City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening and welcome to the regular meeting for the Lawrence City Council. Today is Wednesday, August 5th, 2026. Pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Act of 2022, this meeting will be hybrid, allowing participation both in person, in the city council chambers, as well as remotely. The Zoom link was provided to anybody that requested. This meeting is also being transmitted live through the Lawrence City Council channels, the YouTube and the Facebook. Roll call, Madam Clerk.

Councilor Gonzalez? Present. Councilor Miguel? Present. Councilor Marmo?

Present.

Councilor Infante?

Present.

Councilor Reyes is noted as absent. She did let us know she will be here. Oh, she's here, wonderful. Even better. Councilor Del Rosario?

Present.

Councilor LaPlante?

Present.

Councilor Vice President?

Present.

Councilor President?

Present. Please join me for a moment of silence.

Council President, could I ask at the moment of silence for Brother Roy, who passed away from Central Catholic? You have the floor. I just did it. Thank you.

Now join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

Cancelers can get a motion to approve minutes from July 15th, 2026, also May 5th, 2026. So moved.

Second.

There's a motion in front of us, properly seconded discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. So public participation, we have anybody that have signed their name, going to have two and a half minute to speak on public participation. Please refer to this council as a whole. The first person that we have on the list is Lenin Roa, senior. Name and address for the record, please.

Here, Mike.

Yeah, thank you.

Sorry. Good afternoon, guys. My name is Lenin Roa. I live at 36 Columbus Avenue in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The reason why I'm here today, it's very simple. About a year and a half ago, I was walking the streets with a friend of mine, Evan Severino. He has a taller at 139 Jackson Street. And we happened to get a call. We got a call and a veteran died. A veteran died and he died because of not having the proper medicine and he did not know how to properly act in the system or what not. The person died because of not having the funds in his family to cover himself, medicine, food wise and stuff like that. He did not know, obviously his wife didn't even know either that he had the opportunity to access the 115 fund that we veterans have and the city and everybody else with. The reason why I'm saying this today is because there is a problem right now going on with the actual DAV. The DAV has a house here in Lawrence, or a building, and they were trying to give services to the veterans in the city And the house is, there's a problem with that. I need you guys to look at that and see exactly what it is that's going on in that house and why they cannot stay in the house, what's going on that they cannot stay somewhere else, why is it being stripped from them. I get a lot of messages about this and I'm just looking at one bell and I'm not looking at the other. So I need to know exactly what's going on with that because I'm going to tell you the truth. I retired in 2008. I have a DD 214 that says that I fell from a plane and broke my back in three places. I have a bullet, one, and I have a bullet inside my back right now when I got shot twice in service. I could have lost my way of walking and stopped. After four months of walking in a place, I was able to walk again. Veterans in this country, we're being misplaced and we're being mishandled all kinds of way. I'm just letting you know, as Lawrence, I think we can do better. There's things that we need to do and the veterans of this city needs help. They need help. And I'm here for that, and I'm going to be here for that the whole time that I can. So please, if anything you guys can do for this or anything at all that I bring over to you, please do so. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, and thank you for your service, Mr. Rourke. The next person is Rich Rosor, Councillor Rosor. Name and address for the record, please.

Good evening, councillors. Rich Russell, 34 Cross Street. In 1965, a rather obscure musical group called Hedgehoppers Anonymous recorded a song, It's Good News Week. The reason I bring this up is after spending an enjoyable evening on the Common at National Night Out, listening to a variety of rumors about City Hall, a redo of that song with a new title of It's Good Rumor Night would be very appropriate. On to questionable items on tonight's agenda. Why is the mayor replacing somebody he eliminated from the FY27 budget with agenda item 319.26? Is agenda item 324.26 going to regulate all of those raggedy looking, overloaded with junk pickup trucks that seem to drive rampantly on the city streets of Lawrence? What is agenda item 345.26 proposing to do? Give veterans a get-out-of-parking-ticket-free card? How are the parking meter vulture companies gonna react to lost parking revenue if that happens? When, because this is several items on the agenda, late files, the whole nine yards, when are people placing items on the Council agenda going to learn the proper time frame for pricing these items on the agenda and then should be and that should be a no-no when they start crying but it's an emergency why should we correct their screw-ups when is the city going to create a fully staffed office in the city called office of rumor control What can I say? Oh, one last thing. When are the steel plates at the intersection of Broadway and Dan Alito's Way going to be replaced? Those plates have been in the road for almost two months. There was a well-developed pothole where one of them has been bouncing around and is digging into the dirt. I don't care who you are, the damn plates should be off the road.

Thank you, Council Rosso, and thank you for your service as well. All these names are going to be submitted for the record.

Council President.

Council LaPlante.

Will there be any objection? I forgot to put my name on there. I just want to announce the next two Lawrence Square Project locations. Will that be permitted? Thank you. Thank you, Counselors, and thank you for the courtesy this evening. Our next two Lawrence Square projects, the next one will be taking place tomorrow, which is Thursday, August the 6th, and it's totally appropriate that we have so many firefighters here this evening because the individual who we're going to remember and rededicate tomorrow is Captain Daniel F. Maloney, and his square is located at the intersection of the corner of Broadway and Cross Street. And why I say it's appropriate that we're doing it tonight with these firefighters here, Captain Daniel F. Maloney was not only a veteran and fought in World War I and was a decorated veteran, but when he returned back, among other things, he ended up working for the Lawrence Fire Department. His claim to fame is this. Number one, he was very involved in beginning the ambulance service. Number two, there was a fire prevention unit that he initiated back in the day. And number three, today there is physical requirements for our public safety individuals, police and fire, and the instruction course was something that he initiated back in the 1920s and 1930s. So that's Captain Daniel F. Maloney. And of course, everyone here is divided to remember his story and other things about him. And the second one is August 13th. And this is a private first class Joseph V. Mealy Square. He has squares at the intersection of Lawrence Street and Chestnut Street. And there were two members who died in the Korean War. We did one the other day. But this one is Joseph V. Mealy. He was killed in action during the Korean War. And we're going to remember his story on that day. Thank you, Counselors.

Cancelers, today we have a special guest with us, and I would like to first recognize the guests that we have at the chambers. We have Leonette Raquel Morales. She's Miss Massachusetts Teen. She's welcome. And we also have three different firefighters that are gonna be recognized tonight. We have Mr. Servius, Mr. Seros, Mr. Pedrosa, and Mr. Martinez. So we have four special guests in this room today. And we'd like to right away, Right away, we would like to take those four items as a block and out of order to be able to recognize those individuals. The first item is item 349.26. 350, 26, 351, 26, as well as 321, 26, different resolutions. And as our rules allow us to recognize one person on the same night that it was introduced, I would like to proceed with those recognitions, if it is any objection. All right, I hear none. Item 349.26, proclamation honoring Lawrence Firefighter Dan Servius for a heroic effort on July 12, 2026. So as well as item 350.26, proclamation honoring Lawrence Firefighter Otoniel Pedrosa. on his heroic effort on July 12th, 2026. And item 351 26 proclamation honoring firefighter, Lawrence firefighter Jason Martinez for his heroic effort on July 12th, 2026. We are going to proceed allowing Councillor Infante to go to the podium and Councillor Malmo to go into the podium. and present those proclamations honoring those three firefighters from Lowndes. You may proceed.

Good evening, colleagues. Counselor Marmo here, along with my colleague, Counselor Infante. I want to first and foremost show my appreciation with Counselor Infante always being on top of recognizing not only city employees, but individuals in general, and honoring them for for heroic acts in our city. The first proclamation that I would like to present is for Lawrence firefighter Otoniel Pedroza. If you don't mind standing next to me. So Otoniel, be it known we, the members of the Lawrence City Council by and through this proclamation hereby honor and celebrate Lawrence firefighter Otoniel Pedrosa. Whereas firefighter Otoniel Pedrosa demonstrated the highest ideals of public service through his unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and safety of the residents of the city of Lawrence. And whereas on July 12th of 2026, during the devastating five Alarm fire at the intersection of Havel Street and Margin Street. Firefighter Pedroza displayed exceptional courage, professionalism, and resolve while operating under extreme and life-threatening conditions. And whereas serving as a crucial member of the rescue effort alongside his fellow firefighters, Firefighter Pedroza played an indispensable role in the rapid deployment of a ground ladder and the successful rescue of Mr. Francisco Enriquez from the third floor of a burning building, helping to ensure that a life was saved through the coordinated action, expert training, and unwavering teamwork, and whereas Firefighter Pedroza's calm leadership, selfless dedication, and steadfast commitment to his fellow firefighters and the citizens they serve exemplify the highest traditions of the Lawrence Fire Department, His actions demonstrate the extraordinary acts of heroism are often accomplished through teamwork, trust, and unwavering devotion to duty, bringing great honor to the city of Lawrence and inspiring our entire community. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Lawrence City Council hereby extends its deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to firefighter Otoniel Pedroza for his exemplary service, courageous actions, and invaluable role in the life-saving rescue conducted on July 12th of 2026, the City of Lawrence proudly recognizes his professional bravery and commitment to protecting others and commends him for exemplifying the very finest traditions of the Lawrence Fire Department. The Lawrence City Council hereby sets his hand and causes the seal of the city to be affixed this fifth day of August in the year of 2026.

Thank you so much for your service.

In addition, I would like to introduce this proclamation. Be it known, we the members of the Lawrence City Council by and through this proclamation hereby honor and celebrate Lawrence firefighter Jason Martinez. Don't be shy. Whereas firefighter Jason Martinez demonstrated the highest ideals of public service through the unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and safety of the residents of the city of Lawrence. And whereas on July 12th, July 12th, 2026, during the devastating fire at the intersection of Haverhill Street and Margin Street, firefighter Pedroza, this needs to be fixed. Firefighter Martinez displayed exceptional courage, professionalism, and resolve while operating under extreme and life-threatening conditions, and whereas serving as a crucial member of the rescue efforts, alongside his fellow firefighters, Firefighter Martinez played an indispensable role in the rapid deployment of a ground ladder and the successful rescue of Mr. Francisco Enriquez from the third floor of a burning building, helping to ensure that a life was saved through coordinated action, expert training, and unwavering teamwork. And whereas the firefighter, Martinez, calm leadership, selfless dedication, and steadfast commitment to his fellow firefighters and the citizens they serve exemplify the highest traditions of the Lawrence Fire Department. His actions demonstrate that extraordinary acts of heroism are often accomplished through teamwork, trust, and unwavering devotion to duty, bringing great honor to the city of Lawrence and inspiring our entire community. So now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Lawrence City Council hereby extends its deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to firefighter Jason Martinez for his exemplary service, courageous actions, and invaluable role in the life-saving rescue conducted on July 12th. The city of Lawrence proudly recognizes his professionalism, bravery, and commitment to protecting others and commends him for exemplifying the very finest traditions of the Lawrence Fire Department. The Lawrence City Council hereby sets its hand and causes the seal of the city to be affixed this fifth day of August in the year of 2026. Thank you so much for your service. We're going to have to address that.

I promise I have my phone with me for a good reason. It is also our great honor to recognize tonight Fighter Fighter Dan Sorois for his extraordinary bravery during the Haverhill Street Fire. Without hesitation, Fighter Fighter Sorois climbed the ladder into the burning home, rescuing 72-year-old Francisco Henriquez, giving him the opportunity to return safely to his family. That act exemplifies the courage and selflessness we hope for in our first responders, but rarely have the chance to actually see it done in person. As a city councilor for District E, I am especially proud of fighter fighter Dan Sorois, who is a constituent of mine. His actions brought honor, not only to the Lawrence Fire Department, but to our entire city. Dan, on behalf of the Lawrence City Council and the residents of Lawrence, thank you for your courage, for your humility, and your selfless dedication to our community and to serving others. You truly embody the very best of our community. And in addition to that, I want to share with my fellow council members and to the public, Fighter Fighter Savoy's response when I reached out to him about this act. And I quote, Just doing the job I love. It's easy when you have a great team around you. So that just shows you how selfless he really is. And I am proud to stand here with my colleagues to honor you. Fighter fighter, Dan Sorois, thank you so much for your bravery and your work.

Are you sure?

I would like to invite Chief Delaney now for a couple words before we proceed.

Good evening, council. Thank you. Council Chairman, Council, for this recognition. It's a great feat that they performed that day. I'd like to say a little bit about that fire. It really got a big head start on us. They were actually on Common Street, I believe, and Deputy LaDuke, who's here with us tonight, the shift commander, looked up and he's seeing the smoke in the air. So he came on his radio and he asked, fire alarm, do we have anything going on in Tower Hill? and they stated that they didn't. Within 30 seconds, they stated that they were getting multiple reports of a building fire. So when our crews pulled up, they actually had three occupied dwelling units on fire. It was very, very hectic at that time, so I would also like to commend Deputy Chief Wayne LeDuc for his actions that day. These firefighters who performed this rescue, they weren't actually all in the same truck, so when we pulled up, there was a lot to do. We tried to deploy some large hose lines. It was in the back. It went unseen for a little bit, so they had a lot of work ahead of them. And what these three firefighters did is somebody recognized somebody up in the window, and they came together as a group. and grabbed the ladder and was able to perform this rescue, which is, again, in the highest standards of the Lawrence Fire Department. Professionalism, courageousness, and an unwavering duty to protect our public. And so, on behalf of the Lawrence Fire Department, I would like to thank the council for recognizing our members. Thank you.

Can I, can I please have a minute to express myself? One more item and then we'll take a break. Councillors, we have one, before we take a recess, we have one more item to present.

Council President, can I say something before the . Thank you to you. Can you move the guys over? This recognition actually touched part of me. I might screw up your life now. Because Officer Otoniel Pedrosa is actually my oldest daughter's uncle, so I actually Saw him grow. I mean, like, he used to live with me when he was a little kid. He went to medical things that we went as a family together. His father was a police officer in Puerto Rico and got killed. And seeing Otoniel today be so successful, it makes me so proud of you, bro. So proud of you. And I know my daughters are watching this and they love you and we love you too. I'm proud to see you succeed. And hopefully they don't take this personal because the city is all crazy going now. You became a firefighter before I was dreaming to be a city councilor. And that also makes me more proud to see you where you are. Otoniel, congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you, Chancellor, for expressing those emotional moments with us. Yeah, and one more, and then we'll. Thank you. Councillors, on this item, one minute, please. On this item, item 321, 26, a little bit different. It was submitted as a resolution, so we're gonna have to take a few vote before we actually present it. So, Councillors, I'm looking for a motion to suspend rule 12A.

So moved. Second.

There is a motion in front of us properly second discussion This is not a resolution company.

Are we talking about which item?

Yes, I don't I don't 321 26 So it is a resolution. Yeah All right. That is a item in front of us properly second. There is no discussion all those in favor. Please say aye. Aye any nays The ayes have it now. I need another vote. I this is a I motion to declare this item as an emergency for the convenience of the public.

So moved. Second.

Motion in front of us, properly second discussion.

Discussion.

Councilor Platt.

I'll be voting in favor of this. But listen, can we do all ourselves a favor? Can we just give it a different name? Can we call it a citation? Can we call it a proclamation? Our rules are very specific about resolution, which is what puts us into this pickle and have to do this emergency. So in the future, I would ask my colleagues, just don't name it a resolution. Name it something else. That way, we don't have to do what we're about to do right now. Thank you.

All right. Any other discussion? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. I have motion number three, which is a motion to adopt the resolution.

Motion to adopt the resolution. Second.

Motion in front of us, probably second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. I'm going to call Councillor Malmo to go to the podium and introduce and present the resolution to Ms. Thiem and come over. Malmo, you can come as well.

Good evening, Councillors. To me, it's an extra honor to present this resolution to Eliane Raquel Morales, Miss Massachusetts Teen of 2026. Briefly, I just want to mention, I went to college with your mom. Went to college. And I've seen so much how your mom has, and I've seen you grow up. You've grown up before us. I've seen so much how your mom has advocated for you. She really fights for you to put you in spaces to become who you are right now. And I just want you to know how much your mom loves you. And not only do you make your mother proud. Girl, you're going to make me cry. Not only do you make your mother proud, but you truly make all of us proud. And you literally put our city up in a pedestal by continuously accomplishing. Because this is just one of many goals. I'm pretty sure I'm going to see you on a bigger stage. So with that being said, where is mom? Oh, come on. Be it known that we the members of the Lawrence City Council by and through this resolution hereby honor and celebrate Lianette Raquel Morales, Miss Massachusetts Teen 2026. Whereas the City of Lawrence takes pride in recognizing individuals who through their dedication to service and their commitment to empowering others become outstanding representatives of the City of Lawrence. In that spirit, the Lawrence City Council celebrates Leonette Raquel Morales on the occasion of her historic achievement as Miss Massachusetts Teen 2026, becoming the first young woman from the city of Lawrence to earn this distinguished title and the opportunity to represent the Commonwealth of Mass at the Miss America's Teen Competition. And whereas As the founder of Tap Into Your Greatness, Leonette created an inspiring youth empowerment initiative dedicated to helping children and teenagers build confidence, develop leadership skills, discover their purpose, and overcome challenges through mentorship, educational workshops, and meaningful community engagements. And whereas Leonette has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to public service through her advocacy for heart health and CPR education, raising nearly $20,000 for the American Heart Association during the Miss America's Teen Go Red for Women campaign, earning first place in her region and third place nationally. And whereas her pursuit of both academic and athletic excellence is reflected in her studies at Boston University Academy and her dual enrollment at Boston University where she serves as an executive admissions ambassador and peer advisor exemplifying scholarship, leadership, and service to others while also being an accomplished competitive dancer and world silver medalist representing Team USA. Lianette has showcased exceptional talent discipline, and determination on the international stage while serving as a role model for young people throughout Lawrence and beyond. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Lawrence City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Lawrence, hereby extends our highest praise and congratulations to Liane Raquel Morales and wishes her continued success as she represents the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the Miss America's Teen Competition. The Lawrence City Council hereby sets its hand and causes the seal of the city to be affixed this day of August in the year of 2026. Congratulations, Llanet Morales.

Good evening, everyone. I want to thank first God for his guidance and for all the opportunities he gives to me. And I would like to thank Council President Giovanni Rodriguez and everybody from the Lawrence City Council for having me here today. Lawrence is a proud part of who I am.

It has shaped me greatly. And my passion for service that I have now is because of the amazing city we have here. And through my community service initiative, Tap Into Your Greatness, I hope to continue to empower and inspire young children throughout the entire Commonwealth, as well as the entire nation, hopefully. So thank you all for this recognition and this resolution and everything you have done for me. Thank you.

I'll entertain a motion to recess.

Motion for a five-minute recess.

Second. There's a motion from our boss properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

So we have a few more items to do the same thing.

Same thing, two more items. Declare an emergency.

No, no, no, that was before.

That was before. Yeah, it's on here.

Do you wanna, we need a motion to recess.

Councilors, can I get a motion to get a recess?

So moved.

Thank you.

There's a motion to get a recess. Properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Councilors, we need to take two items. out of order. And we need to take a few vote on those items. Those are new business, that's item 32126. Hold on. Item 328.26, as well as item 332.26. Same situation, we need to suspend the rules so they don't go to committee. And then we're going to have to declare an emergency invasion on specific reasons. And subsequently, individually separate, we need to either adopt those items or discuss it for a specific vote. So as a block, If there is no objections, I would like to take item 328.26 as well as item 332.26 to suspend rule 12A. Can I get a motion for that?

So moved. Second.

There's a motion in front of us. Properly second discussion.

Discussion.

Councilor LeBlanc.

Do it as a block?

Yes, as a block.

I think we should.

For the final vote, it will be individually. Okay, the second vote will be to declare as an emergency. So this is the suspended rule not to send it to committee. Then the second vote will be to declare an emergency. Okay, on that one we'll take it individually. So any discussions of the suspended rule 12A? I hear none, all those in favor please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Now, councillors, I would like to take item 332.26, which is ALA's Mutual Initiative at Cronin Park. That item I would like to declare as an emergency for the convenience of the public. So move. Can I hear a motion? Thank you. There is a motion. Second discussion.

Discussion.

Councilor Platt.

What is our schedule for city council meetings for August? Are we having one in two weeks?

We will have another meeting in two weeks.

So that would be August the what? The 18th. 18th. August the 18th.

So this event will happen, if we adopt it today, it will happen tomorrow, starting tomorrow, the painting.

I'm in a weird spot, Council President. I'll be very candid with you, as I always am. I'm in a pickle. Oftentimes, we have more meetings, And when we have more meetings, typically the need to have emergency meetings or resolutions that have to be done as emergencies seem to lessen. And so through no fault of these individuals, they probably put it in. I don't even know when they submit this request in to us. Does it say it on the agenda, on the packet?

It's in the package.

Can someone help me with that? Do we know when that was put in there? So the application date was July 22nd. I'm seeing that here. I'm trying to think of, was there a meeting that was?

If it is, it was not in a special meeting on the 20th, and usually the second meeting of the month is before the 20th. It would have been the 21st. So it would have been the 21st last month.

So even if we didn't have it, this was so late in sending it over to us, they're looking to having something... We need to get our individuals, our applicants, to understand our timetables. This is not like McDonald's where it's a drive-through. You go in, you do your order, you come back with a permit. We're not like that. We're not built like that. We're built to have our rules say we know the rules, right? I don't need to say it. We know what our rules are. We get an item, we send it to the committee. By our rules, the committee does their work, gets back to us, then we vote. We do that all the time. It's been going on there since 1986. That's just the way we do things. But what we're doing now, we're circumventing that. People expect that we're just going to do whatever we're going to do. And I just think, I feel badly for the people who follow the rules. It's so much easier to do it like this sometimes. So anyway, that's the conundrum I find myself in. And then we add the whole layer of the summertime. But in this case, that doesn't even make a difference because even if they did it, they would have been too late anyway. So I know, you can see the frustration in my voice. I'm trying to be fair to everybody and try to treat people equally when they come in, any applicants. But we see this on occasion and we see this more. I'm not sure we see it more and more, but we see it regularly more than we should. These are not emergencies. Emergency is what happened to my district during the Mirabank Valley gas crisis. That was an emergency. That we need to act on. The things that we're doing here to get a permit to use the common, it's not an emergency.

That's the frustration.

I'll let it go there. I have no idea I want to vote on this. Thank you.

Well, Councilor LaPlante, I would like to respond to that. It's not like we have an emergency every meeting, and if we do, our charter has established the rules very clear. The Charter of the City of Lawrence is clear when it says, for the convenience of the public, and that's subjective. That is up to the council to discuss and decide. And it doesn't say an emergency is such and such. An emergency for the convenience of the public is different than an emergency of a tragedy. This event specifically is for the convenience of the public. And the charter is clear, crystal clear, the council will discuss What is an emergency for the convenience of the public? Those ones that are not for the convenience of the public are not defined by the council because those are emergencies. A fire is an emergency, something that happened with the police department is an emergency, that we don't define that. But the charters specify what is an emergency if the council discuss it for the convenience of the public. But I understand your frustration and I'm gonna take it away from you. We have been here 11 years. You've been here 20 something years. Councilor Levy has been here for eight years. Councilor Selena Reyes has been here for six, seven years now. So we have seen many of what is defined as a convenience for the public in a different way. This is not no difference. What I can tell you is that these kids are gonna be doing something that potentially can reflect a benefit for the community tremendously. And it could be the paint, it could be the mural, but it could be the youth involvement on positive activities that is on emergency allowance because we have a lot of lack of youth involvement here in our community. So if we look at it that way, it's a convenience for the community. But I'm not going to go into arguments. We have a potential discussion from other councilors. I got a question.

I don't have a quiet argue. Are we dealing with 328 right now, which has nothing to do with .

We are in 332.26.

So we're doing both at the same time, both in emergencies? No. So which one are we doing right now? I need to hear from the council president. Excuse me.

We took a vote to suspend rule 12A on both of the items as a block. Sure. Now to declare that as an emergency, now we are taking both individual as your request that you would like to take both individually and for the declaring as an emergency. So we are now on item 332.26. So sequentially we will go back to item 328 down the road, but we need to finish with this one first.

So you said 322. 332.

26. Council President.

One second. Good? Just so I'm clear, the next vote we're taking on is to declare an emergency for 332 alone. Correct. Alone. And what about 328?

It will be in a second.

So we're doing it in a reverse order. Okay.

I'm clear now. Thank you. Okay. Councilor Rosario. This is for a vote to declare an emergency.

Thank you. Thank you to you, Council President. And to me, it is an emergency. I've been trying to get that area that has been affected with gang activities, youth disconnection, and those counselors that have been with me here know that I've been trying to get a mural there done for almost four years. These kids, they're in a program, L-A-L-A's, right? From Lawrence Community Works. They come in, and I was here with Councilor, Councilor Vice President Anna Levy, and back in those days, Councilor Vice President Estefan Infante, and they presented different groups of what they're doing, and some of those groups decide, or told us that they wanted to find places where they can paint a mural. So guess what? I have a mural for you. Let's get it done. So I would take the fall on delay and suspending the rules because we were working, they were working diligently to do the things on time. And we were working, I was working on the back room, basically trying to get them the materials donated for them to get the paint. When we had everything together, they had a day that was today, they were gonna start today. And guess what? They actually give me literature. They said, counselor, but we need to go in front of the city council. to get permits. I said, let me look into that and see what we can do. Then we send the emails to the recreation department and then yes, we need it. The first option that came up was we can call for a special meeting. I said, we're not gonna battle the consulates for a special meeting for this. when we can actually suspend the rules in a regular meeting and trying to get it done. I mean, they did all they needed to do. Maybe it was all my fault that we didn't get the item on the agenda. But I was also skeptical that we get on the agenda, we get the approval, we don't get the materials. Economy is bad, nobody wants to give out money or materials, but we got the materials, and that's what we're here for. And they already gather, they do meetings, they got all the youth involved, they have their neighbors involved, so it's time to get that done. And that's gonna send a message to people, or the youth that were there at the Cronin Park doing gang activities that, and you gotta see the picture of the mural, it says, love is greater than hate. I mean, it's something beautiful they're gonna do. and why we'll prevent them to do it. When we also have approved, through my years here at City Council, we have been approving emergency things. They're not really emergency or those that mean anything to the city, we just approved it. So tonight is one of those days that we cannot tell them, I mean, we shouldn't tell them no. We're gonna turn down the youth that wanna do our work for free. It's not gonna cost anything to the community and it's gonna bring so much to the community. Thank you, Council President.

Councilors, any other questions in regard to the vote related to declaring this as an emergency? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? Aye. Madame Claire, please call the roll.

Council, please. No. Councilor Del Rosario. Yes. Councilor Reyes. Yes. Councilor Pante. Yes. Councilor Malmo. Yes. Councilor Miguel. Yes. Yes.

Yes, motion carries. Now, we need to adopt item 3226.

Motion to approve.

Second. Motion to approve. Properly second discussion. This is for the purpose of discussion.

But this is not an emergency. This is for final approval on 3226. We already voted on the emergency. Okay.

The one that you just voted no.

Okay. I thought it was on 3226.

332.26 is the one that we're discussing for the mural.

Okay. Okay. Continue.

This is to a motion to approve item 332.26. Discussion. It's been properly seconded. Discussion, Councilor LaPlante.

Do we have, is there anybody here to speak on this? And if they do, I mean. How about you? Well, fantastic. Yes, great. If we're going to do an emergency, we should at least have someone speaking on its behalf. And I'm very curious that they can come up. I'm very curious, because if I was on the committee, I would be asking questions. What do you, I think we started talking about, what is it that you're looking to paint?

what are you looking to do uh you come over here get this opportunity to speak up to the city of lawrence they are so excited to be here today hi everybody so everybody good evening council members

Yes, Gabriela Betances, 168 Newberry Street. I am not a youth, but I am the project director, and I just wanted to thank you guys for your time and for hearing the youth out tonight, because this is a very big deal for them and for our city and our community, so thank you.

Thank you. Don't be afraid that we're locals. We're not, you know what I mean?

Good evening, city council members. My name is Shawana, 168 Newbury Street, and accompanied by my companion, Alina, 168 Newbury Street. We are part of ALAS, a paid youth civic leadership internship by Lawrence Community Works as a part of their initiative for youth as health care change agents. Over the past several months, we've worked alongside our peers and community partners to create a public art installation that celebrates unity through the message, the only thing more powerful than hate is love. And here we have a visible representation of the banner we created over many mural discussions with the youth in our community.

This was created by youth with the given opportunity by Council Member Gregory. Lawrence has always been known for its culture. Our installation adds another reason for people to gather. Public art creates destinations. When people discover unique landmarks, they don't just take a picture and leave. They walk around the city, visit local businesses, attend events, and share their experiences online. This installation has the potential to attract visitors from the neighboring communities, given the popularity around the central idea. The message alone around diversity in the nation made the Super Bowl the most watched of all time, with 125.6 million watches, Boston being one of the most played cities. Surrounding cities like Methuen, Andover, Lowell, and Boston would visit. Increasing foot traffic benefiting restaurants, small businesses, local festivals, and future community programming, overall improving Lions' social economy. Although Lawrence has predominantly Dominican population, our city is also home to Puerto Ricans, Colombian, Korean, Mexican, Italian, Cambodian, and many other cultures. The flags incorporated into our design symbolize that while our backgrounds may be different, our community is one. This project will be done August 10th and 11th in the span of 10 hours. ALAS as a whole has been sending out emails and handing out flyers to the public, as well as partnering organizations such as Elevated Thought and Movement City. We will be providing a port-a-potty for the public as well as snacks and lunch for any volunteers. In the span of those two days, ALAS will be setting up and cleaning up the park. Lawrence Prospera and Sisu has confirmed the donations of all the materials needed for this mural project. In addition, Lawrence Prospera will be sponsoring a small cookout at Cronin Park on the day of the mural unveiling so we can celebrate this accomplishment with the youth, our community partners, and everyone who helped make this project possible.

When people think about public art, they often think about paint on a wall. But this project is much more than that. It represents a message our city can be proud of through collaborators and youth leadership highlighting diversity. Years from now, children will ask who created this mural. The answer will be simple. It was created by the youth of Lawrence for the people of Lawrence. We hope that everyone who walks near the park and every kid whose home is the Talbot School will stop, look at this mural, and be reminded that the only thing more powerful than hate is love. Thank you.

I want to also say thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to talk about this and giving us the time and space.

Thank you. Do I have the floor still? Wow, amazing presentation.

Thank you.

Any questions, councillors?

Yeah, I have the floor still.

I just have a question. Well, that's what I'm saying.

That's why I'm looking to you. I'm looking right at you.

No, you say that you still have the floor. I'm asking. All right.

Thanks. So I don't have a problem. This is the only thing you're going to be putting on there, which is very non-controversial. It says love is more powerful than hate. Who can argue with that sentiment, right? So I think... The issue here is not this, but I think what we need to do as a body, and I'm not sure tonight's the night that we need to do this, but what we need to do as a body is when it comes to messaging and freedom of speech, what happens if the message was something different? Maybe it was something a little more edgy. I'm not saying this group would do it, and a different group. Are we prepared as a group to say yes or no? Can we say yes or no to something that maybe is contrary to our own personal convictions or what we think the people that we represent would feel proud to do? No one's going to argue with this. I'm going to be voting in favor of it. No one's going to be concerned about this messaging. But the question here is what happens if? What happens if it's a different group, an outside group that every right to come in here and say, we're going to do something that may be totally against what you, your value system. What do we, and they're going to paint something. Are we going to say yes? How do we say no? I don't have an answer. but I ask you for your consideration on what we do when that happens. We've opened up the door, we have opened it up, we'll continue to open it up, but be prepared for something else that may be controversial.

That's all my point is, thank you. When that moment comes and then we, We take it one at a time. May I add something to that? Sure. Just to the mic. Thank you.

I think that's very important, an important concern. I just want to emphasize that our approach when we're doing projects such as anything involving with the community is that we invite the community to create the design. So whenever we're doing anything or putting anything out there, our model or our mission is to invite the community to create this. So there's consensus so that there's sustainability and what we're in what we're adding into the community. So there were many design sessions. And I mean, you have your concerns. And I think that they're valid, but know that we're very mindful of incorporating our voices from our community into anything that we're putting out there.

Thank you for sharing your response. Councilor Rosario.

And through you, and I want to apologize to my colleagues, maybe not, to get you involved, directly involved to this. I probably was selfish when it comes to this. And if maybe Councilor LaPlante was was with us through the process, even though he said he was going to vote, he's going to vote in favor. He would have had a different set of mind. So my apologies to all of you that I didn't drag you into it. And also, I want to apologize to you guys, because when I first presented your idea, you were thinking of a whole wall. But this could be the beginning of a lot of good stuff. happened on the city for the youth and maybe opening opportunity. But again, colleagues, I do apologize not to get you all involved in this. But again, I was selfish. I was so excited and they got me involved in this more than when I wanted it to. And it happened so quick that that's what we here today are proving. And I think it's going to be beautiful. But you guys will be invited on the reveal. As you heard, it will be a cookout. It will be a celebration. So we'll be all invited, including my favorite counselor, Michael Pond.

Thank you, Councillor Rosario. It is important to recognize the following. We have not-for-profit organizations here in Lawrence that they do a lot of good things in collaborations with councillors. I remember my first year when I was elected, 2016, the summer of 2016, I was able to partner with Lawrence community work and we were able to do 14 different cleanups throughout the city for 14 different weekends. We went ahead and applied for a grant. We ended up winning the 100 best project of the country. 96, I remember. So this is a great opportunity to show that organizations out there, they're willing to partner, they're willing to do what it takes to make a project that is beneficial for the community happen. So thank you Lawrence Community Work for not only doing what you're doing, but doing a lot more that is on the benefit of the youth and the community in general. Councilors, any other questions in regard to this vote? Good. Madame Claire, please call the roll. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? You guys have it. Thank you. So now we have another item, which is item 3-28-26, Evangelist Event at the O'Connor Park, Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 4 p.m. So for this, we already suspended Rule 12a for this item. Now we are voting to declare this item as an emergency to be able to happen. So any questions? Can I get a motion? So moved. There's a motion in front of us. Properly second discussion. Councilor Blanco.

Thank you. So this is in my district. Excuse me, this is District F. The ordinance committee plays an important role when it comes to giving permits for various groups. When I was the chair of the committee, The person who always used to be making sure that the group was well aware of the restrictions and the responsibilities that deal with having an event there with respect to sound was my colleague from District C. He was my go-to guy, and he was always there, and he would always make sure that that sentiment was mentioned. Another reason why it's important that we don't declare it an emergency and we do send it to a committee, even though we voted not to, is this. When somebody says to me, how did you let this thing happen? Was there any committee meetings or whatever? It's one extra layer of saying, yeah, we had a committee. We talked about it there. It was sent on it. We had the full vote on something like this. And it doesn't have to happen on this day. This is not a requirement that this is the day. We should send it to the committee, we should go ahead and have it, and then we can look at a different date. But as a courtesy to the people that I represent, I don't know why I'm going horse, but to the courtesy of the people that I represent, I'm not going to support the fact that it's an emergency. I would encourage this council president, I know we just had a vote on it, make a motion to reconsider the vote if we need to, to send it to a committee. But I just think that's the right thing to do on something like this. I don't see the emergency. It can wait until weeks after.

Madam Clerk, when is going to be the next city council meeting? August 18th. August 18th. This event will happen on August 15th. So they're not going to have a time to go to a meeting. Councillors, we have the applicants here in front of us. This is a great discussion when it comes to the... the ordinance committee, I have one, two, three, four, five, six out of the nine councillors have served at some point or currently at the ordinance committee. Do we have any questions that we typically ask at the committee meeting?

Through you, Council President.

So if we do, we can take this opportunity to make the comments that we typically do. and also ask the questions expecting a specific answer for the sake of the event and the community. Councilor Rosario.

Thank you, Trio. What kind of speakers or sound system do you gonna have at the park in that moment?

Name and address for the record, please. I thought you don't have it.

My name is Nori Parao y Fabian. I come as a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Good Samaritan. With the permission... Of course. No, I mean, you need to say the address in English. Okay.

My name is Nori Pavaon and I live in 22? 23 of Old School in South Lawrence.

So the question, can you repeat the question to her? What type of speaker you gonna have for that event? We just use the regular speaker that is not too loud in the city. We use the same speakers that we use in the church. Y usamos los instrumentos de música, que no es que tenemos banda de música ni nada de eso. Música que son, ¿cómo le diría? No, no, no. Son músicas que es de bien, como para el alma, que relaja el alma, que nos eleva a la presencia del Señor.

So we use the instruments that we use in church. They're not big instruments and it's music that relieves your soul and that brings you to the presence of God.

Okay, any other questions, Chancellor Lozada?

Okay, thank you for that. What it is is throughout the years, we get complaints of the noise. And I know the Holy Spirit get into the body and we get excited and we start yelling and screaming and we put the volume up. And two years ago, last year, I went to the O'Connell Park. To the O'Connell Park and I saw what I said, and I had pictures on my other phone, that it was a sound system that I'd never seen. The last time I saw a sound system that big was in a Marc Anthony concert in Boston. And it was in that little basketball court, to be honest. Speakers all over, and what it is, is we gotta be mindful of the neighbors. Neighbors complain. Two summers ago, we had the most call from the common park. when the noise was, and we had to send the police, and every year when the church comes in, I say the same thing, be mindful. I know we want to praise the Lord, we get all excited, but it's also neighbors around it that they're not part of the celebration, and we get the calls. So we don't want to get those calls. We want the churches to be mindful of what is not noise for you, it's noise for others. Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilor Rosario. Can you translate that?

There was another church, and we're putting that as an example.

Got it? We want to put that as an example because it was very loud. I got that, I actually witnessed that event last year. It didn't happen in South, but it happened in the North already. And we saw it two weeks ago. They just changed the location. But we want to make sure that people understand that, you know, if an event, no matter what type of event happened, the music need to be to the standard to that event.

Through you, Chancellor. Chancellor Levy. Chancellor Levy. Thank you. No, to respond also to Councillor Plank, yes, we used to say to everyone that coming in front of us the same thing regarding the speaker, the loudly and the music and everything that they need to understand how they be using all the equipment that they using. So, but it not just only to you, that we say that is for every single person that come in and ask for any other part that is going to have any event using any speaker or any music.

Okay. Okay. Cancelers, any other questions to the applicant?

I have a question. Do we have a- Cancel up now. Thank you. I do not see in my electronic packet the yellow sheet that says that the day is available.

Does anybody else have that? This one right here?

This is 352.

This is Chico, 296. This is 352. She has it with her.

I haven't seen it. I'm looking for it. She got one.

I see that. Okay.

Somebody was covering for your Alexa and they used a different form. But it is in your packages and it is available, yeah.

That's me.

It's just the, usually it is yellow and more distinctive and that's why we like it.

Can I see that? I think I have it.

Conversation with the Recreation Department.

Do we know whose signature this is? Is this the applicant's signature or the?

No, it should be the applicant's signature. The staff member used the wrong paper. I talked with the election voter after the fact. She apologized that they didn't send us the yellow. They sent us that.

So this is pretty close to useless because this is the application and not the okay by the Recreation Department. But I understand what you're suggesting.

That's not the applicant's signature. That's actually a staff member's signature.

That's what I asked. So whose signature is that? The staff member's?

Yes, staff member's. Okay.

All right. So it's not as useless as I thought. So my point here, Councillors, and I do appreciate everybody. Councillor Blunt? Thank you. I do appreciate the comments on that. It is a thing. The park is a place where we're trying to navigate recreation with the ability for residences in the area. And there are serious concerns. And I don't fully understand why we're sold on this one date. But rather, can there be a different date that we can allow the proper process to go through? I'm not against having this kind of event at O'Connell Park if there's a space available. What I am objecting to is the acceleration of this without the proper process, just in case. I don't... A CONSTITUENT OF MINE, SOMETHING GOES SOUTH DURING A THING AND THEY SAID, LA PLAIN, YOU LET THIS THING GO THROUGH ON AN EMERGENCY WITHOUT EVEN GOING THROUGH THE PROPERTY AND HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ON IT, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT ON MY SHOULDERS. CAN I FINISH MY STATEMENT?

THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THE CITY COUNCIL IS A BODY, NOT AN INDIVIDUAL. AND THAT'S YOUR ANSWER TO THAT CONSTITUENT. Tell that constituent to come in front of the city council and speak of that concern to the city council. You don't have to have those type of conversations with the constituents asking you why you allow it because you don't make decisions by yourself.

I appreciate the guidance and in the spirit that you're trying to help me out.

No, I'm not trying to help you out. I'm trying to clarify the process to the constituents, to your constituents and to my constituents as well because they are my constituents.

I would just let you, if I could just make my opinion known without having an argument about what my opinion is on this matter, I would appreciate that. That's all I'm asking for.

And I think I made my point.

I think I made my point, and that's how I'm voting this evening. Thank you. Can I ask the requestor her question? It may be disappointing. Would you be willing to do it on a different date? When's the next city council meeting? After what?

Council LaPlante, that's not a discussion. They already proposed an item in front of us. I am asking. What we can do is vote yes or no. I'm not entertaining that.

I am asking if they would be willing to go ahead. Go ahead. Thank you. Would the applicant be willing to choose a different date after the 18th of August?

La fecha que yo, que hemos sacado para ese día es el 15 de agosto. No sé si ustedes tienen algún inconveniente que sea el 15 de agosto o se pueda hacer en otra fecha.

You got to speak. I have a hard time hearing you. So please speak into the microphone.

Thank you. The date that we separated for that event is August 15th. I'm not sure if you guys are okay with that date.

But the point that I'm asking the applicant, what is the applicant's name? What is the applicant's name?

Noris.

Noris Paraoi Fabian. Thank you. Pardon me?

It's on the item.

Thank you. My point here is, would you be willing to have a different date rather than on the date that you have on here? That would eliminate the challenge that I'm facing, and you can still have the event as long as the place is free on a different Saturday or whatever date you're looking for.

You don't have to answer to that. We are voting on the item anyway.

I'm trying to work with the constituent to see if we can get to a place. You want to change the date, and they already have a date.

I'm asking about council president. It's in discussion.

We have a vote in front of us to declare this as an emergency. And as a courtesy, allowing you to speak out of order, but this is not the discussion. But anyway, you can respond to that. OK.

So we already have that date for August 15th. When I went to the Junior Street to the program, they checked the agenda and they said that that date was available.

Okay, thank you. Any other questions, Councillors?

Just as a point of information, Madam Clerk. I will say when working with the Alexa on the dates, it is getting quite full because one of the dates for that same park had to be pushed out to like September 12th because all the other dates in between now and September 12th were booked out. So when you're asking her to change the date, even if she picks a different day that works for her and her church, the date might not be available with the recreation anymore. So it just, at this point in the summer, a lot of the dates are gone already.

And by the way, And by the way, we suspend 12A, which is not going to committee. It's already been suspended and the item gonna stay here if there is any changes. Not going to committee. because we suspend that rule already. So to be honest with you, this is making the item a lot more longer, and the discussion is not necessarily something that is in order, but we entertain it as a courtesy. So any other questions, councillors? At this time, I'll call the roll. Madame Claire, please call the roll.

Councillor Gonzalez.

Yes.

Councillor Miguel.

Yes.

Councillor Malmo. No. Councillor Infante. Yes. Councillor Reyes.

Yes.

Councillor Del Rosario. Yes. Councillor LaPlante.

No.

Council Vice President? Yes. Council President Rodriguez?

Yes, what's the count? Seven, two. Seven, two, motion carries. And now I entertain a motion to adopt this item. Motion to approve. Second. It's a motion to adopt. Properly second discussion. I hear no. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council LePlanque?

No. No.

Council Del Rosario?

Yes.

Councilor Reyes? Yes. Councilor Infante? Yes. Councilor Malmo?

No.

Councilor Miguel? Yes.

Councilor Gonzalez? Yes. Councilor Vice President?

Yes. Councilor President Rodriguez?

Yes. Motion carries. Thank you. Congratulations. I hope to have a great event. Our counselors, we're going back on top of the agenda public hearings. We have a couple employees here that we're going to take care of them right away. There is a couple items that we can take care of quickly, which is that we have ordinance, which is city employees disclosure. We have personnel. that we have a few things as well. We have the city attorney, which is in public hearing. So we need to move it quickly. A lot of city employees today. So let's go to item, public hearings, item 275, 26. Madame Claire, please read the notice. We have two items for our city solicitor that is here today.

you council president the document um 275 76 and 276 26 were both published together um the legal notice reads as follows notices hereby given that the lawrence city council will hold a public hearing on wednesday august 5th 2026 at 7 pm in the city council chambers 200 common street lights mass pursuant to chapter 2 of the acts of 2023 and in accordance with recently revised city council rule 2 This meeting will be hybrid, allowing participation both in person and remotely to accommodate participants with health considerations that prevent them from participating in person. To receive access codes for remote participation, please contact the city clerk at eileen.bernall at cityoflawrence.com or 978-620-3230, or view the meeting on Facebook and YouTube. The purpose of this hearing is to gather testimony, information, public input concerning the proposed amendment to the revised ordinances of the City of Lawrence to be further amended by amending Section 2.48 of the Municipal Code Personnel Department as follows, which is Document 257-26, the Personnel Department of the City of Lawrence as referenced in Section 2.48 of the Municipal Code and throughout all other city ordinances, resolutions, orders, rules, regulations, and official documents, contracts, records of the city you see right amended to be renamed the office of human resource and labor relations and document number 276-26 said ordinances are further amended by adding the following subparagraph section 2.48.050 of the municipal code assistant director of human resource and labor relations a is a position established position established There is hereby established within the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations of the City of Lawrence the position of Assistant Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations. This position shall be a full-time benefit exempt, benefited exempt FLSA position within the city's classification and compensation plan. The Assistant Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations shall be appointed by the Mayor, upon the recommendation of the Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations. The appointment shall be made in accordance with the city charter and the city's personnel policies and procedures. B, powers and duties generally. The Assistant Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations shall perform such duties and responsibilities as are assigned by the Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, which shall include but not be limited to those set forth in the approved job description on file with the Human Resource and Labor Relations Department in the Office of the City Clerk. The Assistant Director shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Director in the Director's absence. appropriation the funds for this position of the assistant director shall be appropriated by the city council through the annual budget process no individual shall be appointed to this position prior to the council's appropriation of funds sufficient to cover all costs associated therewith including salary benefits and any related administrative expenses de-qualifications the minimum qualifications for the position shall be established in the job description approved by the city council and maintained on file and human resources and labor relations department Qualifications shall include at a minimum a combination of one, a bachelor's degree in public administration, human resources management, business administration, or a related field, and two, a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in human resources. Well, personnel administration with at least two years in a supervisory capacity and three, demonstrate knowledge of Massachusetts general law governing public employment, civil service, labor relations, and equal employment opportunity. E, salary and benefits. The position of the assistant director of human resources and labor relations shall be compensated at the grade D per the city classification and compensation plan and shall be entitled to receive all benefits provided to employees regularly employed in the administration in the administrative services of the city. To the extent that there exist any ordinances to the contrary, they are hereby repealed in that respect only. Persons wishing to be heard shall be afforded the opportunity.

Public hearing is now open for item 275.26 and item 276.26. Anybody from the public that wishes to speak? Public hearing is now closed. Councillors, this public hearing was in relationship to item 275, 26, which is the proposed ordinance for the name change of the Office of Human Resource and Labor Relations. essentially before used to be the personal department. Correct. And now it's a name change to the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations. And the other item, which is item 27626, a creation of the proposed ordinance 02-48-050, which is for the position of the Deputy Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Two different votes of councillors. So we're going to entertain the first vote, which is item 275.26, the proposed name changes. So any comments on that?

Justice is to bring in attorney Tim Hooten, city attorney, covering for our personnel director who is on vacation this week, which kind of goes to part two, not more to part one. Part one is just to change the name to be in conformance with the other departments throughout the state. This is strictly a name change. There's no money involved or anything like that, but it does encompass what the role of the department is now. It's not strictly a personnel department, and I would recommend this change.

Okay. Councillors, any questions on the name change?

Council President.

Councillor Infante.

Thank you. This question is for the attorney who went through you, Council President. Did we, for Section 8, for the proposed ordinance of the position we're trying to create, did we... look back or use the language when the state changed the whole financial department, the reporting structure and everything, did we reference that language?

The financial structure, I'm sorry.

Right, so when we established a CAFO and we went into financial receivership, there is a state statute that changed that entire department and also that statute changed the reporting process of the HR department through this CAFO. So I'm asking because right now it's saying that this shall be appointed by the by the mayor upon recommendation of the director of human resources but there is there is no there is no mention of the capital and i just want to make sure that we are aligned with what i believe it's only the director that's appointed by the cafe Okay.

Councilor Infante, you referring to item 276?

276, yep.

Yeah, we are first 275 and then we're going back to 276. I'm sorry.

I thought we were discussing it together since it was, okay.

No, no, no. Two different bodies required. So just the name change for now?

Councillor LeBlanc? I got a question. It may be captured in the next one, 276, and if it is, just guide me. So my concern is similar but yet different than my colleague from District 8, which is this. Is this language that is the assistant, whatever, the human resources and labor relations department, and other parts of our ordinance, and perhaps even our charter, we list human resources specifically Will this language, either this and 275 or 276, make sure that the language throughout our ordinances and perhaps even the charter, and if it's a charter, I've got a different question for you, but will it be reflective of this?

Any reference to the personnel department in any part of our ordinance will be changed to the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations.

So even if it's in a department of, name of the department, like DPW, where there's an opposition DPW, there's a DPW section you got to talk to human.

Any report must be made to personnel. It would be then changed. Any report must be made to the Office of Human Resources.

Perfect. Now that's the easy question. Now the hard question. What about the charter? Do we, I haven't looked at it, do we reference human resources in the charter?

I would be guessing at this point.

It's an important consideration because as you know, we cannot change the charter. There's ministerial, which I would argue that this would be, this is a simple name change, that we would not need legislative and governor's approval on a charter change. I would argue that. but we should at least know that, and I can do a quick search.

And my guess would be that the charter doesn't reference human resources as a personnel. Let's hope not, okay. And the reason being that, as Councilor has stated, the CAFO whole situation took that out of it, so we would have need, if it had, We would have needed a charter change at that point.

Well, keep in mind, that was a legislative fix. That was not a local fix. That was a law. Right, but it would have to be adopted. That was a law that was signed by the governor, overridden, so that capital language was a legislative, state legislative, not a Lawrence City Council.

I understand that, but if it affects the charter.

I get it, but we didn't need the home rule, for example, on that because we had that with that calendar. Anyway, that's the point. Maybe if I've given a moment, I'll do a Boolean search and see if there's anything under the charter while this vote goes on. Thank you.

I have similar concerns when it comes to the charter. If we're reflecting this ordinal and co-relationship to whatever the charter is referred to, And if that's the case, does the language encumber that specific?

I would have to research that. I do not have that knowledge of it.

So if this is something that need to be done today or can we review or research that to make sure that we are not?

Whatever the pleasure of the council is. Okay.

That's okay. Councilor Levy. Well, the reason I'm asking, I'm telling you is because now referring to Councilor Espresso and Levy,

the committee uh actually send you the notifications to do that type of research and to that uh human research so that's elevated can you refer to that yes so um at the last meeting that we had for personal committee so we asked carol um if the language was already made according to the ordinance. So she said that she doesn't have any information, but she feel that, yes. And we asked her that, For that, we're going to need the language, and we send it to you for the review of the language for this. Correct. So that we will not approve. We send it to the full council, but pending the information for you.

That's the same request I get for every ordinance and what I look to is the ordinance. I do not look to the charter unless specifically directed to the charter. Your question is can these changes be made to the ordinance and is it legally permissible and have the correct language? That's what I review. I do not look to see if there's anything in the charter reflecting because 99 out of 100 times it's just an ordinance language. I WAS NOT DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY TO GO TO THE CHARTER, BUT I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT.

I THINK THAT IT WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO CLARIFY QUESTIONS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS TO DO THIS RESEARCH. I HAVE NO PROBLEM. AND MAYBE GET SOME ADVICE IF IT IS ANY REFERENCE TO THE CHARTER, ON THE CHARTER, THAT HOW WE CAN PUT A LANGUAGE THAT INCORPORATES those changes accordingly. No problem. Councilors, it will be in order to- Motion to table. To have a motion to table. Second. Properly second. Motion to table, properly second. No discussion on the table matters. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Item 27626, which is the creation of the proposed ordinance 0248-050, a deputy director of human resource and labor relationship.

Council President.

Councillor Infante.

Thank you. If I make, I have more additional comments. Thank you. So going back to my comments and concern about this, I would like to ask, did we, when creating the language of this proposed ordinance, did the city reach out to the Commonwealth?

To the Commonwealth?

Yeah, for legal guidance or anything like that?

No, I'm not aware of that.

Okay, so the reason why I ask is, and again, I understand your explanation, city attorney. However, a few months back, it's been a while now, but I was doing some research into the Human Resources Department, and I was also looking into the language of the CAFL statute when the state did take over. And I actually called former Mayor Dan Rivera as I was conducting my research. And I don't 100% remember the details of that conversation, but what I do remember is how he emphasized the specifics of that language that the state implemented. So right now, I don't feel 100% comfortable voting on this. And so we ensure or get confirmation by the state that something like this is allowed, that this can be a directive from the mayor. And that doesn't need capital input or anything like that. what I and and any of my colleagues that were around during that time what my understanding is is that the movement of reporting of the HR department was moved under the statute and I understand the director but now we're talking about an assistant director and etc like that which is still a leadership position so I would rather guess the confirmation from the state then to move forward.

I have no problem. I'd be willing to bet that there's no requirement being that there are other employees that have been hired and none of them have fallen under the state statute. They have been hired.

Right, but now we're talking about an assistant or deputy director position, which is not just a regular employee. Thank you.

There's another caveat on the discussion that is important. So the state statute established the CAFO. The first CAFO have a special jurisdiction separate than the second CAFO. So now we are in the situation that this is the second CAFO for the city of Lawrence. It might be something that you should look into it as well when it comes to the reporting because I know that there were slightly difference between the first and the second CAFO. I have no problem. So we are on the scenario now.

Council President. Councilor Infante. If I may, and correct me if I'm wrong, colleagues, if you have other information, but I'm under the impression that we're still paying off that bond that the state issued under the first CAFO. So yeah, this is something important to look into.

We are close to paying it off.

Well, we're not there yet. Not there yet.

All right, Councillor LaPlante.

Yeah, just to help you out a little bit, under the charter 6.5 there is a reference to the director of personnel which I suspect will be eliminated and we would put in the director of human resources and labor relations. So there is at least one reference in 6.5 of the charter. Thank you. You're welcome.

Motion to table.

Second.

There's a motion in front of us to table. Properly seconded. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Thank you very much. I'll get that one up. So now let's go to the disclosure. Disclosures and those are sitting for years. In ordinance, Madam Chair from Ordinance Committee, item 313-26, 314-26, 315-26, 316-26, and 317-26. Madam Chair of the ordinance and the Vice President, Anna Levin.

Thank you, Council President. Item 3-13-26 is a city employee disclosed a conflict for the election working, Frederick Diaz. It's over here. So I'll send it to the full council with favor recommendation, and I make it as a formal motion.

Second. Is there a motion in front of us? Properly second. Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. Thank you, sir. Thank you, guys. Any other employee that is here?

Do you have one? Maria, she's staying.

Maria, you have to stay. You're on a special occasion. Okay. 3-17-26. Councilor Levy, since there is only one city employee.

Okay.

So let's go, now that we don't have any other city employee.

We have one. We have two.

On that, okay, what are the items?

3-17-26. No. It's a city employee disclosure . No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

And then Francisco, the chief of the firefighters here, all those items, let's go personal, budget and finance, or personal. I'm going to chair from the personal committee.

Thank you, Council President. Through you, the first item under personnel is item 282-26, reappointment of Douglas N. Howe Jr. to the Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission with the term expiring on July 15, 2028. The committee sent this up as a favorable recommendation, and I make that as a formal motion.

Second. There's a motion in front of us. Properly second.

Discussion.

Discussion. Councilor LaPlante.

Thank you. I want to welcome Commissioner Howe, who I know has done some amazing things in the furtherance of the mission at the airport. Let me ask you one question because I think I know the answer, but I want to be a smarty pants. What is on your lapel?

That's my Air Force wings.

Your Air Force wings. How difficult, how long did it take for you to earn those wings?

Pilot training was 13 months.

And you, I've looked at your record, you have extensive time in the United States Air Force in flying, what did you fly?

C-130s.

And that is what?

Four-engine transport.

Are those being used right now in the places that were other hot spots?

Hopefully they're not using the one I flew.

I want to thank you for your service. I mentioned this last time you were before us, but I also wanted to focus a little bit more on your work in the airport and your dedication, and I believe in dealing with lease programs, for example, and other things. You are, from what I am told, um someone who is really bringing a level of expertise on boots on the ground so to speak and providing the kind of detail and experience that is uh brings tremendous value to the airport commission and so i i am thrilled that you are willing to continue to serve uh at the airport and uh i'm delighted uh to see that that if we're gonna have a vote tonight on on this evening is there anything you want to say is rare that you have a chance to go before the council and say whatever is on your mind you've been on the floor for how long now TWO YEARS. TELL ME IS THERE ANYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW FROM YOUR SEAT ON THE AIRPORT COMMISSION?

JUST THAT THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF A NEW BUILDING WHICH IS GOING TO INVOLVE A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ALREADY AND MORE TO COME. WE HAVE TO TEAR DOWN THAT WONDERFUL BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT IN THE 50s. We're also negotiating three leases with some other neighbors, and we're interviewing and hopefully putting together a restaurant to go into the new building. So there's a lot going on. I've learned a lot from Francisco and the other commissioners in the past two years, and I look forward to continuing.

my request and this is a aspirational request there's nothing that's going to this doesn't happen it doesn't happen there was a city council back in the 1950s i called it the condon airport for a gentleman who actually was in the military as well i'd like for us to resume going back there realize there's confusion we it's lawrence municipal airport everybody knows it as lawrence but i hate when we start forgetting our history i hate when we don't remember some of the people you've got that on the billboard. You've got pictures of them, I think, inside the terminal. So I'd like for us to bring that out a little bit more. If you wouldn't mind being a part of that, I'd appreciate that. I'd be glad to. Thank you.

Councilor, any questions for the candidate? Thank you, Mr. Warren. Thank you for your service. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Item 23-26, Madam Chair and personnel.

Item 283-26, the reappointment of Dania Amador Matas to the Lawrence Municipal Airport with the term expiring on July 15th, 2029 was sent up as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion.

Second. There is a motion in front of us. Properly second. Discussion? Any questions to the candidate?

Discussion.

Councilor Blank.

Thank you. This could be quick. Thank you for willing to serve on the airport commission from your seat on the airport commission. Can you tell us anything that we should know about the airport commission and what you're seeing at the airport?

I think that the airport right now is standing with a great team. Everyone worked very hard while they sit in that table. Everyone is so respected. And with all the things that are going on at the airport right now, Francisco is a great leader to all of us. He's very prepared, and besides having an amazing team there right now, I think things are moving, greater things are happening at the airport, thanks to the group of individuals.

Thank you very much.

Any questions to the councilors? All right, are there none? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Thank you, Ms. Amador. Motion carries. Item 284-26.

Item 284-26, reappointment of Dionisio Cruz to Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission with the term expiring on July 15th, 2029, was sent up as a favorable recommendation, and I make that as a formal motion. Second.

There's a motion in front of us to approve. Properly second discussion. Discussion. Councilor LaPlante.

Thank you. So, Commissioner Cruz, I see you're also a pilot. What do you fly?

I fly a Cardinal and an Archer right now.

I'm sorry?

A Cardinal and an Archer right now. Okay.

I'm sorry, those names are not familiar. Are those brand names for airplanes?

Oh, yeah, Cessna Cardinal.

Cessna Cardinal? Yeah, and a Piper Archer. Thank you. I knew Cessna, I knew Piper, I didn't understand the other two words. Okay, thank you. How long have you been a pilot?

About four and a half, five years now.

From your perspective as a pilot, as a civilian pilot, what do you, in the airport, what do you see? Is there any growth in the civil aviation community? What are you seeing at the airport?

Yeah, absolutely. There's continued growth, especially with the new building coming in. If we were to have a restaurant there, it brings a lot of traffic in, especially overlooking the runway. So many of the airports that have restaurants, they become destination airports, and people go for that quote-unquote $100 burger, and they bring their kids, and even people that don't fly in, they come in just to watch the aircrafts come in. So definitely continued growth, and I'm excited to be a part of the growth.

And I don't mean, this is not a gotcha test at all, but I'm just curious. Do you know when the new restaurant is going to, is there a new restaurant has opened or is about to open?

No, so we're tearing down the building. I believe we should, we hopefully start tearing it down in the fall and then start the rebuilding process. But we're still in the process of the RFP with the restaurant. So we're still trying to finalize that. We have a prospect that seems very, Very enthusiastic. We're just trying to button up the last final steps of that.

Thank you, Commissioner Cruz. Thank you for your service.

Any questions to the commissioner? All right, I'll call the questions. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you.

Item two. 85.

285-26. Item 285-26, reappointment of Ernest Coudemarch to the Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission with a term expiring July 15th, 2029 was sent up as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion. Second.

The motion in front of us. Any questions? Sure.

Oh, sure. Thank you. Thank you very much, Commissioner Quartermarsh. Appreciate your service. I see on here that you were in the Marine Corps.

1962 through 68.

Did you serve overseas at all while you were in the Marines?

Well, my first stop was Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when President Kennedy declared the missile crisis. And I went from meeting him when I was 15 in my house to joining the Marine Corps when I was 17. And then about nine months later, being sent to Gitmo. And yeah. And of course, Francisco, my fellow Marine, yeah, we're kind of proud of this, guys.

How long have you been on the airport commission now? How many years?

How long has it been?

Yes. Your third or fourth year. Yeah. So the same question is no softballs are throwing softballs at everybody right now, which but but I really want to know if there's anything from your perspective on being on the airport commission that you're addressing the council. Now, what is it that you should we should know we haven't heard already about the airport commission in the airport itself?

Well, every time I go to a meeting, I get excited about, there's always something positive going on there. Some are little things and some are big things. The new building that we're putting up, that's a big thing. But the little things, for example, the vocational school, they're developing a program to try to get kids to get excited about airplanes and about maybe learning how to be become an airplane mechanic, for example. The restaurant was a big draw and will be again once we get the new building up because the community comes. The one question I get asked all the time is, when will that restaurant be back? But yeah, it's a great opportunity for the city to get people there, and to your point, to talk about the history. Because I've seen the pictures hanging up, but we sometimes forget to keep talking about the things and the people that make us who we are. Yeah, I love being on the commission.

Francisco, you do a fabulous job. I'm like the same.

I started when Mike Miller was the manager. And Mike did a tremendous job. And so when Mike moved on to the state, I was a little worried about who's going to be the new captain of the ship. But man, you've done a great job.

Another reason that I love being on the Commission.

You've got to have good leaders.

I just want to thank Commissioner Quartermarsh for your service in the military, as well as your continued support of our veterans. As a veteran yourself, I see that through your application, you're still involved heavily in veterans' issues, so thank you for your continued involvement.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I'm also on the board of Ironstone Farm, and I don't feel familiar with it, but we do equine therapy. And so we get programs for the military, PTSD, in addition to many of the other great things that we do at the farm. And my job is to beg for money. Toughest job I ever had. Because once you get the money once, when you come around for the second time, it gets a little tougher.

Tougher. I thought it was going to be a little bit easier. Okay.

Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Yeah. Well, a couple of things that you mentioned. I just want to mention that you actually said to mention something about that. the vocational school, the students being involved with aviation now. And I would like to recognize Councillor Marmo as one of the person that initiate those conversations and put a lot of the effort as a board member of the vocational school and subsequently as a councillor to make sure that that program get in place. Thank you, Councillor Marmo. Thank you. Thank you. So that's how sometimes council work on the very bottom work together with other departments without even mentioning it up there. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you for your service.

Thank you so much.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Any nays? Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Item 287. 286. 286, 26.

Item 286-26, appointment of Alexander Diaz-Lora to the Lawrence Municipal Airport Commission with the term expiring on July 15th, 2028, was sent up as a favorable recommendation, and I make that as a formal motion.

There's a motion in front of us, properly seconded. Discussion? Cancel the plan. Sure.

So you're also a private pilot. How long have you been a private pilot?

I got my private pilot license one month ago.

I think it's important that I hear your story one more time. You got it where and how difficult or easy was it?

Okay. My name is Alexander Diaz-Lora, citizen of Lawrence for 12 years. So I got my private pilot license here at the Lawrence Municipal Airport. I started my training last year. And it was hard. It was really hard, but I could. I could achieve that goal. And... Yeah, I'm here. I'm trying to become an airline pilot. So I'm in the process, everybody start flying Cessnas or Pipers, you know. And, yeah.

So from where you're sitting right now, you know a little bit about the airport. You've been there, you've trained there, you've gotten your pilot's license from your training there. There's no ground school, is there? At the airport, it's just flight school, right?

Just fly school, I think that he got is had a ground school before but not not in the ground school there now.

What do you see how do you see yourself contributing to the airport commission.

So as a private pilot, like I said before, in this room, I had to go through an intensive training to learn not only to fly the airplane, but to learn about the regulatory environment that exists around aviation, and to learn about weather. I THINK I CAN BRING IT TO THE COMMISSION AND EXPAND THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMMISSION ABOUT AVIATION. THAT'S THE WAY I THINK I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS COMMISSION.

And my last question, how did you find, I mean, the airport commissions, it's not on a lot of people's radar screens, right? It's just not people knowing about it. You gotta be in the know to know. How did you find out about it, and what made you decide to apply?

I was, I always have been interested in aviation, and I was paying a bill through the, the online portal that the city has. So I found that little airport commission in the web page, but also my flying structure told me about the the position that it was open. And yeah, that's the way I

I know about it. Thank you very much, sir. Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Through you, Council President. Well, thank you.

Through you, Council President. Sure. Alexander, correct?

Yes.

So what drove you to get your private pilot license?

Well, this has been my dream since I was a little kid. So it was my passion at the time. So I moved, I bought a property, sorry for the, but I bought a property just on the approach of Runway 5.

It wasn't my intention, but...

Yeah, I was flying. I was watching planes all the time. So that was my dream and adding that up just in planes every day and every day. I think that was my motivation to go for it and yeah.

So this is your passion.

Yeah, yeah, it's my passion.

Okay, thank you.

What an expensive passion.

It is.

Thank you, Council President. One thing that we emphasized during the personnel committee meeting is the fact that you did get your education at our municipal airport, and I think it's amazing that we have our commissioners in front of us, and also we have a commissioner in the back who's currently working for the city council, but These individuals, you guys help maintain these programs. And to see an individual in front of us today having his certification, going through that program and understanding what it's like and now joining you guys, I think it's really an amazing moment. And like I said to you before during that personnel meeting, I think you're going to bring a unique perspective to your colleagues. So I'm excited that you're joining the commission.

Thank you. Any other questions, counselors?

I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nay? The ayes have it. Congratulations. Thank you. All right. Item 289.26. 287. No, 287.26. I don't think he's here. Okay.

So we're on the table? Yeah. Item 287-26, appointments of Juan Miguel Lopez to the licensing board was sent up as a favorable recommendation, and I make that as a formal motion. Second. Discussion. We have Mike Mayland. He's not in here.

I don't think he's online. We have three people online. Yeah, I don't see him here.

Was he contacted?

Assuming yes.

At the personnel committee, we usually tell them too. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. The person who is not here, I entertain a motion.

Motion to table. Second.

Motion to table, properly second. Madam Clerk, we don't have any limitations on this type of apartment, right?

No, no, we don't. Okay.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Item 289.26, appointment of young Manuel Regal to the Board of Registers.

Item 289-26, Appointment of John Miguel Vergao to the Board of Registrars was sent up as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion.

There's a motion in front of us, but let's hear from the county. Can I get a second for the purpose of discussion? Discussion. Discussion.

Council in front. Thank you, Council President. Councillors, we've received some updated information regarding this appointment, and we do have Council President Mr. Regard here with us if he could address the council and the public at this time.

Mr. Rieger.

Hey, how you doing? Good evening. My name is John Riegel at 22 Hilltop Avenue. As you probably have in your hands, I sent an email to withdraw my application for the Board of Registrar. I make long story short, There's nothing illegal for me to be in the Board of Registrar and run the campaign in the future, but as my ethic and my morals, it prevents me from doing that. So speaking to my team, and also to my family, we decide, I come to the conclusion that it was not ethical or moral to take the position and run a political campaign in the future, so that's why. But at the same time, I put in the email I will help you to find a candidate for the position that filled the qualification for it. We're not strings attached to, let's say, the Republican Party, because they have to be a Republican. But my main goal is to make sure that the position is filled by somebody that will do the job that everybody wants and everything falls in transparency.

It is important to recognize that, as you just said, that that board is one of the only, if I'm not mistaken, the only two boards that require Yes. Currently there is a registered member that is a Democrat and then the board is in need of a person that is registered as a Republican and that's one of the requirements for that position. Yes. As you mentioned, Vice President Levy.

No, thank you. I want to thank you for submitting your application and for trying to be part of the register or and and I have the same so like you explaining to me that you I am the same that your group or your people decided that it was most better for you to not to be part of this time, maybe later depending on what is going to be your decision for the next year.

I just want to make something clear. It's not just something what's best for me, but also what's best for the city. Because at the end of the day, any decision I decide to take, whether it come to this position, it might affect on the city in the long run. I think we all co-agree that the last thing we need is another, you know, scandal, let's put it that way, in the city.

Thank you so much. Councillors, any other questions to the candidate? This is now the motion that we, it's in order, will be a motion to withdraw.

Second. Motion to withdraw. Item 289-26. Second.

Motion to withdraw has been in order. It's in order. Properly second discussion. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nay? The ayes have it. Thank you. Thank you for coming in front of us.

No, and thank you for your time.

Thank you. Madam Chair, from the Baylor Finance Committee.

Thank you to your Council President item first item is item to 90 dash 26 authorization for police and fire to accept and distribute car seats awarded through the fiscal year 2026 child passenger safety, education and assistance program was sent up as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion.

It is a motion in front of us for to provide them to 9026 properly second discussion. Any discussion for the director? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. The ayes have it. Item 292.26.

Item 292-26, authorization to expend $250,000 of an earmark from Representative Frank Moran for supplemental costs associated with the city bridge projects was sent up as a favorable recommendation, and I make that as a formal motion. Second.

There's a motion in front of us. Properly second?

Yes.

Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor please say aye.

Aye.

The next one I'm going to have to recut myself.

Item 291-26, authorization to expand 177,400 for the intersection safety signal equipment grants, which is part of the Vulnerable Roads User Program from MassDOTS was sent as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion.

Second. All those in favor? Discussion. Discussion. Any discussion? So all in favor?

Aye. Aye.

We have it. Yes. The one that Dan has on there. Under ordinance council.

Mr. McCarthy has an item. Okay. So what is that? Dan McCarthy has an item. It's a small item for the budget. No. We did it.

We did already. All right.

Budget and finance is done. Yep.

So what item do you have, other than 292?

I think it's the third one on the list. 270? It's a resolution in support of the vision.

294. 294.

In ordinance?

It's number 294.

Yes, 294.26. Okay.

Manager from the ordinance committee?

The item 29426 is a resolution adopting a vision set of policy to eliminate traffic fatality and serial injuries. So that was submitted by Mr. McCarthy and that was sent to the full council with favor recommendation and I make as a formal motion. Second.

There's a motion in front of us, properly seconded, discussion. Mr. McCarthy, do you mind going over a little bit so that people get educated and myself as well? Yes. Just tell us a little more about the resolution.

So Vision Zero is a national program. It's actually an international program, started out trying to have the major cities in the nation develop programs for safety plans that are specific to the communities that they So we have a grant that's from the state to draft our own Vision Zero. Most of the major cities, Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, all have them. We are represented. We do have a, we're part of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission's Vision Zero for the region, but we felt that because Lawrence is, uh a specific city with certain conditions size density population that we should have our own plan so we've been working on that we've got a task force put together um and one of the requirements is that the uh we got a resolution from the leadership in the city in support of this program uh that'll go right into the pages three and four on the plan um and then we'll uh go forward uh we've invited several a couple members from this uh... council to be on it members of the fire department police department uh... other departments from the public so the uh... it's gonna be a comprehensive of every uh... doing public engagement uh... this sunday uh afternoon i'll be at sikaluvia with a engineer member from tec engineering doing public outreach and meeting with some of the children asking them about what they feel the dangerous intersections in the city so that's part of the whole process is to get gather data put this together and come up with a plan that's the best for the city so

All right. Any questions?

I got a question. Just two very quick questions. One is, just a very quick reading of this.

There were 10 fatalities?

15 fatalities over the last five years. In Lawrence, there were 15 auto fatalities in Lawrence in the last five years? I believe that's correct. Those are based on the state numbers. I am curious, I don't expect you to know this now, and I don't want to take more time, I hate you right here, but I am interested in finding out where those fatalities were. I am also extremely interested in knowing more about historic fatalities. There are stop signs in our city where people say, why do we have them there? And I remember they were there because there was a fatality there and we respond, we, not me, but other councils at the time responded with a stop sign. So I would love to know, do you have a listing of the fatalities and how far back do they go?

They should go back for decades. I can put that together. Would you do that?

I'm not looking for a research project, but if you have just raw stuff, I'm happy to go through it myself. But I'm interested in seeing that, especially in the area that I represent. There's a couple of hot spots. There's stuff there, and people are going through fast. And I want to tell somebody, listen, somebody died here in 1990, whatever. There's a reason why there's a stop sign. Stop going through, you know what I'm saying? Just to educate the public a little bit more. Thank you.

Yeah, I think that's a big part of the program. And if you think about it, if you saw the list, you'd recognize the intersections. I think we all know what the dangerous intersections are.

We just talked about it. The planning board meeting, they were talking about Margin and Lowell Street, for example, and the number of accidents. There may have been fatalities. What an awful intersection that location is. And so anyway, that came up tonight in a different meeting. And I'm just curious to get some stats on that.

Vision 0 is geared towards fatalities, but there's a lot of other issues. There's a lot of intersections that are high property damage ones. Marginal Wall Street's a high personal injury one because it's not a high-speed intersection, but there's a lot of traffic, a lot of pedestrians, very dense neighborhood. And so it's one of those ones where there's There are injuries, but I don't know that there's been a death at that intersection.

I don't want to take up more oxygen tonight. I can find that out. But let's find out later. Not specifically that one. I'll just be interested in that. I'm the one sitting in my district. Specifically, I've got some questions. We can follow up later. Certainly. Thank you.

No problem. Any questions, Councilor, to Mr. McCarthy?

I hear none. Through you, Chair, Council President. This item was sent to full council with federal recommendation pending to review this resolution from the city attorney. And I've seen the communication through e-mails. And the last communication today was that the city attorney requested to have the police chief to sign off on this before he make any recommendation or sign off on the resolution. And that didn't happen. So I just wanted to make sure that I mean, since we send it to the city attorney to review this resolution.

We did have this discussion today, and I did speak with Chief Aguilar several hours ago, and he doesn't have a problem with this, but you are correct that it was never formally. I think the three of us been trying to communicate with each other and have then been able to IF THAT IS A SOLID REQUIREMENT OF THE BOARD, IT WOULD NOT HURT THE PROGRAM TO HAVE THIS TABLE FOR TWO MONTHS TO GET THAT LETTER. I'M CONFIDENT IT'S COMING.

A petition that was requested, and the city attorney has responded. I believe they will be appropriate to essentially table this matter until we get the letter from the chief of police.

The letter will be for the city attorney. And when he's leaving today, he had said, just go forward with it and see if it passes, and if not, we'll get the letter.

Okay. Motion to table. Council President.

Council President.

Before we send a motion to table council and can you repeat what you just said.

I said the advice that you receive that to to proceed forward with it and because it's a it's a it's a solid project.

I mean we got I mean that probably the proper word was not mention it okay, I hadn't received any information about this letters.

It was a turn it was for to be afterwards. That this was going to be a requirement, but I wasn't contacted by that.

um city council thank you asking for this letter all right uh there is a i will entertain a motion to table motion to the table exactly the motion in front of us properly second all those in favor please say aye aye any names they always have it thank you thank you counselors we have any special requests uh here and this is uh to open up public participation again for two and a half minutes on behalf of one of the residents that were not able to speak. So councillors, if it's possible, I'll entertain a motion to open up public participation again to allow this resident to speak.

So moved.

Second. There is a motion to A motion to allow public participation to be open. Properly second. Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Sir, public participation is open again. You're going to have two and a half minutes to speak. Please refer to this council as a whole.

Yes.

Yes, come to the mic. Name and address for the record, please.

The reason why I'm speaking is because... We need your name, sir. Oh, Robert. And last name, D-I-N-T. G-L-E, because they never get it spelled correct. The reason why I'm saying this is because I lost a brother that committed suicide with a gun. Okay, that's one. Two, John Hinckley almost took my life by me protecting Ronald Reagan. And the Secret Service was going to have me arrested. And Ronald Reagan said, let him go. He saved my life. One bullet got me here. One came on my side, but I whacked it. They told me not to grab it because it would go right through. I said I wasn't gonna grab it, I was gonna whack it. And then put it down further down to my leg so as if it got my leg it would knock my leg out instead of my stomach. They gotta do something with these guns. The only ones that should have them is the police or the people that does the buildings and stuff like that. Security guards is what I was trying to say. And they got to do something. And then the other is people have to have rights because they shouldn't violate other people's rights. and so forth because, you know, I'm a senior citizen and I just had my birthday, which is August 1st, but I'm 73, I was 72, and I don't look older because I still look a lot younger, but so... They gotta do something. And then, with people with walkers, the cars go like this, so I said, So you want to play that? Thank you.

Thank you, sir. You're welcome. Appreciate it. So these names are going to be submitted for the record. Public participation is now closed. So going back on top of the agenda, item 449.23. Can I get a motion to waive the preamble? Second. Second. There's a motion to waive the preamble. Properly second discussion. There is none. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. All those in favor please say the notice.

The purpose of the hearing is to gather testimony, information, and public input concerning the proposed amendments to the revised ordinances of the City of Lawrence to be further amended by adding the following subparagraphs to section 10.36.340 of the Municipal Code, handicap parking in the proper alphabetical order. Document number 449-23, Bailey Street, north side, from a point 73 feet west of Foster Street to a point 93 feet west of Foster Street. Persons wishing to be heard shall be afforded the opportunity.

Public hearing is now open. Anybody from the public that wishes to speak? Public hearing is now closed. Counselors, what's the motion?

Motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve.

Second.

Properly second. Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. COMMUNICATION FROM THE MAYOR, CITY OFFICIALS, CITY CHENEY. THERE IS NONE. COMMITTEE REPORTS, WE FINISH WITH THE BAYERNAL FINANCE COMMITTEE. THERE IS NO REPORT FROM THE HOUSE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, MADAM CHAIR AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, ANA LEVY. ITEM 4926.

ITEM 4926 IS THE CREATION OF THE SECURITY ASSISTANT POSITION POLICE DEPARTMENT ORDERED BY PERSONAL DIRECT TO ORDER A

There is a motion to order a public hearing, properly second discussion. I hear no, no, those in favor please say aye. Aye. Any nays? The ayes have it. Item 247.26.

This is for withdrawal. Item 247.26 is a resident parking, Gale Street and Greenville Street, submitted by Councillor Vivian Malmo, was ended for withdrawal and I make this a formal motion.

That is the motion is to withdraw without prejudice.

Without prejudice, yeah. Second.

Withdraw without prejudice, it's been properly second discussion. I hear none, all those in favor please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it.

Item 2, 1720C is the Halcombe Imperial License by Lurden Garcia-Aureña. That was for withdrawal and I make it that without prejudice I'm sending it to the full council. Wait, wait for everyone to come do this.

So the motion is to withdraw without prejudice. Properly second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it.

Item 295-26. 295-26 is the Children's Day Flatfoot Board and Backpack Riding Park. So this is going to be on Saturday over the 8th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. I was sent to the food council with a favor recommendation and I make, yeah, and I make it as a,

You made that as a form of motion.

As a form of motion.

There is a motion in front of us, properly seconded. Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. Item 29626.

I'm sorry. I was looking at the same time because I don't have my computer in front. 29626 is Chico Summer. I got it here.

Shut up.

Chico Summer shut up. is back to school events, Lawrence Playground on Saturday, August 15th, from 11 to 6 p.m. There is a revised date, August 15th is going to be August 22nd, was sent to the full council with favor recommendation, and the park also is the O'Connor Park.

So the event is going to happen at the O'Connor Park and also is going to change from August 15th to the 21st. 22nd. 22nd. 22nd. Okay. Counselors, there is a motion in front of us, properly seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Item 308-25 is that remove all the handicapped parking, 16 Boswell Street. I will send it to the fourth council to order a public hearing and make a formal motion.

There is a motion to remove handicap parking. And this is the order of public hearing. Properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. Item 309.25.

Item 3, or item 25, is the removal of the handicapped parking on 25 Durham Street. Was sent to the full council to order a public hearing and make this a formal motion.

There's a motion to order a public hearing for this item. Can I hear a second? Second. Properly second. Discussion? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

The ayes have it. Item 3, 1426.

I don't 3, 11, 20, 6, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, East side from Allentown Street to Loring Street. That was submitted by Councilor Del Rosario and we send it for a public hearing and I make it as a formal motion.

There's a motion in front of us. Properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. Item 314.26.

item 31426 is a city employee disclosure or company uh for election working at the league gonzalez was in there with favor recommendation and i make as a formal motion there is a motion in front of us properly second discussion discussion counselor la plan thanks

So I had mentioned this on the other one, 3-13-26, although I intended to. So this is just a conflict. We, I don't think, have a vote up or down on this. They're just disclosing this information. So it has nothing to do with whether or not this person or any of these people are going to be working. But I just want to, through the council president, just kind of say that I think we should do our best our best efforts to try to get non-city employees to work the elections. Now, I understand that there are times when we're gonna be short and we sometimes need to dip into the city employee pool to try to get city employees to do it. But I'm hopeful that as time goes on, that number is reduced and that we have more people. I realize it's not easy to get it, but we've increased the pay. We try to make it more attractive. And so that's a hope. I'm not saying that I'm voting against this. I'm just reiterating something I've said before. And I just think it's important to say it now. Thank you.

No problem. Councillor LeBlanc, just for the sake of the conversation, City of Lawrence employed over 1,500 people. Only five are applying for that. So that's a very reduced number. So 0.00 something percent.

So for the elections we have 26 different polling locations and each polling location has about four employees. So it's over 100, about 104 workers that come to work. five of them are city police and not to be the five of them are rock stars like they really can manage a whole um area they also kind of assist the they're the wooden for the specific ward but they also help guide the ones around them it's very hard to get someone to make a commitment from five in the morning till ten at night no one wants to make that kind of a commitment um The people that do make the commitment, we have a lot of people that are older, very tired. To get someone, you know, a younger person in their 30s or 40s that's willing to make that huge time commitment, take a day out of work, it's really hard to get that. So I'm so grateful for the people that do make this commitment, and I really want to support them and encourage it. And I understand what you're saying, that you don't like the concept, but... out of the hundred or so workers we have, it's five of them that do this, and they really are such strong wardens, they do such a good job, I really, I wish you could see what a great job they do in action, you'd be like, well, we do need to keep these people, yeah.

I'm not suggesting that, but I don't want my comments to reflect that I think these people are doing a bad job. That's not what I'm saying, and I'm not saying what my point is, is that I think in a perfect world, and you have just reiterated why we're not living in a perfect world, but if we were living in a perfect world, we would not be so reliant on it. We would have a bunch of rock stars who are 30 or 40 years old, to use your words, or maybe a little older. There are some good people in their 60s that can work. So I just think that that's just an aspirational thing. I'm not being argumentative, just an opinion. Thank you.

Thank you, Council LaPlante. All those in favor? Council President.

thank you thank you council president i also would like to add to to council the plan sentiment um madam clerk that i i would like to see this has nothing to do with the with the city employees per se that are working or that have been allowed to vote to work um it's more about the city employees who aren't employed by the the election division um to work I received a lot of horror stories of city employees walking into the polling locations, trying to boss other around and we need more stricter rules and regulations and we need to get a better grasp of that because I'm sure I'm not the only one, but it happened at the Frost and I wasn't too happy about that when I heard about it.

Thank you, thank you for bringing this up. I mean, I think that we should keep whoever applied for this election and keep it for the next election, too. Because I mean, there is some that only apply for some elections. But these people, at least four of the five, they've been consistent throughout for years.

What do you say, Maria?

Only one?

Maria.

All right. All those in favor, please say aye for item 314. The ayes have it. Item 315.26, Madam Chair.

Item 315.26, the employee disclosed a conflict election working list module was sent to the full council with favorable recommendation. I make this a formal motion. Second.

There is a motion in front of us for the disclosure. Properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it.

Item 316.26. 316.26 a city employee disclosed a conflict election working Alisa Coco was sent to the full council with favor recommendation and I make as a formal motion.

There's a motion in front of us. Thank you. Properly second. Questions? I hear none. All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

The ayes have it. Item 31626. 31726.

317, sorry. City employee disclosed a conflict election voting. Maria Halloran was attended to the Any question to Maria?

It's a public comment.