Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Portraits Placement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee approves placement of portraits honoring Revere’s first female councilors
Summary
An appointments subcommittee voted to install portraits of Margaret P. O'Hara, Elvira T. Curcio and Catherine Penn in the council chamber; advocates argued the portraits should appear alongside male predecessors to avoid segregation. The motion passed by unanimous roll call.
The Revere City Appointments Subcommittee voted to install three previously approved memorial portraits of the city’s first women councilors in the council chamber after a heated discussion about where the images would be most appropriately displayed.
Councilor Garrino Sawaya urged that the portraits be placed on the same wall as the portraits of male councilors so the women’s service is recognized as equal. "Their portraits are not simple decorations on a wall. They represent history, progress, and the courage it took for these women to step forward and serve the city of Revere," she said. Her remarks framed placement as a message to future generations about equality and visibility.
Other members stressed they did not intend to relegate the portraits to a lesser location. Councilor Silvestri said she supported the motion and characterized the earlier charges of marginalization as a misunderstanding. Councilor Cogliandro moved to install the three portraits in the chamber as proposed and the motion was seconded. The clerk recorded a unanimous favorable roll call, and the committee confirmed the installation location "on the far right of the chamber" pursuant to the city council rules of order.
The committee’s action implements the subcommittee’s interpretation of Rule 46 and advances the previously council-approved installations to concrete placement. The subcommittee chair closed discussion and adjourned with no further business.
The appointments subcommittee indicated the installation will proceed according to the recommendation; any further details about mounting, plaques, or unveiling were not specified at the meeting.
