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New Bedford City Council
How the New Bedford City Council voted, from the City Clerk's official minutes. 11 councilors: 5 at-large and 6 ward councilors. Elected November 2025; sworn in January 5, 2026. Covers 27 meetings so far, January 5 to September 10, 2026.
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 mayor runs the city day to day and proposes the budget.
Sources: Mass. General Laws c. 44 § 32 (city budgets)Your New Bedford ballot: 15 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Vote Transparency Score
New Bedford City Council: 6.5 out of 10 · Partly open
How easy New Bedford makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the city’s records, not any official. Checked October 3, 2026.
- Minutes postedMinutes are posted for nearly every meeting in the past year.Full points: 2/2
- Each vote namedMost items pass by voice vote, and the minutes record only the result. Names appear only on roll calls, which list who voted no.Part points: 1/3
- Posted quicklyMinutes usually go up in about five weeks, within 90 days.Part points: 1/2
- Past years onlineCity Council minutes from 2013 to today are online.Full points: 1/1
- Readable textThe minutes are text you can search and copy.Full points: 1/1
- Member photosThe city’s City Council page shows photos for 7 of the 11 councilors.Part points: 0.5/1
How the city can raise its score
- Each vote named (+2): On any vote that isn’t unanimous, write how each member voted. For example: “Motion passed 3–2. Yes: Smith, Jones, Lee. No: Brown, Silva.” A roll call on split votes is the simplest way to do this.
- Posted quickly (+1): Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later.
- Member photos (+0.5): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
How we score · Something wrong, or has the city made a change? Email info@massvoter.com and we’ll re-check.
A monthly email on its votes, starting in November. We'll also tell you if this score changes.
Council sessions
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read New Bedford’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Councilors
PresidentRyan J. PereiraCouncil President · Ward 6 · at 26 of 27 meetings
1st Vice PresidentShane A. BurgoFirst Vice President · At-large · at 25 of 27 meetings
2nd Vice PresidentNaomi R. A. CarneySecond Vice President · At-large · at 25 of 27 meetings
Ian AbreuCity Councilor · At-large · at 24 of 27 meetings
Derek BaptisteCity Councilor · Ward 4 · at 23 of 27 meetings
Leo ChoquetteCity Councilor · Ward 1 · at 25 of 27 meetings
Brian K. GomesCity Councilor · At-large · at 26 of 27 meetings
Joseph P. LopesCity Councilor · Ward 5 · at 19 of 27 meetings
Shawn OliverCity Councilor · Ward 3 · at 23 of 27 meetings
Scott PembertonCity Councilor · Ward 2 · at 25 of 27 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
James RoyCity Councilor · At-large · at 27 of 27 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.
Attendance
27 full-board meetings so far this year, through September 10. Ties share a rank.
1James Roy27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%2Brian K. Gomes26 of 27 meetings96%2Ryan J. Pereira26 of 27 meetings96%4Shane A. Burgo25 of 27 meetings93%4Naomi R. A. Carney25 of 27 meetings93%4Leo Choquette25 of 27 meetings93%4Scott Pemberton25 of 27 meetings93%8Ian Abreu24 of 27 meetings89%9Derek Baptiste23 of 27 meetings85%9Shawn Oliver23 of 27 meetings85%11Joseph P. Lopes19 of 27 meetings70%33 full-board meetings in 2025. Ties share a rank.
1Naomi R. A. Carney33 of 33 meetings Every meeting100%2Derek Baptiste31 of 33 meetings94%2Brian K. Gomes31 of 33 meetings94%2Shawn Oliver31 of 33 meetings94%5Ian Abreu30 of 33 meetings91%5Shane A. Burgo30 of 33 meetings91%5Leo Choquette30 of 33 meetings91%5Maria E. Giesta30 of 33 meetings91%9Linda M. Morad29 of 33 meetings88%9Ryan J. Pereira29 of 33 meetings88%11Joseph P. Lopes25 of 33 meetings76%31 full-board meetings in 2024. Ties share a rank.
1Naomi R. A. Carney30 of 31 meetings97%2Leo Choquette29 of 31 meetings94%2Shawn Oliver29 of 31 meetings94%4Shane A. Burgo28 of 31 meetings90%4Maria E. Giesta28 of 31 meetings90%4Brian K. Gomes28 of 31 meetings90%7Ian Abreu27 of 31 meetings87%7Joseph P. Lopes27 of 31 meetings87%9Derek Baptiste26 of 31 meetings84%9Linda M. Morad26 of 31 meetings84%9Ryan J. Pereira26 of 31 meetings84%34 full-board meetings in 2023. Ties share a rank.
1Naomi R. A. Carney34 of 34 meetings Every meeting100%2Linda M. Morad33 of 34 meetings97%3Shawn Oliver28 of 29 meetings · served from Mar97%4Derek Baptiste32 of 34 meetings94%4Shane A. Burgo32 of 34 meetings94%4Brian K. Gomes32 of 34 meetings94%4Scott J. Lima32 of 34 meetings94%4William “Brad” Markey32 of 34 meetings94%9Maria E. Giesta31 of 34 meetings91%9Ryan J. Pereira31 of 34 meetings91%11Ian Abreu28 of 34 meetings82%32 full-board meetings in 2022. Ties share a rank.
1Ian Abreu31 of 32 meetings97%1Shane A. Burgo31 of 32 meetings97%1Naomi R. A. Carney31 of 32 meetings97%1William “Brad” Markey31 of 32 meetings97%1Ryan J. Pereira31 of 32 meetings97%6Maria E. Giesta30 of 32 meetings94%6Scott J. Lima30 of 32 meetings94%6Linda M. Morad30 of 32 meetings94%9Brian K. Gomes28 of 32 meetings88%10Derek Baptiste26 of 32 meetings81%11Hugh Dunn23 of 30 meetings · served until Nov77%25 full-board meetings in 2021. Ties share a rank.
1Naomi R. A. Carney25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1Hugh Dunn25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1William “Brad” Markey25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%4Ian Abreu24 of 25 meetings96%4Maria E. Giesta24 of 25 meetings96%4Scott J. Lima24 of 25 meetings96%4Linda M. Morad24 of 25 meetings96%8Derek Baptiste23 of 25 meetings92%8Brian K. Gomes23 of 25 meetings92%8Joseph P. Lopes23 of 25 meetings92%11Debora Coelho19 of 25 meetings76%25 full-board meetings in 2020. Ties share a rank.
1Ian Abreu25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1Naomi R. A. Carney25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1Scott J. Lima25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1Joseph P. Lopes25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1William “Brad” Markey25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%6Maria E. Giesta24 of 25 meetings96%6Linda M. Morad24 of 25 meetings96%8Derek Baptiste23 of 25 meetings92%8Brian K. Gomes23 of 25 meetings92%10Debora Coelho22 of 25 meetings88%11Hugh Dunn21 of 25 meetings84%20 full-board meetings in 2019. Ties share a rank.
1Ian Abreu20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1Naomi R. A. Carney20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1Brian K. Gomes20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1Scott J. Lima20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1Joseph P. Lopes20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1William “Brad” Markey20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%1Linda M. Morad20 of 20 meetings Every meeting100%8Debora Coelho19 of 20 meetings95%8Maria E. Giesta19 of 20 meetings95%10Hugh Dunn17 of 20 meetings85%11Dana L. Rebeiro16 of 20 meetings80%28 full-board meetings in 2016. Ties share a rank.
1Steven Martins28 of 28 meetings Every meeting100%1Linda M. Morad28 of 28 meetings Every meeting100%3Ian Abreu27 of 28 meetings96%3Naomi R. A. Carney27 of 28 meetings96%3Debora Coelho27 of 28 meetings96%3Dana L. Rebeiro27 of 28 meetings96%7Henry G. Bousquet26 of 28 meetings93%7Brian K. Gomes26 of 28 meetings93%7Joseph P. Lopes26 of 28 meetings93%7James D. Oliveira26 of 28 meetings93%7Kerry M. Winterson26 of 28 meetings93%From the official minutes: full-board meetings only (committee meetings are not counted). Members are counted only for meetings held while they served, and arriving late counts as attending. The minutes rarely say why a member was absent. Not shown: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, because too many of that year’s meetings are missing from the posted minutes.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Not here yet: the City Clerk has not posted minutes for the February 26, August 25, September 15 and September 24, 2026 meetings, the May 15, 2024 special meeting, or the November 18, 2025 tax classification meeting. For 2022–2023, committee meetings listed on the city calendar without minutes (for example Ordinances on March 16 and December 13, 2022, Finance on December 15, 2022, and Airport on December 14, 2022 and April 20, 2023) are not included. Informal council gatherings and celebration meetings, where no business is voted, are left out. They will be added when posted. On October 7 and 8, 2026 the City Clerk posted corrected minutes for the February 12, March 5, March 12, April 9, April 23, June 11 and June 22, 2026 council meetings, and the February 17, 2026 Appointments and Briefings minutes; those meetings now follow the corrected minutes. A few other minutes have possible errors (noted on those meetings and votes); we have asked the City Clerk to confirm them and will update the record if they are corrected.
Votes where councilors disagreed
Most council votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one councilor voted no or abstained, newest first.
Sep 10Written Motion, Councillor Burgo, requesting that the Committee on…Motion: Referred to the Committee on AuditReferred 10–1 · No: Roy
September 10, 2026: Written Motion, Councillor Burgo, requesting that the Committee on Audit review the Mayor’s new staff hire, including the position, compensation, funding source, and hiring process, and report its findings and…
Referred to the Committee on Audit
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, PereiraNo: Roy
From the minutes
“Referred to the Committee on Audit – Yeas 10, Nays 1. (Councillor Roy OPPOSED.) (Matter #1460).”
Sep 10Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment…Motion: Removed from the Table. Approve Appointment – FAILEDFailed 0–11 · No: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, Pereira, Roy
September 10, 2026: Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment of Kendra Parker, as Acting Administrative Assistant to the Board of Assessors.
Removed from the Table. Approve Appointment – FAILED
No: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, Pereira, Roy
From the minutes
“Removed from the Table. Approve Appointment – FAILED – Yeas 0, Nays 11. (Matter #0278).”
Sep 10Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting a request…Motion: Removed from the Table. Approve Waiver Request – FAILEDFailed 0–11 · No: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, Pereira, Roy
September 10, 2026: Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting a request for a waiver for the education and experience requirements for the position of Administrative Assistant to the Board of Assessors.
Removed from the Table. Approve Waiver Request – FAILED
No: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, Pereira, Roy
From the minutes
“Removed from the Table. Approve Waiver Request – FAILED – Yeas 0, Nays 11. (Matter #0279).”
Jul 16Board of Assessors vacancy: roll call ballot among four…Motion: Roll call ballot No. 1 to fill the Board of Assessors…Passed Ballot · see note
July 16, 2026 (Special (Board of Assessors vacancy) meeting): Board of Assessors vacancy: roll call ballot among four nominees (Linda M. Morad, James W. Clark, Richard T. Porteus, Jr., Carlos Amado)
Roll call ballot No. 1 to fill the Board of Assessors vacancy
Each councilor named one nominee: Abreu: Carlos Amado; Baptiste: Linda M. Morad; Burgo: Linda M. Morad; Choquette: James W. Clark; Gomes: Linda M. Morad; Oliver: Linda M. Morad; Pereira: Linda M. Morad; Roy: Linda M. Morad. Linda M. Morad received 6 votes, Carlos Amado 1, James W. Clark 1.
From the minutes
“Roll Call Nominations Ballot No. 1 was conducted, with the following results recorded: Councillor Abreu voted for Carlos Amado. Councillor Baptiste voted for Linda M. Morad. Councillor Burgo voted for Linda M. Morad. Councillor Choquette voted for James W. Clark. Councillor Gomes voted for Linda M. Morad. Councillor Oliver voted for Linda M. Morad. Councillor Pereira voted for Linda M. Morad. Councillor Roy voted for Linda M. Morad. Results from Ballot No. 1: Linda M. Morad received six (6) votes. Carlos Amado received one (1) vote. James W. Clark received one (1) vote. A majority was achieved on Ballot No. 1.”
Jul 16Ordered, that in accordance with the Code Ordinances, Chapter…Motion: AdoptedPassed 6–2 · No: Abreu, Choquette
July 16, 2026 (Special (Board of Assessors vacancy) meeting): Ordered, that in accordance with the Code Ordinances, Chapter 10, Section 10-83, Linda M. Morad has been nominated and elected to fill the vacancy temporarily until the first Monday in…
Adopted
Yes: Baptiste, Burgo, Gomes, Oliver, Pereira, RoyNo: Abreu, ChoquetteAbsent: Carney, Lopes, Pemberton
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 6, Nays 2 (Councillors Abreu and Choquette OPPOSED.) (Matter #1175).”
Jul 16An Ordinance, amending Chapter 16, Municipal Utilities and Services,…Motion: Passed to be OrdainedPassed 8–1 · No: Carney
July 16, 2026: An Ordinance, amending Chapter 16, Municipal Utilities and Services, Section 16-94 – Rate Charges.
Passed to be Ordained
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Choquette, Gomes, Oliver, Pereira, RoyNo: CarneyAbsent: Lopes, Pemberton
From the minutes
“Passed to be Ordained – Yeas 8, Nays 1. (Councillor Carney OPPOSED.) (Matter #0618).”
Jul 16Written Motion, Councillor Burgo, requesting, that the Committee on…Motion: AdoptedPassed 8–1 · No: Carney
July 16, 2026: Written Motion, Councillor Burgo, requesting, that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of the following matters of a Communication, an Order, and Easement, submitted by Mayor Mitchell,…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Choquette, Gomes, Oliver, Pereira, RoyNo: CarneyAbsent: Lopes, Pemberton
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 8, Nays 1. (Councillor Carney OPPOSED.) (Matter #1222).”
Jul 16An Order,Motion: AdoptedPassed 7–2 · No: Carney, Oliver
July 16, 2026: An Order,
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Choquette, Gomes, Pereira, RoyNo: Carney, OliverAbsent: Lopes, Pemberton
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 7, Nays 2. (Councillors Carney and Oliver OPPOSED.) (Matter #1813).”
Jul 16Easement, between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and…Motion: AdoptedPassed 7–2 · No: Carney, Oliver
July 16, 2026: Easement, between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the City of New Bedford.
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Choquette, Gomes, Pereira, RoyNo: Carney, OliverAbsent: Lopes, Pemberton
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 7, Nays 2. (Councillors Carney and Oliver OPPOSED.) (Matter #1814).”
Jun 25Ordered, that the sum of One Million, Seven Hundred…Motion: AdoptedPassed 9–1 · No: Burgo
June 25, 2026: Ordered, that the sum of One Million, Seven Hundred Twenty-eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-four Dollars ($1,728,454) now standing to the credit of the account from Wastewater Free Cash be…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Carney, Choquette, Gomes, Lopes, Oliver, Pemberton, Pereira, RoyNo: BurgoAbsent: Baptiste
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 9, Nays 1. (Councillor Burgo OPPOSED.) (Matter #1101).”
Committees
Much of the council’s work starts in committee. Each committee’s members, meetings and the recommendations it sent to the full council.
From the official minutes kept by the New Bedford City Clerk (agendas and minutes). The minutes are text documents; we read every action, check every roll-call count against the councilors named, and quote the exact wording. Most items pass by voice vote, and the minutes record only the result for those; how each councilor voted is shown only for roll calls. MassVoter never grades officials; votes and attendance are shown exactly as the minutes record them. Councilor photos: cropped from the City of New Bedford's official 2026 City Council photo (newbedford-ma.gov). The 2024–2025 group photo, and the photos of Maria E. Giesta and Linda M. Morad cropped from it: City of New Bedford, provided by the City Clerk.
How to read these pagesWhere the votes come from, how we check them against the official minutes, what isn't included yet, and how to report a mistake.About city pages →