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2004-01-05Regular Meeting of Beverly City Council 12:00 Noon January 5, 2004Regular Meeting of Beverly City Council 12:00 Noon January 5, 2004 Roll Call : Councilors Present: John J. Burke, Ronald Costa, William Coughlin, Timothy Flaherty, Patricia Grimes, Kevin Hobin, Donald Martin, , Maureen Troubetaris, Paul Guanci Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag : Led by Councilor Guanci #1 Inaugural Address INAUGURAL SPEECH – January 2004 Good afternoon fellow citizens. As I stand before you today, I realize how fortunate I am to be here. Only two other people have ever been elected Mayor of our fine City for non-consecutive terms. I am honored and privileged to be back and I promise to make the most out of this opportunity to once again serve the City I love. Over the next two years I will do my utmost, together with the City Council and the School Committee to make Beverly the better place we all want it to be. The first task facing me is to thoroughly assess just where Beverly stands today. That will require a review of all budgets and the investigation of a number of key problems facing the City. I expect to complete this assessment in sixty days and at that time I will report back to you. Boiled down to the simplest terms the physical things we need, such as an improved high school and appropriate public safety facilities, require money and there are only three ways to get that money. One is by creating new growth through careful development and redevelopment in our City consistent with zoning and other regulations and harmonious with our quality of life. The second is by lowering the cost of government. That essentially means getting the job done with fewer people. While better purchasing can and must be pursued across the entire City, the vast majority of all our costs are people and payroll related. The third, and an alternative which has little personal appeal to me, is to add taxes through overrides. Many, many of our citizens simply do not have the resources to fund this alternative and I say to you today that we must do all in our power to make this alternative unnecessary. Thus, I call upon the City Council to join my administration in an effort to identify and cultivate appropriate new growth and redevelopment. I call upon all elected officials, every department head as well as the school superintendent to join in an effort to lower the cost of government by looking hard at every aspect of our operation. Every expenditure must be scrutinized and justified. Every position must be considered at its full cost, which includes medical coverage and pension costs and often other costs. If we can make real progress on both these fronts, cultivating appropriate new revenue harmonious with our quality of life, and lowering the cost of government, we can make real progress meeting the physical needs of the City. If not, we will likely tread water at best. I am well known to most of you so this speech need not be long but a few comments are in order. To make progress all branches of our government must commit to a full · and frank exchange on the issues before us and, after appropriate deliberation, decisiveness. We will need an attitude amongst all concerned which, instead of · explaining why we can’t do things, finds ways to do things differently, at lower cost and more efficiently. Every real estate tax bill must be based on a fair property value · assessment, not more not less. We must ensure consistency. I pledge to be fair-handed, open-minded, and accessible to everyone. · I will shortly announce a schedule for regular monthly town meetings to be · held in the evening where anyone who wishes can come and ask questions about any subject. Now let me speak briefly to my organizational plans and some immediate actions. In the spirit of reducing the cost of government, I will forego the position of Aide to the Mayor. I don’t make this move lightly but I intend to practice what I preach when I call for smaller government. I will return as Executive Secretary to the Mayor on a 1 temporary basis pending Council approval of her permanent appointment, Linda Giallongo. I will return on a temporary basis pending Council approval of her permanent appointment, Tina Cassidy as Planning and Development Director. I will return on a temporary basis pending Council approval of his permanent appointment, John Dunn as Director of Finance. These individuals served this City with distinction and I am grateful they are willing to return to the task at hand. I will appoint Roy Gelineau as City Solicitor on a temporary basis pending Council approval of his permanent appointment. Roy is a thoughtful man who played a large role in the development of the City ordinances which followed from the enactment of the City Charter. Lastly, and I will say a few extra words about this position, I will put forward for permanent appointment as Director of Human Resources, Joyce McMahon. Ms. McMahon, well known to most of you, served with distinction as a City Councilor for eight years. She is intelligent, hard working, inquisitive, fair and open-minded. She is currently employed at a higher salary than that which I will propose. My agreement with her is that she will not leave her present employment until the Council acts on her permanent appointment. In the meanwhile I will appoint Assistant City Solicitor Robert Munroe as Director of Human Resources on a temporary basis. I respectfully request from the City Council a thorough but undelayed consideration of all my appointments. The City today faces a multitude of problems. All thirteen unions are working out of contract. My administration needs to be productive from the outset. The City needs in the Human Resources position a highly competent person we can trust. With Joyce McMahon we will get just that. On a net basis my organizational plan will save the City in excess of $60,000 annually. I urge the City Council to view my plan in its entirety as a package with a significant savings to the City. My proposals contain no unknowns. All of my appointments are proven people. As recently discussed in the local press, using the near-term savings from the organizational changes I’ve proposed, I intend with the help of the City Council to engage the best available independent authority to thoroughly review the strengths and weaknesses of the Beverly Police Department. Charles Dickens once wrote, “They Were the Best of Times, They Were the Worst of Times.” His words are applicable today. We face tough choices. We have real problems. But the City of Beverly is not a 5 and 10 cent store. We can make this City what it should be. We will plow the snow adequately despite the cost. We will give the citizens the services they deserve. We will do our best to make all of us proud of our fair City. Hard work, creative thinking and putting the City first will allow us to succeed. And by us I do not just mean the City’s elected officials and employees. If we are to be successful at making Beverly more special, we must have more enthusiastic volunteers. The hallmark of a successful City is the work people do for their community because they want to—not because they have to. And so today, in these challenging times, I call upon all my fellow citizens to help make us a successful City. If you out there in the community wish to help Beverly there are well over 200 volunteer positions on Boards and Commissions. Please write to me at the Mayor’s office stating your interests and describing your background. We do want and do need your help. The City, and I personally, would be grateful for your time and effort. As I close let me remind you that the Inaugural Ball will be held on Saturday evening, January 24. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is welcome to attend and we th hope to have a real celebration of our fine City. Please feel free to contact Linda Giallongo or my wife, Louise, for details. So now let us all dedicate the next two years to doing what is best for Beverly Rules Suspended for address by Council President Guanci Communications from His Honor the Mayor : #2 2 January 5, 2004 Honorable City Council City Hall 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Re: Temporary Appointment of Linda Giallongo as the Mayor’s Confidential Secretary and Clerk to the Beverly License Board Dear Honorable Council: A vacancy existing in the position of Mayor’s Confidential Secretary and Clerk to the Beverly License Board and the needs of the City requiring that such position be filled, I designate Linda Giallongo to perform the duties of the Mayor’s Confidential Secretary and Clerk to the Beverly License Board on a temporary basis until the positions can be filled in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter. I certify that Linda Giallongo is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make the designation solely in the interests of the City of Beverly. This temporary appointment is made in accordance with Section 3-5 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter and is effective immediately. Very truly yours, William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly Receive and Place on File #3 January 5, 2004 Honorable City Council City Hall 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Re: Temporary Appointment of Tina Cassidy as Director of Planning and Development Dear Honorable Council: A vacancy existing in the position of Director of Planning and Development and the needs of the City requiring that such position be filled, I designate Tina Cassidy to perform the duties of Director of Planning and Development on a temporary basis until the position can be filled in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter. I certify that Tina Cassidy is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make the designation solely in the interests of the City of Beverly. This temporary appointment is made in accordance with Section 3-5 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter and is effective immediately. Very truly yours, William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly Receive and Place on File #4 January 5, 2004 Honorable City Council City Hall 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Re: Temporary Appointment of Roy F. Gelineau, Jr. as City Solicitor 3 Dear Honorable Council: A vacancy existing in the position of City Solicitor and the needs of the City requiring that such position be filled, I designate Roy F. Gelineau, Jr. to perform the duties of City Solicitor on a temporary basis until the position can be filled in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter. I certify that Roy F. Gelineau, Jr. is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make the designation solely in the interests of the City of Beverly. This temporary appointment is made in accordance with Section 3-5 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter and is effective immediately. Very truly yours, William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly Receive and Place on File #5 January 5, 2004 Honorable City Council City Hall 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Re: Temporary Appointment of John Dunn as Director of Municipal Finance Dear Honorable Council: A vacancy existing in the position of Director of Municipal Finance and the needs of the City requiring that such position be filled, I designate John Dunn to perform the duties of Director of Municipal Finance on a temporary basis until the position can be filled in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter. I certify that John Dunn is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make the designation solely in the interests of the City of Beverly. This temporary appointment is made in accordance with Section 3-5 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter and is effective immediately. Very truly yours, William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly Receive and Place on File #6 January 5, 2004 Honorable City Council City Hall 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Re: Temporary Appointment of Robert Munroe as Director of Human Resources Dear Honorable Council: A vacancy existing in the position of Director of Human Resources and the needs of the City requiring that such position be filled, I designate Robert Munroe to perform the duties of Director of Human Resources on a temporary basis until the position can be filled in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter. I certify that Robert Munroe is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make the designation solely in the interests of the City of Beverly. This temporary appointment is made in accordance with Section 3-5 of the Beverly Home Rule Charter and is effective immediately. 4 Very truly yours, William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor of Beverly Receive and Place on File Communications from other City Officers and Boards #7 January 5, 2004 Dear Honorable Council, After receiving input from the other members of the City Council, it is my distinct pleasure and honor to announce the following committee assignments for the upcoming two-year term. The Council is made up of three standing committees, The Committee on Finance and Property, the Committee on Public Services and the Committee on Legal Affairs. The Committee on Finance and Property: Donald Martin, Chairperson William Coughlin Paul Guanci The Committee on Public Services: Ronald Costa, Chairperson Timothy Flaherty Kevin Hobin The Committee on Legal Affairs: Maureen Troubetaris, Chairperson John Burke Patricia Grimes The Committee on Public Services will meet on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 6:00pm. If a holiday falls on the Monday, the committee will meet on Tuesday of that week. The Committee on Finance and Property will meet on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7:00pm. If a holiday falls on the Monday, the committee will meet on Tuesday of that week. The Committee on Legal Affairs will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7:00pm. If a holiday falls on a Thursday when a meeting is scheduled it will be up to the committee’s chairperson to reschedule. Respectfully Submitted, Paul M. Guanci City Council President Receive and Place on File Communications, Applications and Petitions: Reports from Committees : Unfinished Business: Resolutions: Motions and Orders: Meeting adjourned: 1:05 PM Frances A. Macdonald, CMC City Clerk 5