ORDER-2016-6 : Appointment of Manisha G. Bewtra, 330 Grove St., for a three-year term on the Human Rights Commission, said term to expire on the last day of February, 2018.

Transcript (~5 min @ 41:18)

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▶ 41:15 Speaker 3: No worries. You have everything in order, it's a good idea.

▶ 41:20 Peter D. Mortimer: The first order we have before us is order 2016-6. It's the appointment of Manisha G. Butra, 330 Grove Street, for a three year term on the Human Rights Commission. Said term to expire on the last day of February 2018.

▶ 41:38 Speaker 7: Motion to suspend the rules to bring the applicant forward.

▶ 41:40 Peter D. Mortimer: We have a motion to suspend the rules that we may hear from the candidate for a position on the Human Rights Commission.

▶ 41:51 Speaker 2: It was seconded.

▶ 41:53 Peter D. Mortimer: Oh, the motion to suspend the rules. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, we are under suspension. Thank you, welcome. We see other members of the Human Rights Commission have come here in solidarity with you. Very nice to see. Would you like to make an opening statement or proceed directly to questions?

▶ 42:10 Speaker 8: We can proceed directly to questions.

▶ 42:13 Peter D. Mortimer: All right, we all know you pretty well from your work with the planning here in Melrose. course um annie alderman wishing to have a colloquy with miss butra please see oh we do have one okay thank you alderman Medeiros thank you very much yes uh we do

▶ 42:28 Monica C. Medeiros: appreciate your service to the city this far and i know you've been very involved in some of our

▶ 42:37 Manisha Bewtra: planning but i i would like to just hear a few minutes about why you're interested in this position and if you could share that with us that'd be great absolutely well um I initially found out about the Human Rights Commission when I had inquired from Mayor Dolan about the city's non-discrimination policies and that led me he forwarded on my email to Maureen Busby who then invited me to attend a few of the meetings and I got the opportunity to attend and found that the conversations around the table at the monthly HRC meetings were very much in line with the types of ways I'd love to make a difference in Melrose and in my life in general I have really focused a lot of my sort of professional as well as personal volunteer efforts in terms of advancing equity promoting diversity a lot of the things that the Human Rights Commission is all about so this just seemed like a really great fit in a way to contribute to the community that

▶ 43:46 Speaker 8: goes beyond what I do as a city planner thank you thank you very much thank you

▶ 43:48 Peter D. Mortimer: very much Alderman Medeiros Alderman McAteer

▶ 43:52 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Margolis please I just want to say thank you very much for stepping forward I think you're a great example of the kind of of the kind of Commissioner that we would be looking for and you have big shoes to fill but you have a great team working to work with too so good luck thank you thank you thank you very much alderman mcateer

▶ 44:15 Francis X. Wright Jr.: margolis alderman wright please thank you mr chairman i just wanted to say that i've had the opportunity to work with uh manisha both here and elsewhere and i've always found her to be a thoughtful professional person capable to not only work with city officials but with people of all different backgrounds um professionally and otherwise um and i think uh we're very lucky to have her uh as a candidate so welcome welcome back yeah i agree very very well said ultimate

▶ 44:50 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: live moment please yes um i just wanted to sort of add to some of manisha's praises um you know we had had some just personal discussions um a few different times uh where manisha talked about some of the ways that she was interested in getting more involved with the community and um her goals at the time and um when i saw that this uh was an opportunity that came forward it seemed like just a perfect fit for some of the ways that you were hoping to focus your energy so um thank you for you know volunteering to work more with the city in this way yes thank you

▶ 45:20 Speaker 3: specifically for your encouragement of course is there a motion please motion to recommend a second

▶ 45:23 Peter D. Mortimer: we have a motion to recommend from alderman Tramontozzi duly seconded by alderman forbes all in favor please say aye aye any opposed hearing none this order has been recommended for passage at our next full board meeting which is on august 17th you need not come again we appreciate your service to the city in the past and in the future ostensibly and thank you very much thank you take care have a wonderful evening the next order we have before us is order