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Lowell City Council
How the Lowell City Council voted, from the City Clerk's official minutes. 11 councilors: one from each of the city’s 8 districts and 3 elected at large; the council chooses one of its members as Mayor. Elected November 7, 2017; inaugurated January 2, 2018. Nine councilors, all elected at large. At the inauguration the council chose William Samaras as Mayor on the first ballot (5 to 4 over John J. Leahy) and Vesna Nuon as Vice Chair (7 to 2 over Rita Mercier). Karen Cirillo, David Conway and Vesna Nuon joined the council. No seat changed hands during the term. Covers 85 meetings, January 2 to December 23, 2019.
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
- Tue, Oct 13PDF →
- Mon, Oct 19COA Board Agenda for 10/19/26 →
From the agendas Lowell posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
Councilors
Vice-ChairVesna NuonVice Chair · At-large · at 84 of 85 meetings
Rita MercierCouncilor · At-large · at 83 of 85 meetingsJames MilinazzoCouncilor · At-large (2018-2019) · at 84 of 85 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 in the city’s Agenda Center from January 2, 2018 through August 25, 2026 (348 meetings: 313 regular, 32 special, including the five inaugurations and the short open sessions held to go into executive session, and 3 joint meetings with the School Committee, where only councilors’ votes are shown) and 10,605 votes. Lowell has a Plan E charter: a City Manager runs the city, and the Mayor is a councilor chosen by the council at each inauguration; the Mayor chairs the council (and the School Committee) and votes. Through 2021 all nine councilors were elected at large. Since January 2022, after the settlement of the Huot v. City of Lowell voting-rights case, the council has eleven members: one from each of eight districts and three elected at large. Council subcommittee meetings and executive-session minutes are not loaded, and subcommittee votes reported in the council minutes are not shown as council votes. The city posted one set of minutes for each of three meetings that continued on a later night (April 25 and May 2, 2023; July 25 and August 8, 2023; and March 21 and 25, 2023), so each pair is listed as one meeting; the May 26 and June 2, 2026 budget sessions share one file but are written one after the other, so they are listed separately. Two sets of minutes (February 8, 2022 and June 4, 2024) were posted as scanned images; MassVoter read them with text recognition, so quoted words may keep small reading errors. Not here: open-session minutes for the executive-session meetings continued to October 22 and November 9, 2020 (agendas only), and meetings after August 25, 2026 (the September 8, September 22 and October 6, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Lowell’s minutes record nearly every action as “Motion … by C. X, seconded by C. Y. So voted.” That is a voice vote with no count or names, so MassVoter shows the result only and never assumes it was unanimous (8,018 votes). Votes on money, appointments, ordinances and contested motions are taken by roll call. Since November 2024 the minutes name every councilor on each side (“Adopted per Roll Call vote 9 yeas (C. Chau, …), 2 nays (C. Liang, C. McDonough)”); earlier minutes give the count and name the councilors voting no, abstaining or absent (“Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Nuon)”). MassVoter shows each councilor’s vote when the names and counts add up to the councilors present, and the count only, with a note, when they do not (11 votes). A councilor listed as absent for a roll call, or who recused, is left out of that vote. A few councilors who are missing from the attendance line but are named voting or making motions are counted present, with a note. Elections of the Mayor and Vice Chair, the choice of a councilor to fill the District 3 vacancy in 2024, and the council’s choices of a City Manager and City Auditor show the result only, with a note quoting who chose whom. We will ask the City 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 23Adjust City Manager salary to $225,000.00Motion: Motion by C. Milinazzo, seconded by C. Cirillo to adjust City…Passed 5–3 · No: Elliott, Leahy, Mercier
December 23, 2019 (Special meeting): Adjust City Manager salary to $225,000.00
Motion by C. Milinazzo, seconded by C. Cirillo to adjust City Manager salary to $225,000.00. Adopted per Roll Call vote 5 yeas, 3 nays (C. Elliott, C. Leahy, C. Mercier), 1 absent (C. Nuon). So voted.
Yes: Cirillo, Conway, Kennedy, Milinazzo, SamarasNo: Elliott, Leahy, MercierThe roll call names the no votes and gives 5 yeas, which matches the other councilors present; they are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“Motion by C. Milinazzo, seconded by C. Cirillo to adjust City Manager salary to $225,000.00. Adopted per Roll Call vote 5 yeas, 3 nays (C. Elliott, C. Leahy, C. Mercier), 1 absent (C. Nuon). So voted..” (Motion: Milinazzo, second: Cirillo)
Dec 17Approve: Communication-Appoint Maria Sheehy to Lowell Memorial Auditorium Board…Motion: In City Council, read, Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded…Passed 8–0 · see note
December 17, 2019: Approve: Communication-Appoint Maria Sheehy to Lowell Memorial Auditorium Board of Trustees
In City Council, read, Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded by C. Leahy. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted.
Yes: Cirillo, Elliott, Kennedy, Leahy, Mercier, Milinazzo, Nuon, SamarasThe roll call lists David Conway as absent for this vote; left out of it.
From the minutes
“In City Council, read, Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded by C. Leahy. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted..” (Motion: Cirillo, second: Leahy)
Dec 17Adopt: Vote-Accept.Expend 30,205.45 from FY20 State 911 Dept Training…Motion: Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded by C. Nuon. Adopted…Passed 8–0 · see note
December 17, 2019: Adopt: Vote-Accept.Expend 30,205.45 from FY20 State 911 Dept Training Grant
Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded by C. Nuon. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted.
Yes: Cirillo, Elliott, Kennedy, Leahy, Mercier, Milinazzo, Nuon, SamarasThe roll call lists David Conway as absent for this vote; left out of it.
From the minutes
“Motion to adopt by C. Cirillo, seconded by C. Nuon. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted..” (Motion: Cirillo, second: Nuon)
Dec 17Adopt: Vote-Accept.Expend 367,060 from FY20 State 911 Dept Support…Motion: Motion to adopt by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Cirillo. Adopted…Passed 8–0 · see note
December 17, 2019: Adopt: Vote-Accept.Expend 367,060 from FY20 State 911 Dept Support and Incentive Grant
Motion to adopt by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Cirillo. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted.
Yes: Cirillo, Elliott, Kennedy, Leahy, Mercier, Milinazzo, Nuon, SamarasThe roll call lists David Conway as absent for this vote; left out of it.
From the minutes
“Motion to adopt by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Cirillo. Adopted per Roll Call vote 8 yeas, 1 absent (C. Conway). So voted..” (Motion: Elliott, second: Cirillo)
Dec 17Amend to include City Manager: Ask the City Manager…Motion: Motion by C. Nuon, seconded by C. Milinazzo to amend to…Passed · see note
December 17, 2019: Amend to include City Manager: Ask the City Manager to have Law Department prepare vote to increase City Clerk salary grade and step level after a...
Motion by C. Nuon, seconded by C. Milinazzo to amend to include City Manager. So voted.
The minutes give the result only (“So voted”, a voice vote), so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“Motion by C. Nuon, seconded by C. Milinazzo to amend to include City Manager. So voted..” (Motion: Nuon, second: Milinazzo)
Nov 26Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid - Req. installation…Motion: In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order…Passed · see note
November 26, 2019: Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid - Req. installation of heavy duty handhole in sidewalk at 15 Pearl Street
In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Conway, seconded by C. Kennedy. So voted.
The minutes give the result only (“So voted”, a voice vote), so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Conway, seconded by C. Kennedy. So voted..” (Motion: Conway, second: Kennedy)
Nov 26Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid - Req. installation…Motion: In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order…Passed · see note
November 26, 2019: Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid - Req. installation of SCADA gas pressure system to comply with safety standards in Callery Park area across...
In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Nuon, seconded by C. Milinazzo. So voted.
The minutes give the result only (“So voted”, a voice vote), so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Nuon, seconded by C. Milinazzo. So voted..” (Motion: Nuon, second: Milinazzo)
Nov 19Have Law Department draft resolution in support of transportation…Motion: Motion by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Kennedy to have Law…Passed · see note
November 19, 2019: Have Law Department draft resolution in support of transportation bond bill
Motion by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Kennedy to have Law Department draft resolution in support of transportation bond bill. So voted.
The minutes give the result only (“So voted”, a voice vote), so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“Motion by C. Elliott, seconded by C. Kennedy to have Law Department draft resolution in support of transportation bond bill. So voted..” (Motion: Elliott, second: Kennedy)
Nov 6Choose the Lowell member of the Greater Lowell Technical…Motion: The first ballot was recorded as follows: C. Milinazzo Lee Gitschier…Passed · see note
November 6, 2019 (Joint meeting): Choose the Lowell member of the Greater Lowell Technical School Committee (Lee Gitschier chosen)
The first ballot was recorded as follows: C. Milinazzo Lee Gitschier C. Noun Lee Gitschier Mayor Samaras Lee Gitschier C. Conway Lee Gitschier C. Elliott Lee Gitschier C. Kennedy Lee Gitschier C. Leahy Lee Gitschier C. Mercier Lee Gitschier Mr. Nutter Lee Gitschier Mr. Descoteaux Lee Gitschier Ms. Doherty Diego Leonardo Mr. Hoey Lee Gitschier Mr. Lay Lee Gitschier Ms. Martin Lee Gitschier Mr. Gitschier was selected on the first ballot with thirteen (13) votes. Mr. Leonardo received one (1) vote.
A vote choosing a person, so MassVoter shows the result only. The minutes read: “The first ballot was recorded as follows: C. Milinazzo Lee Gitschier C. Noun Lee Gitschier Mayor Samaras Lee Gitschier C. Conway Lee Gitschier C. Elliott Lee Gitschier C. Kennedy Lee Gitschier C. Leahy Lee Gitschier C. Mercier Lee Gitschier Mr. Nutter Lee Gitschier Mr. Descoteaux Lee Gitschier Ms. Doherty Diego Leonardo Mr. Hoey Lee Gitschier Mr. Lay Lee Gitschier Ms. Martin Lee Gitschier Mr. Gitschier was selected on the first ballot with thirteen (13) votes. Mr. Leonardo received one (1) vote.”
From the minutes
“The first ballot was recorded as follows: C. Milinazzo Lee Gitschier C. Noun Lee Gitschier Mayor Samaras Lee Gitschier C. Conway Lee Gitschier C. Elliott Lee Gitschier C. Kennedy Lee Gitschier C. Leahy Lee Gitschier C. Mercier Lee Gitschier Mr. Nutter Lee Gitschier Mr. Descoteaux Lee Gitschier Ms. Doherty Diego Leonardo Mr. Hoey Lee Gitschier Mr. Lay Lee Gitschier Ms. Martin Lee Gitschier Mr. Gitschier was selected on the first ballot with thirteen (13) votes. Mr. Leonardo received one (1) vote..”
Nov 5Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid / Verizon NE…Motion: In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order…Passed · see note
November 5, 2019: Adopt: Wire Insp. - National Grid / Verizon NE - Req. permission to relocate (1) JO pole at 493 Market Street
In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Kennedy, seconded by C. Mercier. So voted.
The minutes give the result only (“So voted”, a voice vote), so MassVoter does not show how each councilor voted.
From the minutes
“In City Council, Motion to accept and adopt the accompanying order by C. Kennedy, seconded by C. Mercier. So voted..” (Motion: Kennedy, second: Mercier)
From the Lowell City Council’s official minutes, posted by the City Clerk in the city’s Agenda Center (City Council). We check every vote against the councilors present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: the City of Lowell’s official councilor headshots, from each councilor’s page in the city’s staff directory (linked from “Meet the City Council” on lowellma.gov).
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