Boards & Commissions Committee — 2026-04-06
Attendance
Cal Finocchiaro ; Bradley Freeman ; Elizabeth Kowal ; Christopher Park ; Kimberly Vandiver
Agenda
- CALL TO ORDER
- Attendees
- MINUTES APPROVAL
- PUBLIC COMMENT
- APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS
- Reappointment of Cathy Gulino, 25 Apple Hill Road, to the Melrose Board of Assessors for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2029.
- Reappointment of Cathie Mercier, 466 Pleasant Street, to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire the last day of February 2029.
- Reappointment of Tim Bailey, 62 Glen St., to the Planning Board for a five-year term; said term to expire on the last day of February 2031.
- ADJOURNMENT
Minutes
Boards & Commissions Committee Monday, April 6, 2026, 6:40 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Kimberly Vandiver Vice Chair Cal Finocchiaro Elizabeth Kowal Christopher Park William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Member Ryan Williams Chair Meeting was called to order by Chair Williams at 6:40 PM Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Kimberly Vandiver Vice Chair Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present Christopher Park Ward 3 Present William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Present Officio Member Ryan Williams Chair Present II. MINUTES APPROVAL Boards & Commissions Committee Meeting March 30, 2026 6:45 PM Motion to Approve minutes by unanimous consent without reading made by Chair Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Cal Finocchiaro, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Bradley Freeman III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Apr 6, 2026 06:40 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Boards & Commissions Meeting 1 Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/96234665160?pwd=c7qqlaDjP5Dw7gvpWlvPUA5l8mGO9H.1 Passcode:508869 Webinar ID: 962 3466 5160 Motion to Open public comment made by Chair Williams at 6:41 PM There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom. Motion to Close public comment made by Chair Williams at 6:41 PM IV. APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS
A. (ID # 2026-356): Reappointment of Cathy Gulino, 25 Apple Hill Road, to the Melrose Board of Assessors for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2029. Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Cal Finocchiaro, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Bradley Freeman NAYS: None Comments and Discussion: -Cathy Gulino discussed her work experience in the real estate field and enjoys working with the Board of Assessors. Having additional funding for education opportunities, like assessor classes, would be helpful.
B. (ID # 2026-354): Reappointment of Cathie Mercier, 466 Pleasant Street, to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by President Freeman All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Cal Finocchiaro, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Bradley Freeman NAYS: None
C. (ID # 2026-454): Reappointment of Tim Bailey, 62 Glen St., to the Planning Board for a five-year term; said term to expire on the last day of February 2031. 2 Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Park Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] TO: City Council AYES: Cal Finocchiaro, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Bradley Freeman NAYS: None V. ADJOURNMENT The City of Melrose does not discriminate based on disability and is committed to hosting accessible meetings and events. Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Melrose or to attend meetings, should contactthe City’s ADA Coordinator, Polina Latta platta@cityofmelrose.org. Motion to Adjourn made by Councilor Vandiver at 6:46 PM Seconded by President Freeman All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 3 Cathy A. Gulino 25 Applehill Road Melrose, MA 02176 Experience 1998 - City of Melrose, Melrose, MA present Board of Assessors Oversee and direct the policies and procedures of the City of Melrose Assessors office. 1998 - City of Melrose, Melrose, MA 2010 Member of the Property Valuation Board: Oversee sale of City owned property. 2008- Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, Melrose, MA present Point of Care Coordinator Oversee all laboratory testing performed outside the laboratory at Point of Care. 1994 - Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, Melrose, MA 2008 Medical Laboratory Technologist Rotate through blood bank, hematology, chemistry and processing departments. 1991 - Fleet Bank, Nashua, N.H. 1994 Commercial & Residential Real Estate Review Appraiser 1988- Patriot Properties, Inc., Marblehead, MA 1991 Commercial real estate appraiser and revaluation work. 1985- Eastern Appraisal Services, Beverly, MA 1988 Residential and commercial real estate appraiser Education Merrimack College, North Andover, MA Bachelor of Arts Degree, May 1990, Magna Cum Laude Mass Bay Community College, Wellesley, MA Associate's Degree in Science, June 1979 Medical Laboratory Technician Program Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers Course 101: Intoduction to Assessment Administration: Laws, Procedures, and Valuation. 1998 February 2026 List of accomplishments of Cathie Mercier as a Library Trustee • Trustee of the Melrose Public Library, Melrose, Massachusetts. April 2016-present. • Collaborated with MPL Director on five-year strategy plan, June 2018-October 2019. • Trustee delegate to the Melrose Building Committee, June 2023-April 2025. • Revision of the Trustees By-Laws, 2024-25. • Elected Chair in April 2025 and re-elected in January 2026. Statement of accomplishments Tim Bailey, Planning Board I am writing to confirm my interest in being reappointed to the Melrose Planning Board. It has been a privilege to serve since my appointment in 2021, and I would be honored to continue contributing to the City’s planning efforts. During my tenure on the Board, I have been actively engaged in reviewing and deliberating on the 29 cases that have come before us. In addition, I participated in the review and approval of both the Housing Production Plan and the 2022 Open Space Plan, documents that play a critical role in shaping Melrose’s long-term growth, housing strategy, and preservation priorities. I have also taken part in 13 Design Review Subcommittee meetings, helping to evaluate and guide development proposals to ensure they align with the City’s standards and broader community goals. Some of my other accomplishments include involvement with the following; • Assisting the Board in revising the Rules and Regulations. • Updating the application forms and fees associated with our cases. • Reviewed drafts of the recodified zoning ordinance. • Attended a training session led by a land use attorney focused on zoning laws and permitting. I remain committed to serving the residents of Melrose and contributing thoughtful, well-informed decision-making to the Planning Board. Thank you for considering my reappointment. Please let me know if you need any further information. Sincerely, Tim Bailey, AIA, LEED AP
Transcript
▶ 0:00 Ryan Williams: Has taken steps. Yeah. Good evening, everyone. Today is Monday, March 6th, 2026, and this is a meeting of the Boards and Commissions Committee of the City Council of Melrose. I'm the chair of the committee, Ryan Williams. I'm joined today by voting members, Counselors Calfin Occhiaro, Elizabeth Kohl, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver, the vice chair, and President Brad Freeman, ex officio. This is a notice of quorum and roll call for the record, and so we're going to proceed with the meeting. In accordance with Massachusetts' open meeting law, tonight's meeting will be recorded as being broadcast by our partners at MMTV, as well as live-streamed on their website at mmtv3.org. Turn the mics down.
▶ 0:45 Ryan Williams: Okay. Well, let's go through the agenda. I'll motion by unanimous consent first to approve the minutes without reading from Boards and Commissions Committee meeting of March 30th, 2026 at 6:45 PM. I see no objections for that, so those minutes are approved. Motion by unanimous consent to open public comment for the meeting tonight. Anybody online? No one online. Okay. Anybody in the gallery here to speak for public comment? Okay. Motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. See no objections. Public comment is closed. So we have three reappointments on the agenda tonight. And I wanted to make a note that I have worked to make sure that when we have reappointments, that we have folks come before us as much as possible, and they've been very gracious.
▶ 1:33 Ryan Williams: So far, we've added 1,000 on that, and we've had every person come on board to speak with us. For today, we had two folks who couldn't make it. They had extenuating circumstances, and I'll describe those when we get to their appointments. But we do have, first up, ID number 2026-356, the reappointment of Cathy Gulino of 25 Apple Hill Road to the Melrose Board of Assessors for a three-year term, set to expire on the last day of February of 2029. And Cathy was able to come join us, so could you please come up to the table and tell us a little bit about your work with the Board of Assessors and what you hope for the year ahead? Hello. Hi. So I've been on the Board of Assessors since 1998. She was just teasing me again.
▶ 2:19 So we meet about once or twice a month, except for the summer. Abatement season's busier. We support the assessor, Sarah. She presents to us abatements and any ongoing issues, things that are going to the appellate tax board. Just any decision she has to make, she kind of bounces it off us. So I was in the real estate field. I worked for Patriot Appraisal, Commercial Appraisal for bank, all that stuff. Thanks. Is there anything that you want to convey to the council or the counselors while you have us here regarding the work of the Board of Assessors? I enjoy working with Sarah and Lee, and I feel I have knowledge and can offer the city my services- Thank you ... with the knowledge I have. Yeah. Thank you very much. So counselors, questions, comments,
▶ 3:23 discussion? Vice Chair Vandiver? Thank you. Thank you for your work serving in this role. Is there any way that we could better support you, the city could better support you, or any challenges you see in the upcoming term? Not the board itself. No. I think the department's funded adequately, so. Okay. I think there's some education maybe that Sarah would've liked, but you know. Oh, education as far as- Yeah ... training budget? Well, yeah, the assessing classes and things like that. Yeah. Okay. Good to know. Thank you. Yeah. Councilor Finocchiaro? Thank you for serving for so long. Oh, thank you. I just want to make a motion to recommend. All right. Thank you. I second. Hmm. Motion to recommend by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Kohl.
▶ 4:27 Ryan Williams: Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. It's unanimous. None opposed. All right. Thank you. Pass this. Thank you very much. All right. Thank you. You don't have to be here for the council meeting, obviously. Thanks. Okay, so for ID 2026-345, this is Cathy Mercer of 466 Pleasant Street. She's being reappointed to the Melrose Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term to expire the last day of February 2029. So Ms. Mercer very much wanted to join us, but she teaches Mondays and absolutely can't make it on Mondays. So given this is the last Monday that we have to move these appointments along, we're going to proceed without her. For members of the public or anybody who reviews this meeting in the future,
▶ 5:06 Ryan Williams: there's always materials available in the agenda portal, sometimes resumes or letters that people have written, or accomplishments or things they want to do the year ahead. So you can always see the information there. So what's the will of the committee? Make a motion to recommend. Second. Okay. Motion to recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by President Freeman. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that passes. And finally, ID 2026-454, reappointment of Tim Bailey, 62 Glen Street, to the planning board for a five-year term, said term to expire on the last day of February 2031. And Mr. Bailey has been working out of the country for a couple of weeks, and so he is not able to join us today.
▶ 5:51 Cal Finocchiaro: What's the will of the committee? Motion to recommend. Okay. Second. All right. Motion to recommend by Councilor Park, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. That passes. That concludes our business for this evening I'll make a motion to adjourn. I'll second that. Okay. Motion to adjourn by Councilor Vandiver, seconded by President Freeman. All in favor? Aye. Aye. And any opposed? All right. We're adjourned. Welcome and good evening. The time is 6:50 PM on Monday, April 6th. This is a meeting of the Protection and License Committee. I am Councilor Finocchiaro, the chair. Joining me tonight are voting members Vice Chair Chen, Councilor Romanul, Councilor Kowal, and President Freeman.