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New Bedford City Council · 2026 committees

Council committees

Most items go to a committee before the full council votes. Committees study them and send a recommendation back. Here are the 19 committees, who sits on each, and what they sent to the full council.

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Chair: Naomi R. A. Carney · 11 membersCommittee on Appointments and Briefings131 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Shawn Oliver · 5 membersCommittee on Audit8 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Shawn Oliver · 11 membersCommittee on City Property58 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Leo Choquette · 5 membersCommittee on Economic DevelopmentRecommendations to the full council Chair: Joseph P. Lopes · 11 membersCommittee on Finance138 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Derek Baptiste · 5 membersCommittee on Fisheries3 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Brian K. Gomes · 5 membersCommittee on Internal Affairs4 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Shane A. Burgo · 11 membersCommittee on Ordinances85 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Brian K. Gomes · 11 membersCommittee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods44 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Derek Baptiste · 5 membersCommittee on Veterans Affairs, Elderly, Youth, Health, Housing and Disability Issues2 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Leo Choquette · 5 membersSpecial Committee on Airport7 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Ian Abreu · 5 membersSpecial Committee on Environmental Affairs9 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Shane A. Burgo · 5 membersSpecial Committee on Housing3 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Derek Baptiste · 5 membersSpecial Committee on Memorials and Dedications24 meetings with posted minutes Chair: Shane A. Burgo · 11 membersSpecial Committee on Affordable Housing and Homeless Affairs (2024)10 meetings with posted minutes Committee of the whole · 1 membersSpecial Committee on Cannabis Regulation and Host Community Agreements Review (2022–2023)9 meetings with posted minutes Committee of the whole · 1 membersSpecial COVID-19 Business Committee (2022)3 meetings with posted minutes Committee of the whole · 1 membersAd Hoc Committee on the Revision of City Council's Rules of Order (2022)1 meeting with posted minutes Chair: Ian Abreu · 5 membersSpecial Committee on Special Permits and Licensing5 meetings with posted minutes

Committee assignments from the city’s 2026 committee list. Members and chairs are from the 2026 committee list (assignments in earlier years were different). The city posts minutes for most committees; meetings from 2014 through 2025 are included. Committees without posted minutes show the recommendations they 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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