By JOSH RESNEK
The second failure to post a plan for the city council meeting during the past four weeks has led to the postponement of the meeting.
The Monday night meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
The meeting will be broadcast by the use of ZOOM due to continuing COVID restrictions. The meeting will be broadcast live on ECTV.
City Council meetings, which occur on the second and fourth Mondays each month, are required to be advertised publicly and posted at city hall at least 48 hours before the meeting can be officially convened.
The failure of the city to post the meeting properly raised a few eyebrows in political circles.
Not only have the city’s city council postings been off, but the ZOOM broadcasts of three city council meetings have either been terminated after a difficult start or canceled entirely because of equipment failure and mismanagement.
“Something isn’t right,” said Councilor Mike Marchese. “At the very least the equipment the city uses should be in working order,” he added.
Marchese said the recent number of improperly posted city council public meeting notices is a bit unusual. “Certainly, the city must be very precise about publishing these notices,” he said.
Monday’s meeting would have featured a motion proposed by Councilor Anthony DiPierro considering or deciding the stipends or salaries school committee members receive or should receive.
DiPierro, the mayor’s cousin, is believed to be posturing Committee.
Many of those on the opposite political side of the mayor believe DiPierro’s motion is an attempt to get the mayor paid for becoming a voting member – or at least to lay the groundwork for this to occur.
The City Council would also have considered the answers given to the City Council by the mayor regarding the cost for the Christmas decorations and of the wreaths, believed to have cost $800 each. The city put up 212 wreaths – a splendid show but an expensive one.
Councilor Capone had asked for answers as to their cost, and how they were paid for in response to constituent questions.
Also, likely to have been discussed was the announcement of City Council advertising for candidates for the empty position of Assistant City Clerk.
The city announced it is seeking qualified applicants.
The advertising highlights the questions arising about it from residents and politicians, most of whom have promised the position to former Councilor Peter Napolitano.
Napolitano is thoroughly qualified to be named the Assistant City Clerk on merit. He has decades of city hall experience and very few people in the city have his level of experience with the city council and the duties of the city clerk’s office.
Many wonder, however, is the hiring process fair or rigged? Tune in on ECTV Wednesday night.
The meeting has been properly posted. We know this. Will the ZOOM hearing work?
That’s anyone’s guess.