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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 2023; sworn in January 1, 2024. Covers 64 meetings, January 1 to December 11, 2025.
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 →Council sessions
Coming up
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Councilors
PresidentShane A. BurgoCouncil President (2025) · At-large · at 58 of 64 meetings
1st Vice PresidentNaomi R. A. CarneyCouncil President (2024); First Vice President (2025) · At-large · at 63 of 64 meetings
2nd Vice PresidentIan AbreuSecond Vice President (2024) · At-large · at 57 of 64 meetings
Derek BaptisteCity Councilor · Ward 4 · at 57 of 64 meetings
Leo ChoquetteCity Councilor · Ward 1 · at 59 of 64 meetings
Maria E. GiestaCity Councilor · Ward 2 · at 58 of 64 meetings
Brian K. GomesCity Councilor · At-large · at 59 of 64 meetings
Joseph P. LopesCity Councilor · Ward 5 · at 52 of 64 meetings
Linda M. MoradFirst Vice President (2024); Second Vice President (2025) · At-large · at 55 of 64 meetings
Shawn OliverCity Councilor · Ward 3 · at 60 of 64 meetings
Ryan J. PereiraCity Councilor · Ward 6 · at 55 of 64 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
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.
Nov 25Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment…Motion: Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 WaivedPassed 9–1 · No: Giesta
November 25, 2025: Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment of Connor Worden, New Bedford, MA to the Conservation Commission, Mr. Worden will be replacing Dennis Audette, who has resigned; this…
Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 Waived
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Gomes, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: GiestaAbsent: Choquette
From the minutes
“Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 Waived – Yeas 9, Nays 1. (Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Matter #1553).”
Nov 25Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment…Motion: Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 WaivedPassed 9–1 · No: Giesta
November 25, 2025: Communication, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the Appointment of Cheryl Ann Viveiros, New Bedford, MA to the Traffic Commission, replacing Angela Johnston, whose term expired in December 2024; this…
Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 Waived
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Gomes, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: GiestaAbsent: Choquette
From the minutes
“Appointment Confirmed and Rule 40 Waived – Yeas 9, Nays 1. (Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Matter #1702).”
Nov 25Ordered, that in accordance with Section 19-7(c) of the…Motion: AdoptedPassed 8–2 · No: Burgo, Giesta
November 25, 2025: Ordered, that in accordance with Section 19-7(c) of the New Bedford Code of Ordinances, the Mayor of the City of New Bedford is hereby authorized to advertise, negotiate the salary…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Carney, Gomes, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: Burgo, GiestaAbsent: Choquette
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 8, Nays 2. (Councillor President Burgo and Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Matter #1698).”
Nov 25Ordered, that Jonathan F. Mitchell, Mayor of the City…Motion: AdoptedPassed 8–1 · No: Giesta
November 25, 2025: Ordered, that Jonathan F. Mitchell, Mayor of the City of New Bedford is hereby authorized to execute a Lease Agreement between the New Bedford Airport Commission and the Sandpiper Air,…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: GiestaAbsent: Choquette, Gomes
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 8, Nays 1. (Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Councillor Gomes not present for vote.) (Matter #1547).”
Nov 25Lease Agreement, City of New Bedford acting by and…Motion: AdoptedPassed 8–1 · No: Giesta
November 25, 2025: Lease Agreement, City of New Bedford acting by and through the Airport Commission as Lessor and Sandpiper Air, Inc. as Lessee, for the access to land necessary for the full…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: GiestaAbsent: Choquette, Gomes
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 8, Nays 1. (Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Councillor Gomes not present for vote.) (Matter #1548).”
Nov 13Ordered, that the sum of One Hundred Fifty Tyhousand…Motion: AdoptedPassed 8–1 · No: Giesta
November 13, 2025: Ordered, that the sum of One Hundred Fifty Tyhousand Dollars ($150,000) now standing to the credit of the account from Ordinary Revenue and Municipal Receipts be and the same is…
Adopted
Yes: Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Gomes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraNo: GiestaAbsent: Choquette, Lopes
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 8, Nays 1. (Councillor Giesta OPPOSED.) (Matter #1788).”
Nov 13Reconsideration, Councillor Burgo, having voted with the prevailing side…Motion: Reconsideration FAILEDFailed 3–6 · No: Abreu, Baptiste, Carney, Gomes, Morad, Oliver
November 13, 2025: Reconsideration, Councillor Burgo, having voted with the prevailing side on the question of: Adoption of an Order, submitted by Mayor Mitchell, for the Appropriation of $750,000.00 from Ordinary Revenue and…
Reconsideration FAILED
Yes: Burgo, Giesta, PereiraNo: Abreu, Baptiste, Carney, Gomes, Morad, OliverAbsent: Choquette, Lopes
From the minutes
“Reconsideration FAILED – Yeas 3, Nays 6. (Council President Burgo, Councillors Giesta and Pereira IN FAVOR.) (Matter #1795).”
Oct 23Loan Order,Motion: Adopted – FAILEDFailed 0–11 · see note
October 23, 2025: Loan Order,
Adopted – FAILED
The minutes record 0–11, more votes than the 8 councilors listed as present; this looks like a typo. Individual votes are not shown until it is confirmed. We have asked the City Clerk to confirm (Oct. 1, 2026).
From the minutes
“Adopted – FAILED – Yeas 0, Nays 11. (Matter #1688).”
Oct 23Ordered, That the sum of One Hundred Thirty-two Thousand,…Motion: AdoptedPassed 11–0 · see note
October 23, 2025: Ordered, That the sum of One Hundred Thirty-two Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy-two Dollars ($132,572) now standing to the credit of the account from Police Purchase of Services be and…
Adopted
The minutes record 11–0, more votes than the 8 councilors listed as present; this looks like a typo. Individual votes are not shown until it is confirmed. We have asked the City Clerk to confirm (Oct. 1, 2026).
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 11, Nays 0. (Matter #1342).”
Oct 23Order Establishing A Stabilization Fund for A Cable Television…Motion: AdoptedPassed 11–0 · see note
October 23, 2025: Order Establishing A Stabilization Fund for A Cable Television Public Education and Government Access Enterprise Fund Ordered, pursuant to the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40, Section 5B, there…
Adopted
The minutes record 11–0, more votes than the 8 councilors listed as present; this looks like a typo. Individual votes are not shown until it is confirmed. We have asked the City Clerk to confirm (Oct. 1, 2026).
From the minutes
“Adopted – Yeas 11, Nays 0. (Matter #1346).”
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.
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