Finance committee recommends reappointments to building and tax boards and housing court; judges outline court technology and inspection concerns

The Providence City Committee on Finance on Jan. 20 recommended approval of a slate of reappointments submitted by the mayor and heard from several appointees and housing court judges about board workloads, building-code enforcement and court modernization.

Why it matters: The reappointments fill multi-year terms on city boards that hear appeals on building permits and tax assessments and maintain the Housing Court’s bench. Committee members voted to forward the mayor’s recommended appointees to the full City Council, and members used the opportunity to press appointees and judges for details about workloads, staffing and planned improvements to court processes.

Votes at a glance - Bruce Farfel, reappointment to the Building Board of Review for a term to expire 2028/01/01 — recommendation approved by the committee (forwarded to full Council). Bruce Farfel told the committee he has served on the board about 10 years and said, "My background is a structural engineer." - Nelson Ferreira, reappointment to the Building Board of Review for a term to expire 2025/01/01 (transcript packet lists 01/01/2030 for some appointees) — recommendation approved. Ferreira described experience in construction and said the…