Meeting Agenda
INAUGURAL EXERCISES AND ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
JOHN T. FLAHERTY AUDITORIUM, WOBURN MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010 AT 7:30 P.M.
The following were present:
MAYOR-ELECT: Scott D. Galvin
ALDERMEN-ELECT:
Michael D. Anderson Mark E. Gaffney
Paul J. Denaro Richard F. Gately, Jr.
Rosa DiTucci Richard M. Haggerty
Raymond B. Drapeau Darlene Mercer-Bruen
Michael L. Raymond
SCHOOL COMMITTEE-ELECT
Patricia E. Chisholm Michael P. Mulrenan
Margarette F. Masotta Denis M. Russell
John M. Wells
CURRENT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Joseph T. Crowley, Jr. Christopher T. Kisiel
REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Debra P. Davis
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Master of Ceremonies was Larry Rideout and the Invocation was by the Very Rev.
Vincent P. Mellone, V.F.,, Pastor, St. Barbara’s Parish Church, Woburn, Massachusetts.
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The official returns of the Municipal Election held on Tuesday, November 3, 2010 were read by the City Clerk, William C. Campbell. The oaths of office were administered to the Mayor-Elect, the Aldermen-Elect and to the Members of the School Committee. *************************
I, Scott D. Galvin, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will support the Constitution thereof, so help me God.
I, Scott D. Galvin, do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as Mayor, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, so help me God.
I, Scott D. Galvin, do solemnly swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of this Commonwealth, by force, violence or by any illegal or unconstitutional method, so help me God.
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Scott D. Galvin, Mayor
Sworn to before me, by the above-named Scott D. Galvin.
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William C. Campbell, City Clerk
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I, Michael D. Anderson, Paul J. Denaro, Rosa DiTucci, Raymond B. Drapeau, Mark E.
Gaffney, Richard F. Gately, Jr., Richard M. Haggerty, Darlene Mercer-Bruen, Michael L.
Raymond do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will support the Constitution thereof, so help me God.
I, Michael D. Anderson, Paul J. Denaro, Rosa DiTucci, Raymond B. Drapeau, Mark E.
Gaffney, Richard F. Gately, Jr., Richard M. Haggerty, Darlene Mercer-Bruen, Michael L. Raymond do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as Alderman, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, so help me God.
I, Michael D. Anderson, Paul J. Denaro, Rosa DiTucci, Raymond B. Drapeau, Mark E.
Gaffney, Richard F. Gately, Jr., Richard M. Haggerty, Darlene Mercer-Bruen, Michael L. Raymond do solemnly swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that
I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of this
Commonwealth, by force, violence or by any illegal or unconstitutional method, so help me God.
_________________________________ __________________________________
Michael D. Anderson Mark E. Gaffney
_________________________________ __________________________________
Paul J. Denaro Richard F. Gately, Jr.
_________________________________ __________________________________
Rosa DiTucci Richard M. Haggerty
_________________________________ __________________________________
Raymond B. Drapeau Darlene Mercer-Bruen
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Michael L. Raymond
Sworn to, before me, by the above named Michael D. Anderson, Paul J. Denaro, Rosa DiTucci, Raymond B. Drapeau, Mark E. Gaffney, Richard F. Gately, Jr., Richard M. Haggerty, Darlene Mercer-Bruen, Michael L. Raymond.
__________________________________ William C. Campbell, City Clerk
and Clerk of City Council
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I, Patricia E. Chisholm, Margarette F. Masotta, Michael P. Mulrenan, Denis M. Russell,
John M. Wells, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will support the Constitution thereof, so help me God.
I, Patricia E. Chisholm, Margarette F. Masotta, Michael P. Mulrenan, Denis M. Russell, John M. Wells, do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as a member of the School Committee, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, so help me God.
I, Patricia E. Chisholm, Margarette F. Masotta, Michael P. Mulrenan, Denis M. Russell, John M. Wells, do solemnly swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of this Commonwealth, by force, violence or by any illegal or unconstitutional method, so help me God.
_________________________________ __________________________________ Patricia E. Chisholm Joseph T. Crowley, Jr.
_________________________________ __________________________________
Christopher T. Kisiel Margarette F. Masotta
_________________________________ __________________________________
Michael P. Mulrenan Denis M. Russell
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John M. Wells
Sworn to, before me, by the above named Patricia E. Chisholm, Joseph T. Crowley, Jr., Christopher T. Kisiel, Margarette, Masotta, Michael P. Mulrenan, Denis M. Russell, John M. Wells.
__________________________________ William C. Campbell, City Clerk
and Clerk of City Council
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The Honorable Thomas L. McLaughlin, Former Mayor the Honorable Robert M. Dever, and former Mayor the Honorable John F. Gilgun, Jr. were acknowledged and the Mayor presented his Inaugural Address. The Mayor’s Inaugural Address was as follows:
Good evening. It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you tonight as your Mayor. I would like to start by recognizing some very special people who made this evening possible.
Thank you to the voters for expressing your confidence in my ability to serve as Mayor. Thank you to all of those friends who gave their time and supported me during the campaign. Your help, whether it was holding a sign, taking a lawn sign, sending dear friend cards, making phone calls, making a donation are truly appreciated. I especially would like to thank a few people who showed the true meaning of friendship and loyalty during the campaign – Campaign manager Bill Pappalardo, Roy Cudmore, Doug Murphy, Larry Rideout, Paul Medeiros and Lori Medeiros. Also thanks to Mike McGovern who helped us develop and organize a winning game plan. My in-laws Eileen and Fred Perry for their continuous enthusiasm and support going back to my first campaign, when I was elected as Alderman of Ward Three. My brother Sean for his networking, encouragement and support in my various endeavors. To my mother for her unconditional love and generosity. I’m blessed to be your son. To my children, Kayla, Alexi, Robby and Mackenzie for the sacrifices they have made over the years. And last but not least to my wife Eileen, your patience, understanding, support, character, determination, sense of humor and love have shaped my life and made me who I am.
Congratulations to the elected members of the City Council. During your campaigns, each one of you demonstrated the hard work, commitment and passion for public safety that will serve you well, as the leaders of our great city
To the members of the School Committee, your dedication and advocacy for the educational needs of our children, is perhaps our most important job as elected officials.
I have been preparing to become Mayor of our great city for quite some time. Over the past sixteen years I have been privileged to serve on the City Council as the Alderman of Ward three. During that time I worked with four different Mayors. I have learned valuable lessons from each Mayor.
Although I only served with Mayor Rabbitt for two years, I was fortunate to observe his legendary ability to hold the line on spending and squeeze more out of a dollar than anyone thought possible. In addition, when Mayor Rabbitt wanted something done, it always got done. Among his numerous accomplishments, I will remember him as the Mayor who had the vision to connect Commerce Way to Route 93.
Mayor Dever understood the importance of upgrading and maintaining an aging infrastructure. He instituted a capital improvement plan, which included two new elementary schools and numerous water and sewer projects
Mayor Curran was a tenacious, strong willed leader, who developed an excellent understanding of municipal finance. His enduring legacy will be his leadership in building this beautiful high school.
Mayor McLaughlin never let political differences become personal. His work with senior citizens and the senior center has been exemplary. He worked tirelessly on the Goodyear School and numerous water and sewer projects.
On a personal note, I would like to thank Mayor McLaughlin for his gracious assistance with the transition process. In addition, I would like to thank you for your four years of strong service to the residents of Woburn.
Today I begin serving as Mayor of our great city, during a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty.
The state has been forced to drastically cut local aide. Local revenues generated from permits, excise tax and other sources have declined, while businesses and homeowners have witnessed a sharp decrease in their property values. At the same time, the state and federal government continue to force more unfunded spending mandates upon us and health insurance, pension and energy costs have risen dramatically.
Now, more than ever, Woburn residents need to be assured that they will continue receiving the basic services that they expect and deserve without waste.
By working collaboratively with the City Council, the School Committee, our dedicated department heads and employees, and the various boards and commissions, I can assure you, dollar for dollar, living in Woburn will become the absolute best value in the Commonwealth.
We will change the business as usual approach to delivering services. We will invest in projects that lower our operating costs. We will increase our reliance on technology to improve efficiencies and quickly respond to taxpayer complaints.
I will meet individually with all department heads on a weekly basis. This weekly review will identify opportunities to operate more efficiently, trim wasteful spending and identify new sources of revenue. All programs will be evaluated to determine whether they are still effective or should be eliminated, consolidated or upgraded.
The City of Woburn has been a long term beneficiary of its strategic location at the intersection of Routes 93 and 128. This has contributed to a historically strong commercial tax base, which has helped us maintain lower taxes than surrounding communities.
We must build on this advantage by making Woburn more attractive to new businesses, than other communities that are located along Routes 93 and 128.
We will enact a new streamlined permitting process which will remove unnecessary expense, uncertainty and time delay for businesses while creating more efficiency, consistency and revenue for the city of Woburn
We will work collaboratively to develop the long neglected W.R. Grace and adjacent Buick sites along Washington Street. Thanks to the persistent efforts of a local developer and the City Council, south end residents can expect to see a first class bank and office development at the old Armory site
We will also continue making upgrades to Woburn Center, which began under Mayor Dever. My priority will be to develop more parking and make more efficient and economical use of our existing parking lot.
In addition to promoting new growth in the City, we must also ensure that we take steps to protect valuable open space. We will begin negotiating with Northeastern University to purchase 75 acres of open space on Cambridge Road. I am optimistic that we can structure an agreement that is affordable and at the same time removes a site that represents a potentially disastrous 40B Development with over 300 apartment units.
We will support and expand activities offered by the Woburn Recreation Department. The youth and adult sporting programs in our city are second to none, directed by numerous dedicated volunteers. The city, through its Parks and Recreation Department, will continue to support their efforts. Helping Woburn residents stay physically fit and active will be a trademark of my administration. And we will strive to provide safe clean venues and more activities to accommodate this goal.
We will be sensitive to the needs of senior citizens and continue to help those seniors on fixed income through our tax abatement and senior work programs. I will also continue supporting the excellent services provided to our senior citizens at the Senior Center.
The city has undertaken numerous water and sewer projects and has appropriated over $35,000,000.00 on water and sewer projects since I became an Alderman. Great strides have been made in improving our delivery system and the quality of our drinking water. Yet most families still spend an average of $5.00 per week on bottled spring water. This is unacceptable.
My Goal is to produce and deliver the cleanest best tasting water in the state, so that people do not feel the need to buy bottled spring water. To that end, we will continue our aggressive relining and replacement of all aged and corrosive water lines and mains.
As I mentioned earlier, we will invest in projects that lower our operating costs. Energy conservation projects are ripe for the picking and we will pursue these opportunities aggressively. We will also continue to explore ways to reduce our trash bill by encouraging more recycling.
Children are the most important resource we have to ensure our country’s future prosperity. We must do everything we can to give our children the skills they need to compete in a global economy.
I will work with Superintendant Donovan and the School Committee to provide the School Department with the funding necessary to develop these skills and to raise the educational standards for the city of Woburn.
In addition, we will continue the school building program and its goal of providing parity in the elementary schools to all students.
The Woburn Public Library is an architectural gem. However, it has become overcrowded with sections unusable due to non compliance with the A.D.A. The Trustees of the library have been working on solutions to solve these problems. I will support their efforts to develop a financially feasible solution to these problems.
Before I close, I would like to share my feelings with you about what it feels like for me, to be a Woburnite. Last night, my brother in law Danny and I were talking about our first experiences when we left Woburn and went off to college. Coincidentally, we both noted how people would react negatively when we said we were from Woburn. They always said something about the water or had some other degrading comment about Woburn. I was always offended by these insults because they did not know Woburn like I did. The Woburn I knew and loved gave me: The Tarky, Joyce and High School with dedicated teachers at each level. The Obrien Ice Rink, the Boys Club. Woburn Youth Hockey, Woburn Little League, Pop Warner Football and Babe Ruth where I made numerous friends and had coaches who became both role models and friends. Horn Pond, Winning Farm, Rag Rock. Ryan Park, Weafer Park, Leland, Ferullo and Gonsalves. Pond hockey on the Pitts and Walker’s Pond. The Woburn Country Club.
As you can see my affection for Woburn was from simple means. My pride in Woburn has grown stronger over the years, and if I could, I would bring those who snickered at Woburn on a tour of our great city. I’d point with over flowing pride to the following: the Woburn Memorial High School – the best school, theater, & athletic facility in the State; three new elementary schools and a fourth one on the way; the O’Brien Ice Rink; the indoor track at the Joyce Jr. High School; the filtration and water treatment plant at Horn Pond; Ferullo Field and Library Park during a night game; the Soccer facility at the Joyce Jr. High School; a vibrant commercial district; the Woburn Country Club – a great public golf course.
In Woburn, we have many reasons to be proud thanks to the strong leadership of these four Mayors, the City Council and the School Committee. I am excited to work with the current dedicated elected officials to continue giving Woburnites reasons to take pride in this great city.
In closing, I want to again thank you for this awesome opportunity. My door is always open, and if you see me anywhere around the city – at the soccer field, the ice rink, supermarket or horn pond – I am ready to listen and want to hear your concerns. _________________________
The Benediction was read by the Very Rev. Vincent P. Mellone, V.F., Pastor, St. Barbara’s Parish Church, Woburn, Massachusetts
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CITY COUNCIL
MEETING FOR ORGANIZATION
JANUARY 4, 2010
Members Present
Michael D. Anderson Mark E. Gaffney
Paul J. Denaro Richard F. Gately, Jr.
Rosa DiTucci Richard M. Haggerty
Raymond B. Drapeau Darlene Mercer-Bruen
Michael L. Raymond
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Pursuant to Title 3, Section 11 of Chapter 172 of the Acts of 1897 of the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as amended, known as the Charter of the City of Woburn, the City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council called to order the City Council.
Further, pursuant to said Act, the City Council proceeded to the election of a President by roll call vote.
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ROLL CALL: Anderson – Mercer-Bruen, Denaro – Denaro, DiTucci – Mercer-Bruen, Drapeau – Denaro, Gaffney – Denaro, Gately – Denaro, Haggerty – Mercer-Bruen, Mercer-Bruen – Mercer-Bruen, Raymond – Denaro.
On the first ballot, Alderman Denaro received Five (5) votes and Alderman MercerBruen received four (4) votes. Alderman Denaro, having received the necessary majority vote, was declared elected to the position of President of the City Council. Motion made and 2nd that the vote be made unanimous, all in favor, 9-0.
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I, Paul J. Denaro, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will support the Constitution thereof, so help me God.
I, Paul J. Denaro, do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as President of the City Council, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, so help me God.
I, Paul J. Denaro, do solemnly swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that I will oppose the overthrow of the government of the United States, or of this Commonwealth, by force, violence or by any illegal or unconstitutional method, so help me God.
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Paul J. Denaro
Sworn to before me, by the above-named Paul J. Denaro.
_________________________________ William C. Campbell, City Clerk
and Clerk of the City Council
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ORDERED That the Rules and Orders of the City Council of 2008-2009 be ADOPTED as the Rules of the present City Council until otherwise Ordered.
s/Alderman Denaro
Motion made and 2nd that the ORDER be ADOPTED, all in favor, 9-0.
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Motion made and 2nd to ADJOURN, all in favor, 9-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
A TRUE RECORD ATTEST:
William C. Campbell
City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council
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