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Council approves reappointments after heated debate over nonresident nominees
Summary
After prolonged debate and failed amendments to refer two reappointments to subcommittee, the council approved a slate of reappointments to boards and commissions; several councilors argued opponents should not single out nominees who do not live in Chelsea.
The City Council approved a slate of reappointments to local boards and commissions on Monday after extended debate over whether nominees who do not live in Chelsea should be eligible.
Councilor Michael Taylor moved to send two reappointments to a subcommittee for further review; that amendment failed on a roll call vote 2–8. The council then voted to approve the full slate of reappointments by voice and recorded roll call: nine members voted in favor, none opposed, and two were absent; the reappointments were approved.
Nut graf: The discussion focused on whether residency should be a requirement for service on city boards. Opponents of limiting appointments to residents argued some nominees have long records of service to Chelsea; proponents of stricter residency argued local boards should be composed of city residents.
Councilor Recupero spoke against appointing nonresidents to board seats. “If you wanna run my city, you live in my city,” he said. Councilor Robinson defended longstanding practice and urged recognition of years of prior service, saying former residents and long-serving members should not automatically be penalized.
The communication from the city manager listed the recommended appointees, including applicants for the Economic Development Board and Council on Elder Affairs and reappointments to the Chelsea Housing Authority, Board of Health, Licensing Commission, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. Names submitted for reappointment included Betsy Azevedo (Chelsea Housing Authority tenant representative), Mario Lina Fernandez (Board of Health), Jamie Santos (Council on Elder Affairs), Emily Cherniac (Licensing Commission), Christian de Jesus Franco (Planning Board), Arthur Arsenal (Zoning Board of Appeals) and others; the city manager attached resumes and requested approval.
Ending: With the vote the city manager may proceed with processing the reappointments. Councilors said they will consider process changes in future meetings but did not delay the current slate.
