First, dear Salem, apologies for being inconsistent with the meeting recaps this year. If you aspire to share your thoughts after watching local government, there is plenty of room for you at the recap table. Join us! Now to business…
As meetings go, it was relatively short and routine. I only have a couple of highlights today. Councilor Watson-Felt was absent, but all other councilors were in attendance.
The biggest agenda item, in my humble opinion, was the revision of the rules in light of the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that people giving public testimony don’t have to be civil. The council met as the committee of the whole just ahead of the regular meeting, where they discussed, as much as possible, what they could and could not limit. The city solicitor was unable to attend, so the deeper questions were put on hold, and ultimately, the matter remains in committee. In the meantime, the council can no longer limit topics to matters on the agenda, and they cannot regulate tone or language. The rules continue to limit time for speakers to three minutes each or 15 minutes total, depending on the circumstances, but they held the option to allow the president or a majority vote of the council to change that ahead of testimony. People wishing to speak at a council meeting still need to register with the city clerk ahead of the meeting, but they have the option to do so online. President Stott led the discussion and pointed out that this does not pertain to public hearings; only public testimony.
Money matters: $77K went to retirement funds; $73K went to vacation/sick time buybacks; and the council accepted three donations: two for benches and one for the Charlotte Forten statue.
Resolutions and announcements: 25 March–30 April is a Motorcycle Safety Awareness period. Check twice and share the road. (I mean, do that always, but it’s a good reminder; especially since folks will be dusting off their bikes as the weather gets warmer.) The Mass. Dept. of Transportation awarded the city of Salem speed-calming radar equipment for use in school zones. There was a solicitation for residents to support the Salem High School prom after-party, which provides a fun and safe environment for the teens to celebrate. Email Donna Fritz at donnafritz44@gmail.com to learn more about chaperoning or to contribute financially.
If federal legislators spent a fraction of the time on the environment or protecting human rights that our local council spends on traffic and parking, we would live in a utopia. If you live on or near Broad St., Essex, Lafayette or Ocean Ave., there were several changes to where you can and cannot park. The lengthy Federal St. parking matter was sent to the Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs committee (OLLA) for more discussion.
The council allocated $76K for smart signals in Riley Plaza for data collection. That’s a good chunk of change to learn what we all know–it’s a mess of an intersection and dangerous. Hopefully, this will be a good first step in finding solutions to fix it.
The council wrapped up with routine matters: they scheduled several hearings, approved or denied petitions and licenses. The second passage of the sustainable food container and packaging ordinance passed and will be effective in September of this year.
I’ll leave you with something to look forward to: The Salem Main Street Arts Fest road closures were approved, so stick 3–4 June on your calendar…warm weather, street festivals, art and music are just around the corner.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch