Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 7 PM
Online only
This meeting has happened. Minutes are final.
What happened
4 items of legislation were taken up.
- 2 kept in committee
- 1 accepted
- 1 recommended to be approved
Agenda 4 items
Notices from the agenda
The meeting took place virtually via Zoom and was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chair Pineda Neufeld and adjourned at 7:22 PM on a roll call vote of 5 in favor (Councilors Mbah, Sait, Burnley, McLaughlin and Pineda Neufeld), none against and none absent. Others present: Charles Breen – Chief Fire Engineer, Ann Gill – Director of Human Resources, Hannah Carrillo – Legislative Liaison, Peter Forcellese – Legislative Clerk.
(Posted online: 4/27/24 at 7:30 AM)
Pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023, this meeting of a City Council Committee will be conducted via remote participation. We will post an audio recording, audio-video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels. Copy & paste the following link into your internet browser to view this meeting live: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uqcQA4cGTUmowo5NPqaQGQ Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e. CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance, at 617-625-6600 x2059 or ada@somervillema.gov. In keeping with the decisions of the Civil Service Commission, this committee is required to consider candidates for civil service positions solely on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skills. The commission’s decisions and basic merit principles outlined in the Personnel Administrations rules prohibit the arbitrary and capricious rejection of a candidate, including for political reasons, and demand a standard of “neutrally applied public policy” as guidance for our review. Committee members are encouraged to adhere to this standard while considering all candidates, regardless of civil service status.
Roll Call
Note: The Committee may meet in Executive Session to review protected personnel information or to discuss matters related to individual candidates pursuant to MGL c30A s21(a)(1).
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1.
Approval of the Minutes of the Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee Meeting of April 3, 2024.
Roll call: 5 aye
- Judy Pineda NeufeldAye
- Matthew McLaughlinAye
- Willie Burnley Jr.Aye
- Naima SaitAye
- Wilfred N. MbahAye
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2.
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Alyssa DuBois to the Board of Health.
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3.
Requesting confirmation of the appointment of Margaret H. Coit to the Board of Health.
{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\sl-284\slmult0\qj\tx722\tx2760\f0\fs24 This item was kept in committee due to a scheduling conflict.\par \pard\cf1\f1\par }
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4.
Requesting confirmation of the promotion of Charles D. Richardson to the position of Fire Captain.
{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\sl-284\slmult0\qj\tx722\tx2760\f0\fs24 Chief Breen introduced the candidate, Lt. Charles Richardson, to the committee. Lt. Richardson has been in the department for 22 years and holds several rescue certifications. He is currently serving as Acting Captain in Fire Prevention.\par \par Councilor Burnley asked the candidate what he has learned in the role as Acting Captain and what the city can do to improve supporting fire fighters. Lt. Richardson responded by saying that he learned to interact with various departments and he\rquote s learning the rules for different types of lab facilities. He said it would be helpful if there was more time to learn how to do specific paperwork tasks associated with the position and perhaps some additional training on the codes used by some companies.\par \par Councilor Mbah asked Lt. Richardson how he would handle his role with respect to discipline and the candidate explained that fire fighters work in small groups and that allows for an immediate correction of unwanted actions. He noted that, under normal circumstances, discipline is progressive, but depending on the severity of the incident, the matter could go right up the chain of command. The ranking officer in charge should require that the work be done properly.\par \par Councilor Sait asked Lt. Richardson if there is anything he wants to prioritize and he replied that he is working with a team of Fire Prevention personnel on ways to modernize the permitting process, which when complete will be very beneficial to the department. He would like to see the notification process automated to send advance notices to businesses advising them of upcoming inspections. Additionally, the team is meeting with CitizenServe staff to explore online permit payments.\par \par Chair Pineda Neufeld asked the candidate what he\rquote s looking forward to in this new role and also what concerns he may have about it. Lt. Richardson reflected on his time serving in a company and said that he\rquote s learned that the smallest things he might have done for someone made a big difference to them. Chair Pineda Neufeld asked the candidate if he received the notice of a possible Executive Session and he replied that he did receive it. None of the committee members had any questions for the candidate that would require moving into an Executive Session.\par \par Chair Pineda Neufeld explained that the appointment would not be official until it is approved by the City Council at its next meeting on May 9, 2024.\par \pard\cf1\f1\par }
Roll call: 5 aye
- Judy Pineda NeufeldAye
- Matthew McLaughlinAye
- Willie Burnley Jr.Aye
- Naima SaitAye
- Wilfred N. MbahAye