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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-08 Volunteer Appointment Committee Minutes t� ECE 1 vLu Town of Reading TOWN CLERK Meeting Minutes -- !� � '{ '��• Rye- 2021 jAIN 5 AM 11: 27 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Volunteer Appointment Committee Date: 2020-06-08 Time: 6:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: Interviews for BCC Appointments Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Carlo Bacci, Karen Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Joyce Gould, Tina Ohlson, Bob Marshall, Cheryl Moschella, Brian Boyle, Ginny Blodgett, Carl McFadden, Geri Cramer, Paula Curren, Kerry Dunnell, Richard Lopez, Harry Simmons, Kern Perry, Celeste Kracke, Denise McCarthy, David Zeek, Steven Sullivan, Elizabeth Klepeis Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde Topics of Discussion: Mr. Bacci called the meeting to order at 6:OOpm. Interviews• Joyce Gould is an incumbent Associate member of the Animal Control Appeals Committee. She grew up in Reading, and moved back in 2002. She is a member of her church board and likes to be in service. Though she wanted to serve on a Town Board, because she travels frequently for work, she was unable to commit to regular monthly meetings for most Town Boards. But Animal Control Appeals Committee only meets when needed. When she retires, she would like to contribute more and continue being a resource of talent for the Town. Tina Ohlson is an incumbent member of the Animal Control Appeals Committee. She grew up in Reading and graduated from RMHS. She moved to Florida after High School, but moved back permanently in 2007. She has served on the ACAC for twelve years and in that time, the Committee has only had three or four hearings. She works as a criminal defense attorney and is familiar with hearings. Bob Marshall is an incumbent member of the Board of Assessors. He works as an active appraiser for other towns, and has worked for Tyler Technologies, the company that provides a lot of municipal management software, for 32 years. He has lived in Reading for over twenty years and though he has not served on any other Town boards, he was very active in sports. Cheryl Moschella is a new applicant who has lived in Reading since 2018. She is interested in different boards including Board of Assessors, META Advisory Committee, and Community Planning and Development Commission. Her first interest is the Board of Assessors, as she Page I 1 has worked as a Real Estate Appraiser for over 16 years. Because her husband is wheelchair bound, she noted that he has had issues with accessibility on the MBTA in the past and that is why she is Interested in the Advisory Committee. Mr. Bacci and Ms. Herrick explained that for Board of Assessors, there is training that is required and that it may not be able to happen until the fall because the Assessor's Office is currently trying to plan for the financial uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information for training requirements will be gathered and sent to Ms. Moschella as a follow up. Brian Boyle is an incumbent member of the Board of Cemetery Trustees. He has lived in Reading for five years and the Cemetery Trustees is the only board on which he has served. He has a very strong historical interest and was drawn to the history and the understanding of the community the cemetery provides. Carl McFadden is an incumbent member of the Board of Cemetery Trustees and Director of the Reading Ice Arena Authority and has served on both for many years. He noted that the Ice Arena can turn back as much as $100,000 each year to the Town. Mr. McFadden shared with VASO that he is guardian of his nephew, who is biracial, and has a METCO student, who is black, living with him. He shared stories of how the two young men have experienced racism in the community and asked that leaders raise the expectation to increase diversity and understanding. Geri Cramer is a new applicant interested in joining the Board of Health because of the special circumstances around COVID-19. She just received her PhD in population health. Mr. Bacci and Ms. Herrick explained the increased time commitments with frequent BOH meetings for COVID-19 updates. Ms. Cramer noted that under normal circumstances, she would not be able to make that commitment, as 10:00am meetings are her biggest hesitation. But while working from home, her employer has been extremely supportive of her volunteering at a field hospital. She expressed a preference for an associate as opposed full BOH member position. And if one is not available, she is also interested in Cultural Council, as she did her dissertation on non-profits. Paula Curren is a new applicant interested in the Board of Health. She works as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and has lived in Reading for 62 years. She also teaches a course in community health at Mass General Hospital, but because classes have shifted to an online platform due to the pandemic, she will not have that time conflict in the immediate future. She also has experience with case tracking. She noted that she did not have a preference for a full or associate member position. Kerry Dunnell is a new applicant interested in the Board of Health. She has extensive experience with Public Health and feels that she has something to contribute. Portions of COVID-19 response is part of her portfolio. She stated that she would definitely serve as an associate, and while conflicted if she had a lot of insight on something but couldn't vote on it, she would make her opinions clear to the other members. Richard Lopez is a new applicant interested in the Board of Health. He is a retired physician and has lived in Reading for 26 years. In his retirement he is looking to participate more now that he has the time and was appointed to the state Board of Pharmacy last year. He expressed a preference for an associate member position, as he feels his background is useful, but unsure of the inner workings of Town operations. He noted that his preference is still with Board of Health because he feels he could add more. Harry Simmons is an incumbent member of the Board of Registrars. He has served on the Board for twelve years and expressed his willingness to continue to serve. Kern Perry is a current member of the Human Rights Advisory Committee, but is a new applicant for Bylaw Committee, Cultural Council, or Historic District Commission. She has enjoyed her experience on HRAC and is always looking for ways to contribute in the community. Her first choice is Bylaw Committee, but because that Committee has its own Page 1 2 separate appointment committee, she said that if she was appointed to Cultural Council she could still handle both in addition to HRAC. Celeste Kracke is an incumbent member of the Climate Advisory Committee. She has lived in Reading just shy of five years and joined the CAC expecting to make good use of her communication skills. By trade, she is an editor for a reference database company and does a lot of fact checking on a variety of content including fuel cells, energy efficiency, and energy consumption. With the CAC she has assisted with organizing events such as the Earth Day Fair, creating attractive and engaging flyers, brainstorming advertising strategy, and helping to grow CAC's social media presence on Facebook. She expects to continue those efforts going forward. Denise McCarthy is an incumbent associate member of the Climate Advisory Committee, hoping to be appointed as a full member. The CAC is working with Julie Mercier, Community Development Director, to become a green community, and working on a sustainability plan to do inexpensive things that make a big impact. David Zeek is an incumbent member of the Climate Advisory Committee and current Chair. Travis Estes is a new applicant interested in the CAC, but was unable to attend this evening. Mr. Zeek explained that Travis is already very engaged with the CAC and is a valuable resource who works as a consultant for Mass Save. Steve Sullivan is a new applicant for the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee. He is very familiar with the MAPC and very interested in the work they do and what they have accomplished over the years. His office is also located near the MAPC office. He has lived in Reading since 1966, and in the past served on the Recreation Committee when the hockey rink was proposed. Elizabeth Klepeis is an incumbent member of the Commissioners of Trust Funds and former Town Treasurer. She was elected as Town Treasurer in 1979, and served as Finance Director and Tax Collector. Following her retirement in 2005, the Select Board continued to appoint her to the Commissioners of Trust Funds, as she has extensive practical and institutional knowledge. Following the interviews, Mr. Bacci and Ms. Herrick deliberated briefly on the Board of Health candidates with whom they met this evening. Meeting adjourned at 9:01pm. Page 1 3