Medford City Council Divided Over Meeting In Person

MEDFORD, MA — A resolution questioning whether it is prudent for the City Council to continue to meet in person divided councilors Sept. 8. At the first meeting in City Council chambers since March, councilors were separated by plexiglass barriers, and members of the public joined over Zoom. Not all councilors wore masks when they spoke, which became a point of contention during the discussion about in-person meetings.

Councilor Zac Bears introduced two motions regarding health and safety during City Council meetings. One called on Council President John Falco to meet with the Board of Health to determine which health metrics will be used to call an in-person versus a virtual meeting, under what conditions the public may attend and how often those metrics will be considered. The measure passed 4-3.

The second motion required masks at City Council meetings. The Council voted 4-3 to refer the measure to the Rules Subcommittee.

"I am positive that I do not want to be COVID-positive," Bears said. He added that as the youngest member of the council, he is at the least risk of serious repercussions from contracting the virus.

Councilor Nicole Morell, who backed the motion, expressed concern over sitting in recirculated air.

"This is really an innocuous resolution," Morell said.

But not every councilor saw it that way, with Councilors George Scarpelli and Michael Marks accusing the resolution's backers of hypocrisy. Marks took shots at Bears for appearing at well-attended rallies around the city.

"If my colleague wants to stick his head in the sand, meanwhile attend every rally possible, where hundreds of people are glad-handing, shaking hands, then so be it," Marks said. "It is the height of hypocrisy."

Scarpelli said not everyone uses Zoom, which became an issue during the budget hearings in July. He added that the City Council has followed all current health and safety guidelines, including social distancing and having PPE at meetings.

Councilor Adam Knight counted Tuesday's meeting among the "best-run meetings we've had since St. Patrick's Day."

While it ended in a heated debate, the Sept. 8 meeting included the approval of two measures tabled Aug. 25 that reprogrammed a surplus of more than $800,000 from two high school projects to building improvements.

Superintendent Marice Edouard-Vincent said "significant" work needs to be done at the high school building, which is 50 years old. This includes repairing the fans on the roof of the school, which will cost about $150,000.

"We would hope to be able to use this funding not only at the high school, but potentially at some of the outside schools as well," Edouard-Vincent said, although she stressed that the high school is the priority.

Knight sought to correct what he called "misinformation" surrounding the tabling of the measure last month, emphasizing that the money was always intended for capital improvements and not restoring personnel. The Council last month increased the school department budget by $1.08 million, which he said will allow for some positions to be restored.

The Council also asked for statistics from the police department regarding a recent spike in crime and passed a motion asking the MBTA to reinstate bus routes 325 and 326. Marks, who said he has taken both buses, expressed frustration that the MBTA has $66 million in tax-exempt property in Medford, while simultaneously trying to limit service.

"The MBTA has tried to cut a number of bus routes over and over again, and residents have to stand up and fight," Marks said. "It's pretty disturbing that the MBTA's chief mission is to provide transportation, and they're constantly looking to cut back."