MassVoter.com← ChelseaMunicipal votes · 2022–2023 Council
Chelsea City Council
How the Chelsea City Council voted, from the City Clerk's official minutes. 11 councilors: 3 elected at large and one from each of the city’s 8 districts. Sworn in January 3, 2022. Council President: Roy Avellaneda (2022), Leo Robinson (2023; elected January 3, 2023, by 6 votes to 5 over Calvin Brown). Vice President: Calvin Brown (2022; elected over Giovanni Recupero), Giovanni Recupero (2023; elected over Norieliz DeJesus). Roy Avellaneda (at-large) left the council in October 2022 (last at the October 3, 2022 meeting); Vice President Calvin Brown presided for the rest of 2022. The at-large seat was vacant until Brian Hatleberg joined in December 2022 (first in the minutes December 19, 2022). Covers 47 meetings, January 3 to December 21, 2023.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the City Council do? It is the city’s lawmaking body. It passes local laws (ordinances), votes on the yearly budget, and approves borrowing and zoning changes.
The council hires the city manager, who runs the city day to day and proposes the budget.
Sources: Mass. General Laws c. 44 § 32 (city budgets)Council sessions
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read Chelsea’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Councilors
Vice PresidentCalvin BrownVice President (2022) · District 8 · at 46 of 47 meetings
Norieliz DeJesusCouncilor · District 3 · at 40 of 47 meetingsBrian HatlebergCouncilor · At-large · at 30 of 30 meetings · from Dec 2022Judith GarciaCouncilor · District 5 · at 33 of 47 meetingsEnio LopezCouncilor · District 4 · at 41 of 47 meetings
Giovanni RecuperoVice President (2023) · District 6 · at 40 of 47 meetings
Leo RobinsonPresident (2023) · At-large · at 47 of 47 meetings
Tanairi GarciaCouncilor · District 4 · at 35 of 47 meetings
Todd TaylorCouncilor · District 1 · at 46 of 47 meetingsMelinda VegaCouncilor · District 2 · at 31 of 47 meetingsDamali VidotCouncilor · At-large · at 39 of 47 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the roll call at the start of each meeting in this record. Councilors who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: every full City Council meeting with minutes on the city’s website from January 2, 2018 through September 21, 2026 (179 meetings: regular, special and two joint meetings with the School Committee), from the City Council agendas and minutes page (2021 on) and the City Council archive (2015 to 2020). Sub-committee meetings (Conference, Ways and Means and others), the Charter Review Committee and the School Committee are not loaded. Most minutes from 2018 to May 2024, January and February 2025 and January to April 2026 are scanned paper copies; MassVoter read them with text recognition and checked the vote lines by hand where the scan was hard to read. Not here: minutes the city has not posted, including October 19 and November 2, 2020; September 20, 2021; January 24, June 27, September 12 and December 5, 2022; September 9, October 21, November 4, November 18, December 2 and December 16, 2024; February 24, March 10, March 24, April 7, May 5 and June 2, 2025; November 10 and December 1, 2025 (regular and special meetings); and April 6, 2026. The “Minutes” links for January 11, 2021, March 4, 2024 and March 9, 2026 open the minutes of a different meeting, so those three meetings are missing too, and the October 4, 2021 link opens the October 18, 2021 minutes. MassVoter is asking the City Council Clerk for the missing minutes. Chelsea’s minutes record most actions as passed “under suspension”, “by voice vote” or “with no objections”, with no count; for those MassVoter shows the result only and never assumes the vote was unanimous. Communications accepted and filed, items referred to a committee and orders moved to a second reading are not counted as votes unless a roll call was taken. Roll calls are written as a four-part count (yes-no-absent-present, such as 8-2-1-0) with the names of the councilors voting each way. When the names add up to the councilors present, MassVoter shows each councilor’s vote; when the minutes name only the no voters, the yes voters are the other councilors present; when the count and names do not agree, a name is listed twice or cannot be read, or the minutes name a councilor who is not on the attendance line, MassVoter shows the count only and adds a note. Since 2022 two councilors named Garcia have served together; a roll call that says only “Garcia” shows the count only. Councilors who recused themselves are left out of that vote. Elections of the Council President, Vice President and Delegate to the School Committee are shown by name when only one councilor was nominated and the minutes name every vote, and as the result only, with a note, when councilors chose between candidates. We will ask the City Council Clerk to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where councilors disagreed
Most council votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one councilor voted no or abstained, newest first.
Dec 21Order: the Revised Code of Ordinances of the City…Motion: 6-3-2-0 (Order rejected by Roll Call)Failed 6–3 · see note
December 21, 2023 (Special meeting): Order: the Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Chelsea as amended, by repealing Chapter 34, Article XII, Section 34-158 (c)(2), which reads Marijuana Retailers are prohibited from operating...
6-3-2-0 (Order rejected by Roll Call)
The minutes give the count as 6-3-2-0, with 2 absent, but 1 councilor was absent from the meeting, and the minutes do not say who else did not vote. Showing the count only. The minutes record this as failing even though more councilors voted yes than no (6-3); some motions need a two-thirds vote.
From the minutes
“RESULT 6-3-2-0 (Order rejected by Roll Call) YES 7 Garcia, Robinson, Recupero, Vidot, DeJesus and Taylor NO Brown, Lopez and Hatleberg.”
Dec 6Choose a member of the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational…Motion: Joint vote of the City Council and School Committee to fill…Passed · see note
December 6, 2023 (Joint meeting): Choose a member of the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational School Committee (Blanca Gachama, Frank Depatto or Alexis Balcarcel)
Joint vote of the City Council and School Committee to fill the vacancy on the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational School Committee; Councilor Hatleberg moved to have all candidates’ names placed for consideration, seconded by Councilor Taylor.
A vote choosing among three candidates, cast together by councilors and School Committee members, so MassVoter shows the result only. The minutes read: “The vote count was: Blanca Gachama = 9, Frank Depatto = 5, Alexis Balcarcel = 1. With a majority vote of members present required, Blanca Gachama was selected as the finalist”. The minutes do not say who voted for whom.
From the minutes
“The vote count was: Blanca Gachama = 9, Frank Depatto = 5, Alexis Balcarcel = 1. With a majority vote of members present required, Blanca Gachama was selected as the finalist to fill the vacancy on the Northeast Metro Regional Vocational School Committee pending the successful completion of a CORI Check..”
Dec 4Order: to fund the collective bargaining agreement negotiated with…Motion: 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed Unanimous, 10 present · see note
December 4, 2023: Order: to fund the collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the USWA Local 9427 for Fiscal Year 2024, the Chelsea City Council authorizes the transfer of $175,858.00 from the Salary Reserve...
10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the count as 10-0-1-0 and name 9 of the councilors voting yes; the 10 yes votes are all the councilors present for the vote.
From the minutes
“RESULT 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) YES Brown, J. Garcia, Lopez, Robinson, Recupero, Vidot De Jesus, Hatleberg, Vega and PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg) The minutes name who voted no but give no count; the count shown is from those names.
Dec 4Order: the Chelsea City Council adopt the Minimum Residential!…Motion: 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed Unanimous, 10 present · see note
December 4, 2023: Order: the Chelsea City Council adopt the Minimum Residential! Tax factor for the Fiscal Year 2024, with a 1.75 commercial, industrial and personal property (CIP) shift factor. -- So 4…
10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the count (10-0-1-0) without naming the yes voters; it matches the councilors present for the vote, so they are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“RESULT 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) NO tt PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg) The minutes name who voted no but give no count; the count shown is from those names.
Dec 4Order: the Chelsea City Council adopt a 35% Residential…Motion: (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed · see note
December 4, 2023: Order: the Chelsea City Council adopt a 35% Residential Exemption for the Fiscal Year 2024.
(Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the result only, with no count, so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“RESULT (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) : ge NO et PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg)
Dec 4Order: in accordance with M.G.L Ch. 44, Section 64…Motion: 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed Unanimous, 10 present · see note
December 4, 2023: Order: in accordance with M.G.L Ch. 44, Section 64 budget management procedures, whereby costs incurred in FY20, FY22, and FY23 were not paid and are owed to the vendors, and…
10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the count (10-0-1-0) without naming the yes voters; it matches the councilors present for the vote, so they are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“RESULT 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) NO PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg) The minutes name who voted no but give no count; the count shown is from those names.
Dec 4Following Order was introduced by Council President RobinsonCouktilor Hatleberg…Motion: 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed Unanimous, 10 present · see note
December 4, 2023: following Order was introduced by Council President RobinsonCouktilor Hatleberg made a motion to adopt by Roll Call Vote
10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the count (10-0-1-0) without naming the yes voters; it matches the councilors present for the vote, so they are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“RESULT 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) olen NO PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg) The minutes name who voted no but give no count; the count shown is from those names.
Dec 4Order: in accordance with Section 2-6 of the Charter…Motion: 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)Passed 10–0 · see note
December 4, 2023: Order: in accordance with Section 2-6 of the Charter of the City of Chelsea, the Chelsea City Council hires Jessica Carmenatty as a part-time temporary consultant to the City Council;…
10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg)
The minutes give the count (10-0-1-0) and name "Garcia" without saying which Councilor Garcia (Kelly or Tanairi). Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“RESULT 10-0-1-0 (Order approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Hatleberg) YES Brown, I Garcia, Lopez, Robinson, Recupero, Vidot De Jesus, Haticborg, Vega and or J oe oo ASN LG eee PRESENT.” (Motion: Hatleberg)
Nov 208-0-3-0 (Agenda Items affirmed by Roll Call at request…Motion: 8-0-3-0 (Agenda Items affirmed by Roll Call at request of Councilor…Passed Unanimous, 8 present · see note
November 20, 2023: 8-0-3-0 (Agenda Items affirmed by Roll Call at request of Councilor Vidot)
8-0-3-0 (Agenda Items affirmed by Roll Call at request of Councilor Vidot)
The minutes give the count (8-0-3-0) without naming the yes voters; it matches the councilors present for the vote, so they are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“RESULT 8-0-3-0 (Agenda Items affirmed by Roll Call at request of Councilor Vidot) . NO PRESENT SECOND READINGS.” (Motion: Vidot) The minutes name who voted no but give no count; the count shown is from those names.
Nov 20Community Recreation Advisory Board AppointmentMotion: $-0-3-0 (Appointment approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Brown)Passed · see note
November 20, 2023: Community Recreation Advisory Board Appointment
$-0-3-0 (Appointment approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Brown)
The minutes give the result only, with no count, so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“RESULT $-0-3-0 (Appointment approved by Roll Call at request of Councilor Brown) NO a PRESENT.” (Motion: Brown)
From the Chelsea City Council’s official minutes, posted on the city’s City Council agendas and minutes page (2021 on) and its City Council archive (2015 to 2020). We check every vote against the councilors present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Councilor photos: City of Chelsea (chelseama.gov), from the official photos on the City Council page. Former councilors show initials.
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