MassVoter.com← New Bedford City CouncilNew Bedford · Committee on Appointments and Briefings · 6:33 p.m.
August 21, 2025
3 recorded votes, 0 with disagreement.
Sources: Official minutes (PDF) · City meeting page
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
Your New Bedford ballot: 15 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Committee on Appointments and Briefings: committee votes are recommendations to the full council, which takes the final vote. About this committee
Attendance
Present: Ian Abreu, Shane A. Burgo, Naomi R. A. Carney, Leo Choquette, Maria E. Giesta, Brian K. Gomes, Joseph P. Lopes, Linda M. Morad, Shawn Oliver, Ryan J. Pereira
Absent: Derek Baptiste
During the meeting:
- Abreu arrived late (6:44)
Every vote, in order
Public Hearing on an Application, Jose Barbosa and Derek Mendes, d/b/a Casa Do Benfica, No. 27, Inc., for a Special Permit for a Club or Lodge, to be located at 34 Beetle Street, New Bedford, MA 02746. (Application Received – July 22, 2025.) (Duly advertised in The Standard-Times on Thursday,…
To receive and place on file the Application, Jose Barbosa and Derek Mendes, d/b/a Casa Do Benfica, No. 27, Inc., for a Special Permit for a Club or Lodge, to be located at 34 Beetle Street, New Bedford, MA 02746 and open the public hearing.
From the minutes
“On motion by Councillor Giesta and seconded by Councillor Burgo, the Committee VOTED: To receive and place on file the APPLICATION, Jose Barbosa and Derek Mendes, d/b/a Casa Do Benfica, No. 27, Inc., for a SPECIAL PERMIT for a CLUB or LODGE, to be located at 34 Beetle Street, New Bedford, MA 02746 and open the public hearing..” (Motion: Giesta, second: Burgo)
To close the public hearing.
From the minutes
“On motion by Councillor Burgo and seconded by Councillor Oliver, the Committee VOTED: To close the public hearing..” (Motion: Burgo, second: Oliver)
To recommend to the City Council Approval of the Application, Jose Barbosa and Derek Mendes, d/b/a Casa Do Benfica, No. 27, Inc., for a Special Permit for a Club or Lodge, to be located at 34 Beetle Street, New Bedford, MA 02746.
Yes: Abreu, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Giesta, Gomes, Lopes, Morad, Oliver, PereiraAbsent: Baptiste
From the minutes
“On motion by Councillor Giesta and seconded by Councillor Oliver, the Committee VOTED: To recommend to the City Council APPROVAL of the APPLICATION, Jose Barbosa and Derek Mendes, d/b/a Casa Do Benfica, No. 27, Inc., for a SPECIAL PERMIT for a CLUB or LODGE, to be located at 34 Beetle Street, New Bedford, MA 02746..” (Motion: Giesta, second: Oliver)
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 →