and housing); (3) tax lien foreclosure (for people who are facing foreclosure by the city because they haven't paid their property taxes). If you or anyone you know could use their help, please contact Sean Thekkeparayil (sthekkeparayil@lawyersclearinghouse.org).
If you see federal agents in Quincy, please stay a safe distance away and call LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts with as much information as you can so they can verify the sightings: (617) 370-5023.
