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Union representative urges council not to make 'ambassador' title a substitute for policy changes
Summary
Jim Marks, a Teamsters business agent, told the council renaming parking officers 'ambassadors' won't change the job and urged the city to remove restrictions that bar officers from entering businesses while in uniform.
Jim Marks, business agent for Teamsters representing parking control officers, used the public comment period to oppose a proposal to rename parking officers "ambassadors." Marks said the officers already perform a mix of enforcement and customer-service duties and that a title change alone would not alter their role.
"Simply changing a title does not create ambassadors," Marks said, arguing the city should instead reconsider policies that prevent parking officers from entering local establishments while wearing uniforms so they can better serve customers and business owners. He urged the council to preserve the enforcement plus service model he described as already in practice in Newburyport.
