The Council shook off the summer and got back to business on 9 September, but I was a little slower to leave the summer fun behind. We’ll all have to dig up the minutes when they are available to see what we missed. In the meantime, last night’s meeting was full of fun…let’s get to it.
Mayor Driscoll and police Chief Miller addressed the council on Haunted Happening preparations. Driscoll started by providing a COVID update. Cases are on the rise, but so are vaccinations. Salem is at 82% of all eligible residents. The number of young people (12 or over) is still pretty low, so we can still do better. Mask ambassadors are back, and the Board of Health has mandated that a negative COVID test will be required to participate in any indoor activities with more than 100 people (public and private). St. Peters Church and Salem High School are still open for testing, and rapid test sites will be set up next to the Peabody Essesx Museum. Miller took the mike and brought all his NY connections and intensity to the floor. Whew! Salem Police Department (SPD) is planning for big crowds all month, but especially the last two weekends of October. Miller noted that the FBI was going to conduct a terror threat assessment, and the SPD, in cooperation with state police, FBI, neighboring forces, and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), who coordinate additional resources in the region, would then be conducting a simulation. I was not clear if this would be cerebral - like a game of Stratego - or if there will be some law enforcement LARPing* out on the town. I will try to get answers for you good people. It sounds like they are well prepared, anyhow, and Miller noted that it was his goal to keep tourists safe, but minimally disrupt the lives of Salem residents. Councilor Prosniewski asked Miller to enhance the communications pertaining to road closures. President Madore reminded residents to download the Salem city apps, where push notifications will keep everyone up to date in real time. Councilor McCarthy asked if Trick-or-Treating was going to be moved to another day, and Driscoll said that the parents of Salem are purists. Trick-or-Treating will be on Sunday…on Halloween.
The Council considered and adopted a resolution that welcomes Afghani refugees to Salem. Madore pointed out that this is a signal to the state department that Salem is open to receiving refugees. Prosniewski shared a bit of his own family history of immigrating to America as a result of political upheaval. Responding to a criticism that this was political theater, he noted that this an absolutely appropriate time to reflect on who we are as Americans. Councilor Dibble moved to change a phrase that called Salem a “sanctuary of peace” to “city of peace.” Prosniewski countered that sanctuary was an appropriate word here. It is not tied to the ordinance, and there are no political connotations with regards to “sanctuary cities,” which was the crux of the divisiveness years ago. Dibble’s motion failed, with only Councilors Sargent, Flynn, Dominguez and Dibble voting for the change; the resolution passed unanimously as presented.
Flags to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness month will fly 26–31 October in Riley Plaza. Kudos to HAWC for their important work providing support and services to families escaping abusive relationships.
The liquor license for Jaho on Canal passed. The license for their Loring location will remain in committee (Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs).
The discussion to expand funding for the Salem Skipper went a bit long. Funds will be covered by Salem State, North Shore Medical Center, planning board agreements with developers on the project behind Target, and cannabis revenue. Councilor Dominguez was concerned with the effect this may have on the taxi drivers in Salem. Dibble concurred and moved to send the matter back to committee and to set a meeting with taxi drivers. Madore reminded the council that funding for this popular program expires at the end of the month. The Administration and Finance (A&F) committee conducted an extensive review of the data from the program, and Councilor Turiel was not keen to take the matter back to committee. The expansion will increase the number of vans, extend coverage to seven days a week, and extend hours to 1AM on weekends. Councilor Morsillo reminded Dibble and Dominguez that OLLA had met with taxi drivers and converted a number of taxi licenses to livery licenses in order to mitigate effects of this program. She pointed out that conversations could be on-going without holding up expansion. Dibble’s motion to send the matter back to committee failed (only Sargent, Dominguez, Dibble wanted to see it go back to A&F). The expansion passed unanimously.
The last matter with any kind of debate was around the portraits in the Chamber. As a reminder, the city has commissioned a portrait of a Naumkeag leader, and artist Chris Pappan has been selected to research and paint the work. The debate centered around whether or not to remove the portrait of Andrew Jackson. Morsillo pointed out that women and minorities have not gotten their due, and to look at the portraits in Chambers, you would think only white men contributed to Salem history. She requested a way to add context to the Jackson portrait. Turiel added to that and requested context to all portraits, not just Jackson’s. Councilor Riccardi agreed in principle but had questions about the process. Morsillo withdrew her motion and promised to bring a fully baked motion back in future. The council voted to allow the city clerk to pick the placement of the Naumkeag portrait.
Early voting dates were approved! Early voting will be held in the City Hall Annex EXCEPT on Saturday, 23 October, when it will be held at Salem High School. Getting downtown to vote the weekend before Halloween would be a headache.
Thanks for sticking with me this morning! Be sure to vote!
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch
*LARPing = live action role playing