ORDER-2020-114 : Appointment of Margaret Sheets, 53 Melrose St., Apt. 3D, to the Commission on Disability for a three-year term; said term to end on the last day of February 2023.

Transcript (~6 min @ 21:35)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 21:33 Speaker 1: Chairman Eccles? Yes. Five yes. Thank you, Mr. Hoff.

▶ 21:39 Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. Hoff.

▶ 21:43 Jack Eccles: The next item on our agenda tonight is Order 2020-114, Appointment of Margaret Sheets, 53 Melrose Street, Apartment 3D, to the Commission on Disability for a Three-Year Term, set to expire on the last day of February 2023, and I believe Ms. Sheets is in the room.

▶ 21:58 Speaker 1: Interesting. Margaret, can you hear us? Yes, I can hear you, but I don't think you can hear me. Yeah, we can hear you. We just, for some reason, I'm unable to make you a panelist in the room. Was it the way that I signed on? I do apologize. No worries. Everyone can hear you. We just love to see people. If you want to start. Okay. I wonder if there's something I can do to make myself visible on my end. Let's see if I can hold on one second. The ability to hold on. Let's see if I can try this one thing. Yeah. Oh, I am so sorry. Don't hold on, guys. Through the chair. Hi, Maggie. It's not you. We always have this issue. so don't it's not you don't feel guilty all right well okay well thank you very much first for this opportunity i'm so excited to be able to serve on the commission or have the possibility rather to serve i um as a woman living with disabilities i am really passionate about this cause and i have advocated for people with disabilities throughout my and i've done a lot of work studying issues that impact people with disabilities in my past position as a research assistant with the Disability Policy Consortium. And I have also continued to work with people with disabilities in my current position with the Disability Policy Consortium on their MyOmbudsman team, which is a team of people that help people on MassHealth if they're having issues accessing their services. So, and that's where I'm an administrative assistant with them. So that's work that I have enjoyed and I think my past research translates very well into my work hopefully with the Commission. I'd love to echo, I'd love to do a needs assessment and I want to echo David Hoff and his idea of looking at what people with disabilities need in Melrose and figuring out how these needs can best be met. And I just want to thank you all for giving me this opportunity to speak. I'm so excited to be able to have the hope of being able to serve Melrose. And it's a community I really care about. So I am just excited to have this opportunity. So thank you so much.

▶ 24:38 Speaker 2: Thanks, Ashish. May I bring her? You want to meet?

▶ 24:41 Speaker 1: Hello? Yes? One second, Heidi. Hey, your brother's going to speak.

▶ 24:51 Speaker 5: I don't think, I think Ms. Sheets is underselling yourself a little bit, quite frankly.

▶ 24:58 Speaker 4: She has a master's degree in health communication, undergrad degree, served in D.C.

▶ 25:10 Paul Brodeur: in the Senate doing policy work, and has also been, as you can see from her resume, on the

▶ 25:12 Speaker 4: front lines. And if you've ever had been in the world, we have to help folks navigate

▶ 25:18 Paul Brodeur: mass health. That is a skill set that even the best of us can really be challenged by and to do it and do it well takes a magician, quite frankly. And if you are in a world where sometimes you have to navigate what they call dual eligibility, where some of your health expenses are mass health and some might be Medicare, those problems can really multiply,

▶ 25:43 Speaker 4: it can be a bureaucratic nightmare but to have someone like miss sheets on the commission with that academic research background but also her lived experience and her work experience

▶ 25:57 Speaker 2: will make her an outstanding addition to the commission thank you mr chairman um i just would

▶ 26:04 Maya Jamaleddine: like to echo uh mayor broder and uh tell you maggie we are thrilled to have you i think you you will be a great asset to the Commission on Disability, and I think Marouz will be so lucky to have you. Thank you for stepping up, and thank you for all what you did in the past year and more. You can make anyone love you without seeing you, and we are happy to have you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all. I really appreciate this.

▶ 26:40 Jack Eccles: thank you I know I'm also very excited to see this committee having one of the two members here to the members coming through tonight what is the will of the

▶ 26:51 Maya Jamaleddine: committee seeing motion to demand to back for passage

▶ 26:57 Jack Eccles: to recommend for passage by vice-chair Jamal Dean seconded by councilor McGlure

▶ 27:05 Speaker 1: Madam Clerk? Vice-Chair Maladine? Yes. Councillor McMaster? Yes. Councillor McNaught? Yes. Councillor Migliorelli? Yes. Councillor Grigoraitis? Yes. Chair Eccles? Yes. Six yes. Congratulations, Ms. Sheets. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Thank you. Thank you. I'm so thrilled. I'm really