← Boards & Commissions Committee · 2026-05-21 · Boards & Commissions Committee Meeting 5.21
PUBLIC COMMENT
Agenda original PDF
Minutes original PDF
r ID: 944 4545 0453 Motion to Open public comment made by Vice Chair Vandiver at 6:46 PM Comments on the floor: Jen McAndrew, 12 Sears Avenue, proudly supports the appointment of Mark McKinnon to the Melrose Housing Authority Board. She's known Mark for 20 years as a family friend, a former colleague, and a Ward 1 neighbor. She's had the privilege of working with Mark on two occasions, first in the Massachusetts State House, and then on staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. He listens and works collaboratively, he understands how government works, and he values good government and understands what it can bring to communities. He cares about people and leads with understanding and empathy. There were no comments via Zoom. Motion to Close public comment made by Vice Chair Vandiver at 6:48 PM IV. APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS
Transcript
▶ 0:24 Kimberly Vandiver: This serves as a notice of quorum for the record, and in accordance with open meeting law, this meeting is being recorded and broadcast by MMTV. I will now motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment.
▶ 0:46 Kimberly Vandiver: Hello. Welcome. Thank you. Please state your name and address.
▶ 0:52 Jennifer McAndrew: Hi, everyone. Thank you for having me. My name's Jen McAndrew. I live at 12 Sears Ave. I'm here to speak tonight, and proudly support the appointment before you of Mark McKinnon to the Melrose Housing Authority board. I've known Mark for 20 years, um, as a family friend, a former colleague, and a Ward 1 neighbor. And, um, I've had the privilege of working with Mark on two occasions, first in the Massachusetts State House, and then on staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's gone on since, as I know you've seen from his materials, to success and leadership in the private sector as well. Among the qualities that make Mark ideal for this type of role, I think, are that he listens and works collaboratively, he understands how government works, and he values good government and understands what it can bring to communities. He loves Melrose, and after growing up here, returned as a young professional and purchased a home here, which I think speaks volumes about his commitment to the community. And most importantly, he cares about people and leads with understanding and empathy. I'm really glad that the mayor nominated him for this role and that he's willing to serve in this civic leadership position. I thank you all for your service to Melrose, which I really appreciate, and for listening to me tonight. Thank you.
▶ 2:17 Kimberly Vandiver: Thank you so much. Is there anyone else who'd like to speak at public comment?
▶ 2:21 Speaker 2: Is there anyone online?
▶ 2:22 Speaker 3: No one online.
▶ 2:23 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you. At this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. And I see I skipped minutes approval, so at this time, I'll also motion by unanimous consent to approve the minutes of the boards and commissions meeting from April 6th. Seeing no objections, those are now approved. The first order before us is ID number 2026-1146, the appointment of Mark McKinnon, 585 Franklin Street, to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term, said term to expire first Monday of March 2029. Mr. McKinnon is completing the term of Ellen Connolly, who has stepped down. And we have with us Mr. McKinnon and the mayor. Welcome. Good evening, Madam Chair and councilors. Thank you for having us tonight. So just to expand on what was so articulately said in public comment, I'm thrilled to put Mark McKinnon before you tonight for your consideration to the housing authority. He will be replacing the longtime chair of the authority. It's not often that we replace members of that board, so it's really an important opportunity. As I believe you know, we have multiple public housing buildings here in Melrose, and while they're not directly run by the city, they're largely run through the federal and state programs. I do have the opportunity to appoint board members to help in their oversight. In addition to everything that was said about Mr. McKinnon, his lifelong commitment to Melrose, his vast professional experience, he also understands the nexus of federal, state, and local government, which is actively at play every day at the housing authority, as well as meeting the needs of complex individuals. The most frequent housing calls that come into my office are from our residents at the housing authority, and helping folks understand where the city versus the state versus the federal government ends can be really confusing, and being able to do that at a high level on the board and help to communicate that empathetically and consistently will be a really big asset for him on that board. So I'm thrilled to have him here tonight. I'm really grateful for his willingness to serve, and thank you for your consideration. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And Mr. McKinnon, would you like to say anything before we open it up for questions?