Good morning, Salem! I will start the recap with a humble request that the Council strive to hold more efficient meetings. Last night was a marathon, with a good portion of the rigorous debate centered around parking. Let’s cut to it, shall we?
Councilor Morsillo used her personal privilege to pay tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who dedicated her life to ensuring that “the Constitution carried out its promise” for everyone. Ginsburg’s work established legal precedents that helped to create a more equitable nation. We have a long way yet to go.
Mayor Driscoll gave an update about October, noting that this year, there are 5 weekends, Halloween is on a Saturday, full moon, Daylight Saving Time. While the city is not marketing or promoting a formal Haunted Happenings program, they still need to prepare for visitors, who will come nonetheless. There are three primary goals around planning: 1) Keep COVID numbers down; 2) Enable businesses to operate safely; 3) Ensure public health and safety. Some measures the city is taking to advance those goals:
Encouraging reservations and advanced ticketing; even for businesses that do not typically require tickets or reservations. It is important that visitors have itineraries and plan their trip, so the city can manage crowds.
Closing roads to ensure distancing. There will need to be agility around when things close down.
Limiting buskers and street performer licenses
Extending the mandatory mask zone
Requiring attestations locally (proof of a negative COVID test, quarantine, or origin from a low-COVID state)
Expanding advertising about masks, retaining ambassadors
Reviewing table service capacity (the state is allowing up to 10 people in a party, Salem may remain at 6)
Establishing crowd size reporting so locals and visitors can plan their trips downtown when crowds are thinner
De-densifying downtown - no external vendors; establishing COVID-safe activity pods and passive activities, like lighting on historic buildings
Halloween and trick or treating guidance is forthcoming, and will be more fluid that normal. Please recognize that we are still in a pandemic, schools are still closed, and things are not “back to normal.” Have patience.
The council approved $13,500 from Nova Construction to restore trees that were destroyed during prior construction, and then rather bizarrely recommended a city seal be presented to Nova for complying with the Salem Tree ordinance.
Parking took up a very large part of the meeting, largely because of the approach proposed by Councilor Madore. If you recall, at the last meeting, the Ordinances, Licenses, and Legal Affairs (OLLA) committee sent a formalized ordinance on October parking to the floor with a favorable recommendation. It made it through first passage, so at this meeting, the council would vote for second passage. Madore sought to extract the portion of the ordinance pertaining to visitor parking passes. Her rationale was that this could be piloted and reincorporated into the ordinance next year, if successful. Councilors Sargent and Dibble argued that likewise, the ordinance could be modified if it did NOT work this year. It seemed to be simply a different approach to achieve the same end, but it was discussed for quite some time. Ultimately, Madore’s motion did not pass and the original ordinance passed with minor amendments. Small editorial: zoning matters could be treated the same way as ordinances and modified to strengthen and improve them, as required.
A resolution to recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day was put forward by the Mayor and endorsed by a long list of committees, community leaders, and other elected officials. There was consensus that Salem should recognize Indigenous People, but several arguments against doing so on Columbus Day. Councilors Dominguez, Flynn, Dibble, Sargent, and Prosniewski voted to send the matter to committee to discuss the designated day, but that failed. The matter passed with Councilors Hapworth, Madore, Morsillo, Riccardi, Turiel, and McCarthy endorsing the resolution as presented.
Councilor Flynn then introduced a resolution that would “commend, recognize, and support the women and men of the Salem Police Department.” It passed unanimously.
The Government Services committee (chair, Flynn) was tasked with sorting out the flag schedule.
The order from Dibble regarding bullying was put forward and failed to pass.
The request to discuss Salem’s compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) will remain in committee, as will the matter pertaining to plastic bans.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch