The North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) held their monthly meeting on Monday, January 14. The meeting began with a series of reports followed by a discussion of the NEWNC bylaws. Follow along with this summary and video timeline.
(00:35) Maria Lanza gave a report from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services. Mayor Walsh has announced his 2019 housing, security and economic mobility legislative agendas, as well as public safety agenda. Read more about the Mayor’s environment and transportation agendas here. Lanza also discussed a few upcoming events, including the dock square garage meeting and the M.A. Film Office’s movie business job fair.
(5:58) Public Safety report presented by Patrick Bova.
(7:14) Maryann from the audience spoke about the stay away order that residents are seeking for the individual who keeps breaking into and stealing from neighborhood churches. Concerned community members are encouraged to write a letter to the St. Leonard’s Parish Office (320 Hanover Street). A packet of these letters will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.
(8:17) Carmine Guarino, new Greenway Conservancy Board Member representing NEWNC gave an update from the Greenway. On January 17, the Conservancy will receive the Boston Society of Architects Prestigious Commonwealth Award. The Echelman Aerial Sculpture on the Greenway has also been nominated for the Harleston Parker Medal and the People’s Choice Award.
(9:46) Harborfront Neighborhood Alliance report presented by Brett Roman.
(11:10) NEWNC President John Pregmon and NEWNC Vice President Brett Roman present revisions to the NEWNC bylaws. There were three main updates:
(11:35) The Council has accepted a proposal to distribute election nomination forms one month earlier, in March, to give candidates more time to collect signatures. The election is tentatively scheduled for Saturday May, 11.
(12:40) The Council is now requiring all petitions brought before them to include a list of abutters’ names. The notification procedure will remain the same; the Council just wants to be sure all parties involved have been contacted and are aware of the petition.
(14:15) Finally, if any Council members feel they cannot make an unbiased vote on an issue, they must now make a proposal to the Council on why they want to abstain from voting, and it will need to be approved by two-thirds of the Council.
The next NEWNC meeting will Monday, February 11, 2019. NEWNC meets monthly on the second Monday of the month. Community members are encouraged to attend. Agendas are posted prior to the meetings and can be found using our tag: NEWNC Agenda.
