MassVoter.com← Somerville City CouncilSomerville City Council · 2020–2021 Council · Regular meeting
June 10, 2021
40 recorded votes, 8 with disagreement.
Sources: Official minutes (PDF) · Meeting video · City meeting page
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Note on these minutes: Called to order by Ward One City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin.
Present: Wilfred Mbah, Mary Jo Rossetti, William White, Matthew McLaughlin, J.T. Scott, Ben Ewen-Campen, Jesse Clingan, Mark Niedergang, Lance Davis, Katjana Ballantyne, Kristen Strezo
Absent: None
During the meeting:
- Wilfred Mbah recused from the vote on Mayor's Request #212074 (Requesting acceptance of a $36,000 grant with no new match required, from the...).
Every vote, in order
Minutes #212020
Approve the minutes of the May 13, 2021 regular meeting
Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting, May 13, 2021.
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Citation #212021
The Mayor Commending Kenia Alfaro after 5 years of outstanding service to immigrant families as the Welcome Project's Director of Parental Engagement and Education Policy
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212022
Submitted by RCN to install 7 feet of conduit in the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Adelaide Road, from Utility Pole 545/1 to an existing RCN conduit
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212023
Submitted by Crown Castle to install 15 feet of conduit in Somerville Avenue, from Manhole 20654, located near the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Kilby Street, to a point of pickup at 366...
Submitted by Crown Castle to install 15 feet of conduit in Somerville Avenue, from Manhole 20654, located near the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Kilby Street, to a point of pickup at 366 Somerville Avenue.
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212024
Submitted by Comcast to install 10 feet of conduit in Washington Street from an existing Utility Pole, located at the intersection of Washington and Franklin Sts, to a point of pickup at 103...
Submitted by Comcast to install 10 feet of conduit in Washington Street from an existing Utility Pole, located at the intersection of Washington and Franklin Sts, to a point of pickup at 103 Washington Street.
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212027
Submitted by Eversource to install 1,200 feet of conduit along Mystic Avenue from Medford, MA to Boston, MA as part of the Woburn Transmission Line project
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212028
Submitted by Eversource to install 36 feet of conduit in Sycamore Street, from Utility Pole 329/2 to a point of pickup at 8 Sycamore Street
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212029
Submitted by Eversource to install 34 feet of conduit in Hawthorne Street, from Utility Pole 391/3 to a point of pickup at 26 Hawthorne Street
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Grant of Location #212030
Submitted by Eversource to install 47 feet of conduit in Highland Avenue, from Manhole 14706 to a point of pickup at 136 Highland Avenue
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212032
Requesting acceptance of a $100,000 grant with no new match required, from the MA Department of Transportation to the SPCD Mobility Division for improvements to Mystic Avenue and Shore Drive
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Officer's Communication #212034
Place on file: Director of Health and Human Services conveying the Supervised Consumption Site Penultimate Report
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Officer's Communication #212035
Place on file: Director of Health and Humans Services responding to #208261 re: funding for drug treatment
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212036
Public Event License, Hyphae movement-and-text performance, Chuckie Harris Park, Sept 13-19, 4-9pm (raindates Sept 25-26)
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212037
Renewing Flammables License, Mercedes Benz of Boston, 259 McGrath Hwy
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212038
Renewing Garage License, Herb Chambers I-93, 259 McGrath Hwy
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212039
Renewing Garage License, Herb Chambers I-93, 71 Linwood St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212040
Renewing Garage License, Mercedes Benz of Boston, 19 Joy St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212041
Renewing Garage License, Mercedes Benz of Boston, 161 Linwood St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212042
Renewing Garage License, Mercedes Benz of Boston Commercial Vans, 161 Linwood St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212043
Renewing Garage License, Junior Auto Body, 486R Columbia St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212044
Renewing Outdoor Parking License, Mercedes Benz of Boston, 161 Linwood St
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212045
Renewing Open Air Vendor License, The Somerville Flea, Buena Vista Parking Lot
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212046
Small Wireless Facility License, Extenet attaching small wireless facilities on a replacement pole at the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Bow Market Way
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Public Communication #212049
Place on file: Joe Kislo submitting comments re: #211170, an amendment to re-zone the property at 256 and 278 Elm, 58 Day, and 7 Herbert Streets to a mix of Civic and CC4
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212068
Requesting the appropriation of $65,844 from the Salary Contingency Salaries Account to Departmental Non-Union Holiday Accounts to pay staff for the Juneteenth Holiday
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212074
Requesting acceptance of a $36,000 grant with no new match required, from the Department of Environmental Protection to the DPW for the Recycling Program
Yes: Ballantyne, Clingan, Davis, Ewen-Campen, McLaughlin, Niedergang, Rossetti, Scott, Strezo, WhiteWilfred Mbah recused and is left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [10 TO 0] AYES: Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen- Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne RECUSED: Mbah.”
Mayor's Request #212075
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Connor Colbert to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212076
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Daniel Higgins to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212077
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Jason Kenney to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212078
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Brittany Taylor to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212079
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Nicholas Halloran to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212080
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Sean Marquis to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212081
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Daniel O'Donnell to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212082
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Jeffrey Querusio to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Mayor's Request #212083
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Matthew Sullivan to the position of Firefighter
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Officer's Communication #212084
Place on file: Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management responding to #211944 re: coordination with the EPA and MWRA on Combined Sewer Overflows
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
License/Permit #212085
Public Event License, Arts Council Big Gay Dance Party, Union Square parking lot and plaza, June 11, 4-10pm (raindate June 18)
From the minutes
“RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Officer's Communication #212086
Place on file: Director of Racial and Social Justice conveying a letter regarding the June 7 Finance Committee budget hearing
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Public Communication #212087
Place on file: Courtney O'Keefe submitting comments re: #212034, Supervised Consumption Sites
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
Officer's Communication #212088
Place on file: Police Chief responding to #211826 re: reviewing the past 20 years of Police Department reform recommendations and resultant changes
The minutes record the result as “Placed on file”, with a roll call.
From the minutes
“RESULT: PLACED ON FILE. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Mbah, Rossetti, Strezo, White Jr., McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Niedergang, Davis, Ballantyne.”
From the Somerville City Council’s official minutes, posted on the city’s Legistar meeting calendar (July 2022 on) and its older meeting portal (2010 to mid-2022), both linked from the City Council page on somervillema.gov. We check every vote against the councilors present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Councilor photos: City of Somerville (somervillema.gov) official headshots for Ben Ewen-Campen, Jesse Clingan, Lance Davis, Wilfred Mbah, Naima Sait, J.T. Scott and Kristen Strezo; The Somerville Times (thesomervilletimes.com) for Emily Hardt, Jon Link, Matthew McLaughlin and Ben Wheeler. Former councilors show initials.
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