Health, Education & Welfare Committee — 2023-04-10
Attendance
Jen Grigoraitis ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; John Obremski ; Robb Stewart ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
- Call to Order
- Public Comment
- Appointments/Reappointments
- APPT-2023-10 : Appointment of Lauren Knott, 16 Mount Vernon Street, to the Commission on Women, for a one-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2024.
- APPT-2023-11 : Appointment of Margaret Ivins, 177 Ashland Street, to the Melrose Council on Aging (COA) for a 2-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2025.
- APPT-2023-6 : Reappointment of James Oosterman, 54 Ellis Farm Lane, to the Affordable Housing Trust, for a two-year term, said term to expire on the last day of January 2025.
- APPT-2023-7 : Reappointment of Seamus Kelley, 259 West Emerson Street, to the Melrose Affordable Housing Trust, for a two-year term, said term to expire on the last day of January 2024.
- APPT-2023-8 : Reappointment of Michael Barry, 910 Main St., to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term; said term to expire on the first Monday of March 2028.
- APPT-2023-9 : Reappointment of Karen Blackburn, 15 Lodge Avenue, to the Commission on Women (MCW) for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2026.
- Adjournment
Minutes
CITY OF MELROSE HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE COMMITTEE CALENDAR● APRIL 10, 2023 Council Chamber, First Floor, Melrose City Hall Committee Meeting 7:00 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 The public should take notice that the Melrose City Council may, on certain occasions, have a quorum in attendance due to standing committees of the City Council consisting of both voting and non-voting members. Members attending this duly posted meeting are participating and deliberating only in conjunction with the business of the standing committee. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Manjula Karamcheti Chair Present John Obremski Vice Chair Present Maya Jamaleddine Absent Robb Stewart Present Ryan Williams Present Jen Grigoraitis President, Ex Oficio Present
APPT-2023-10 Appointment Appointment of Lauren Knott, 16 Mount Vernon Street, to the Commission on Women, for a one-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2024. Ought to Pass City Council
APPT-2023-11 Appointment Appointment of Margaret Ivins, 177 Ashland Street, to the Melrose Council on Aging (COA) for a 2-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2025. Ought to Pass City Council
APPT-2023-6 Appointment Reappointment of James Oosterman, 54 Ellis Farm Lane, to the Affordable Housing Trust, for a two-year term, said term to expire on the last day of January 2025. Ought to Pass City Council
APPT-2023-7 Appointment City of Melrose Page 1 4/21/2023 1:06 PM Minutes Health, Education & Welfare Committee April 10, 2023 Reappointment of Seamus Kelley, 259 West Emerson Street, to the Melrose Affordable Housing Trust, for a two-year term, said term to expire on the last day of January 2024. Ought to Pass City Council
APPT-2023-8 Appointment Reappointment of Michael Barry, 910 Main St., to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term; said term to expire on the first Monday of March 2028. Ought to Pass City Council
APPT-2023-9 Appointment Reappointment of Karen Blackburn, 15 Lodge Avenue, to the Commission on Women (MCW) for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2026. Ought to Pass City Council City of Melrose Page 2 4/21/2023 1:06 PM
Transcript
▶ 0:04 Manjula Karamcheti: Well, good evening everyone. It's April 10th 2023. This is the meeting of the health education and Welfare committee. I'm counselor Carm chady. The chair joining me tonight are Vice chair. Oh bremski counselor Stewart counselor Williams and president Grigoraitis exophicio. This takes place as an attendance roll call and this also provides notice of a quorum for the record. In accordance with open meeting law this meeting is being recorded and broadcast on our local cable access Channel mmtv, as well as live streamed through mmtv.org. This meeting will be available for future viewings through the city of Melrose website meeting portal as well. We are moving on to the public comment portion of our meeting. This
▶ 0:59 Manjula Karamcheti: is a time where any member of the public may speak to any item on our agenda. The committee does not engage in a back and forth dialogue, but we'll listen to what each individual has to say a motion by unanimous consent to open public comment. Seeing no objections public comment is open. We ask that any speakers, please State their name and address for the record. I think these are our guests who are our appointments tonight. So Mr. Clark, do we have any participants wishing to participate virtually besides the mayor? There's no one at this time. Okay. Thank you so much. So at this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing no objections public comment is now closed. Welcome
▶ 1:47 Manjula Karamcheti: counselor sonella. Tonight on our agenda. We have two appointments and four reappointments. Our first appointment is appointment 2023-10 the appointment of Laura Nott at oh I think I forgot to do something. Yes, looking for a motion to suspend the rules so moved. the motion by counselor abramski actually if you would second counselor Williams Actually a motioned and Rob's. Okay, so we had a hand raised motion by counselor or by chair Vice chair Obremski. also motion by councilor Williams seconded by counselor Stewart given that the all in favor I any opposed the rules are now suspended. So again, my apologies we have appointment 2023-10 the appointment of Laura not 16 Mount Vernon Street to
▶ 2:58 Paul Brodeur: the commission on women for a one-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2024 and miss not is that you in the audience, please feel free to join us at the table. Oh. And mayor Broder is here. He's upside down but present. Thank you. Madam. Chair. I Will Not Waste everyone's time trying to fix this and then I've eat couple of seconds. I am on my home computer. For those of you who don't know. I am three years into the pandemic actually Afflicted with covid. So I am locked down in my home more specifically in a single room in my home while I hate remote stuff. It's better than not being around at all. So by way of brief introduction, I am very excited to Nominate for your consideration Lauren not
▶ 3:53 Paul Brodeur: to the commission of women. We have an outstanding candidate before you as you can see from a resume. She has done extensive work throughout her career in what I would call Professional nonprofit Public Service public service focused mainly in the youth sector particularly with with homeless Youth and and the work has been outstanding and she also has a a commitment to inclusiveness that I think is very important for the Commission in terms of broadening its focus on lgbq plus issues and I'm going to close my camera and let Lawrence say a few words. Welcome Lauren. Thank you. Hi everyone. And thank you for that introduction mayor brewedore. My name is Lauren Knott. I use she and her pronouns. It's really
▶ 4:58 great to meet all of you and to have this opportunity to be appointed to the commission as the mayor so graciously offered in his introduction. I've been working for about 20 years in the nonprofit sector in Boston in North Carolina primarily on youth homelessness. And for the last eight months. I'm currently the VP of strategic Partnerships at a national nonprofit working to end youth homelessness by putting the power and resources in the hands of young people. So we work we realize that homelessness disproportionately impacts bypass and lgbtq young people. So we operate with the principles of targeted universalism if we build a system that will work for those young people we will You build a system that works for all young people.
▶ 5:52 Jen Grigoraitis: So those are some of the principles that I would bring to the commission. So I'm really excited for this opportunity to talk with all of you. Thank you so much for being here. Are there any questions from counselors? Yeah, please go ahead president. Thank you. Lauren for being here as a one of as your representative. I'm thrilled to see you before us. I know what the great work that you do in the larger community and also in Melrose and given your lens as a social worker and the model that you just described which I think is really fantastic. Could you talk a little bit about anything that you would be interested in working on in the women's Commission? Yeah. Yeah, I really appreciate this conversation with the mayor
▶ 6:34 and with Karen. at the commission is really Member driven and so there's a lot of opportunity to kind of shape the work that we do through the membership and I think about myself as a CIS queer woman who is raising two daughters in this current state of our country and what rights my daughters may have different than my own growing up and you can also see from my resume that I work nationally nine to five and so starting to think more purposefully about the work here in Melrose in ways that I can put deeper roots and my own comedian my own backyard to build out that work and so I think about the ways in which women's rights and reproductive health. So frequently follow all those other rights gay rights privacy
▶ 7:35 things like that. And so I think I would want to know more about what other women in Melrose want to work on. So it's not just the commission's voice but it's a community process and talking with Karen thinking about like focus groups or things like that doing a I've been really impressed with the community surveys that have gone out over the course of the last few Community planning processes. So getting a sense of what other other women in Melrose are interested in I'm really into policy and advocacy and it was really impressed with the Melrose High walkout on gun rates last week. So like doing more of that work and getting young people people my age older people connected to their voice and where
▶ 8:27 Manjula Karamcheti: this state is going this country is going yeah. Thank you for such a thoughtful answer. I'll make a motion to recommend for Passage. We have a motion made to recommend for passage. So good recommended by President greigis seconded by counselor Stewart on discussion Um, it's not I just want to say that so appreciate you stepping up to volunteer and your comments about the intersections between the commission on women bypass lgtbq+ youth. Advocacy homelessness. I think it'll be such an asset to the role on the women's commission. So excited that you've stepped up to volunteer for Melrose so all in favor, Right any opposed? Okay this motion carries. So thank you so much for being here tonight. This motion will
▶ 9:26 Manjula Karamcheti: be moved to the full Council. You do not need to appear at that time. But of course you are welcome, but we will be recommending you for for the appointment for the women's Commission. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for joining us today. Okay, next we are moving on to appointment 2023-11 the appointment of Margaret Ivins 177 Ashland Street to the Melrose Council on Aging for a two-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2025. We are still under suspension of the rules. So mayor Broder, please go ahead and introduce your next candidate. Thank you madam chair. I've managed to write the ship technologically. I'm very excited about that and quite frankly shocked to it to a certain degree. Similarly.
▶ 10:19 Paul Brodeur: We have another outstanding appointment, you know these folks. stepped up in reacting to a you know, the my office circulating opportunities in soliciting interest folks been tremendous about stepping up Miss Ivan's is one of those people as you can tell probably she is not quite yet in the senior set but that is quite frankly in advantage in the important work of the COA in the continuity that that we need and in the broad-based focus similar to comments about the commission of women to see a way is a place that involves the intersectionality that you mentioned Madam chair in terms of making sure that a growing in diverse population within the city Is responding to and get the services they need and will
▶ 11:28 Paul Brodeur: help our director station and chill continue to do the excellent work. She is doing within the community Summit delighted to offer my highest highest recommendation and commend. Her to you all for your questions and consideration. Thank you. Miss Evans. Feel free to make an opening statement or share information with us. Just on a side note. I'm very happy that the mayor didn't show up as a cat. That's all I kept thinking about at the beginning of Zoom when everyone showed up as a cat. So anyways, I'm very happy to meet everyone. I'm happy to be here happy to get involved. So for the Council on Aging this has gone back my entire life. I've been working with older individuals started with caregiving for grandparents and then with my
▶ 12:20 parents as well as undergrad working at something called the computer training center where we had to teach elderly individuals how to use different tools and whatnot. So anyways through my career and now coming now I've always had this passion to give back volunteer as well as help in the community. I went to the Center just recently last week met with Stacey had a tour Stacy could not have been more engaging she'll talk your ear off, but it was absolutely wonderful to meet everyone there. So I'm really happy to get involved and you know give back as much as I can. Wonderful, um any questions from counselors? President Grigoraitis. Thank you madam chair. Thank you for being here and for your willingness to volunteer give in
▶ 13:10 Jen Grigoraitis: your expertise in working with mature Americans now the preferred term I'm never quite sure. What would you say are some of the trends that you're seeing in that population that we might want to look to address? It's interesting. I think in my day-to-day work life. I would say a lot of it is just getting resources out there and letting folks know and not making the Assumption. Everyone has the same ability for the news in the sense that everyone is assumes you have internet connection at home versus a newsletter versus mailing and not not assuming it's one path forward. So I would say that would be one thing going forward is just not making the Assumption and making sure that the community has the opportunity to get involved. However, we can
▶ 13:53 Robb Stewart: get the word out. Thank you. Go head counselor Stewart. Thank you madam chair. Thank you Miss items for being here this evening. I just I do want to appreciate you stepping up as ward 3 Consular. We have a number of elderly communities like the Fuller and the Levi Gould and so forth and it's appreciative. So thank you because there's there is a vibrant. Seasoned community that is out there and I look forward to supporting you tonight. Thank you. Thank you, very Absolutely. What is the will of the committee? That's recommend motion to recommend for passage by President Grigoraitis secreted by counselor Stewart. on discussion I just also again want to thank you for stepping up and just appreciate that.
▶ 14:52 Manjula Karamcheti: You've been working with the elderly since a young age and just the multi-generational involvement. I think it's so important for elderly Community but also for our youth and everybody in between so appreciate like what you've said, and it sounds like you will advocate for that and and support that so thank you for stepping up. all in favor any opposed Okay, so this motion carries thank you so much for being here tonight. This appointment will be moved to the full Council and again you do not need to appear at that time, but you are always welcome to join us. Have a good night. Okay, we are moving on to our reappointments. We have appointment 2023-6 the reappointment of James Osterman 54 Ellis Farm Lane to the
▶ 15:55 Manjula Karamcheti: affordable housing trust for a two-year term said to expire on the last day of January 2025 as this is a reappointment our practice has been to move forward without requesting the presence of the mayor or the candidate. What is the will of the committee? Windshield make a motion to recommend. Okay, we have a motion to recommend made by counselor Stewart. seconded by counselor Williams on discussion Okay all in favor, hi any opposed? All right, the motion carries that the appointment will be moved. The reappointment will be moved to full Council. Our next appointment is appointment 2023-7 the reappointment of Seamus Kelly 259 West Emerson Street to the affordable housing trust for a two-year term said term to expire
▶ 16:48 Manjula Karamcheti: on the last day of January 2024. As this is also reappointment. We will continue with the same process. What is the will of the committee? I'm sure I'll make a motion to recommend. We have Emotion by counselor Stewart seconded by counselor Williams. any discussion Okay all in favor right any opposed? All right this motion carries, and we'll also be moved on to full Council Madam chair. Just a point of information if we it seems like it's a two-year term, but it expires in the last day of January 2024. Just was hopefully asked that the clerk of committees if we can just get that cleaned up before the full Council. Thank you. Thank you for noticing that appreciate it. Took me a minute. That would be very short.
▶ 17:41 Manjula Karamcheti: Yeah, you may this is actually counting this year and next year due to the city Charter. Okay. Yeah, I did confer with Lily Martin on this issue. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much for kid clarifying first. All right moving on to appointment 2023 - 8 the reappointment of Michael Berry 910 Main Street to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term said term to expire on the first Monday of March 2028. Again, this is a reappointment and so what is the will of the committee Madam chairman commotion to recommend full Council? We have a motion made by counselor Stewart to recommend Do we have a second second? Ed by Vice chair Obremski on discussion all in favor. Hi any opposed? All right this motion carries and this appointment will be
▶ 18:45 Manjula Karamcheti: moved to full Council. And finally, our last is appointment 2023-9 the reappointment of Karen Blackburn 15 Lodge Avenue to the commission on women for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2026. This is again a reappointment Karen has been serving and serving. Well, what is the will of the committee? I'm sure Michael motion to recommend. We have a motion to recommend by counselor Stewart. I can seconded by president Grigoraitis. any discussion all in favor I any opposed. Okay, this motion carries and this appointment will be moved to full Council also. At this time, I will entertain a motion to adjourn. I'm sure I'll make a much adjourned. You have a motion to adjourn made by counselor Stewart seconded by