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Worcester advisory council advances a slate of applicants to city boards and commissions
Summary
At its July 8 meeting the Worcester City Citizen Advisory Council approved minutes and voted to forward multiple applicants for nomination to local boards and commissions, including the Human Rights Commission, Community Preservation Committee and Historical Commission.
WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester City Citizen Advisory Council voted July 8 to approve its June minutes and to forward a slate of applicants for consideration by human resources and the appointing authorities for several city boards and commissions.
The council approved the minutes as amended and then moved through interviews and individual votes on roughly a dozen applicants who had applied to two or more city boards each. Applicants spoke briefly about their backgrounds and what they would bring to the volunteer roles; the council asked follow-up questions before voting on each application.
The appointments, which the council said will move on to the city’s Human Resources office for next steps, included nominees for the Status of Women board, Human Rights Commission, Historical Commission, Thomas Early Scholarship board, Ballpark Commission, Community Preservation Committee, Commission on Homelessness, Elder Affairs Commission, Community Preservation Committee, LGBTQ+ Affairs, Arts Council and others. Several nominees emphasized previous volunteer work in Worcester or professional experience relevant to the commissions they applied to.
Robin Curry, who said she founded the Central Mass Freedom Coalition and has done outreach and training on human trafficking and “end demand” initiatives, applied to both the Status of Women board and the Human Rights Commission. Curry described prior work with hospitals and an awareness-and-reporting training policy she helped advance for hotel employees during a period of construction-related hotel growth in the city. The council voted to forward Curry’s applications for both bodies.
Daniel Forster, who described a 23-year Worcester residency and a background in higher education and history, was forwarded to the Historical Commission and the Thomas Early Scholarship board. Jennifer Guzman Gaiflor (also identified as Jenny Guzman), a longtime Worcester resident and college advising coordinator who described two decades of equity work in education, was forwarded to the city’s African American and Black Affairs Commission and the Latino Affairs Commission.
Other applicants forwarded by the council included Joseph Haddad (Ballpark Commission; Community Preservation Committee), Kathleen Gervais (Commission on Homelessness), Glenn Pape (Elder Affairs Commission), Marissa Robertson (Community Preservation Committee; LGBTQ+ Affairs), Kathleen O’Connor (Historical Commission; Community Preservation Committee), Hasid Mahmood (Historical Commission; Arts Council), Erin Michelotti (Arts Council), Bruce Starr (Historical Commission) and several others. Applicants represented a mix of volunteer experience, nonprofit work, small-business ownership and professional backgrounds in areas such as grants, education, construction and social services.
Votes at a glance - Minutes (June meeting): approved as amended (moved, seconded; roll call recorded in transcript). - Robin Curry — Status of Women: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Robin Curry — Human Rights Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Daniel Forster — Historical Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Daniel Forster — Thomas Early Scholarship Board: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Jennifer Guzman Gaiflor — African American and Black Affairs: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Jennifer Guzman Gaiflor — Latino Affairs Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Joseph Haddad — Ballpark Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Joseph Haddad — Community Preservation Committee: approved (6 yes, 1 no; Rachel recorded a “No”). - Kathleen Gervais — Commission on Homelessness: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Glenn Pape — Elder Affairs Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Marissa Robertson — Community Preservation Committee: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Marissa Robertson — LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Kathleen O’Connor — Historical Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Kathleen O’Connor — Community Preservation Committee: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Hasid Mahmood — Historical Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Hasid Mahmood — Arts Council: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Erin Michelotti — Arts Council: approved (7 yes, 0 no). - Bruce Starr — Historical Commission: approved (7 yes, 0 no).
What councilors asked and applicants said - Several applicants spoke to prior local volunteer work or professional experience relevant to the commission they sought. For example, Curry described training programs for hotel staff and city contractors aimed at identifying and reporting human trafficking; Joseph Haddad, a local business owner and contractor, noted his experience with ADA upgrades at the ballpark; and Marissa Robertson cited state-level grant management work and experience assessing proposals for pilot projects under the Community Preservation Committee.
- In a longer exchange about elder services, applicant Glenn Pape outlined a desire for a data-driven plan to reach older residents. He cited figures during his remarks, saying the senior center “reaches 6,800” residents while the city contains roughly 35,000–39,000 people aged 65 and older, and argued for a systematic plan to identify gaps and opportunities for outreach, services and intergenerational programs.
- Kathleen Gervais, who asked to be considered for the new Commission on Homelessness, described two decades of volunteer work with Worcester’s unhoused population and recommended a year-round, permanent shelter and expanded mental-health and job-training services.
Process and next steps The Citizen Advisory Council interviewed each applicant on the record, took a roll-call vote on every application and recorded the results. Council members said Human Resources will contact the applicants about the next steps in the city appointment process. The council also reminded members about fall recruitment opportunities, including the Worcester Regional Research Bureau debates, and set its next meeting for Wednesday, Aug. 13 (hybrid, Esther Howland Chambers).
The council’s votes forward the applicants for departmental follow-up and any formal appointment actions by the mayor or relevant appointing authority; the CAC’s vote does not itself constitute a final appointment.
