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Council gives favorable recommendation to reappoint Alex J. Weiner to New Bedford Board of Health
Summary
Councilors recommended reappointment of Alex J. Weiner to the Board of Health after he spoke about public engagement and defended minimum cigar-pricing as evidence-based. He pledged better outreach if reappointed.
The New Bedford City Council—s committee on appointments and briefings on April 15 voted to remove the reappointment of Alex J. Weiner to the Board of Health from the table and provided a favorable recommendation to the full council.
Why it matters: Weiner serves on the board that can set local public-health policies; his approach to tobacco regulation and community engagement was the focus of council questions.
Weiner, who said he would be five weeks into parenthood, told the committee he holds a Master of Public Health from Drexel and a degree from Yale School of Nursing and has worked as a nurse practitioner. He said he has "perfect attendance" at board meetings and that becoming a parent had deepened his commitment to residents' health.
Weiner addressed criticism from local business owners about the board—s approach to minimum cigar pricing, acknowledging that while the board had followed legal outreach procedures it had not achieved "real engagement." "Independence doesn't mean isolation," he said, adding that if reappointed he would "commit to ensuring that collaboration and transparency are part of our culture, not just our process." He also defended the policy: "Minimum pricing is an evidence based strategy and I believe it's a sound public health measure."
Councilors pressed him on outreach and whether the board would collaborate with the council on policies that had economic impact. Councilor Joseph Lopes asked Weiner to commit on the record that the board would engage the council through staff on future policies with potential adverse economic effects; Weiner agreed and Lopes said he would hold him to it.
Procedural notes: the mayor had submitted Weiner's reappointment; the communication said the term would expire in February 2028 and that the matter had been referred to the committee on Feb. 13, 2025 and previously tabled. After questions, a motion to provide a favorable recommendation was recorded.
What—s next: The committee—s favorable recommendation will be reported to the full City Council for final consideration.
