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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-06-16 Appointment Committee - Finance Committee Minutes 0" Town of Reading -RE-CEWED Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK READING, MA. a"a:,xcovv 9W Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 2021 JUL 13 P11 3: 07 Appointment Committee -Finance Committee Date: 2021-06-16 Time: 6:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session - Appointment Version: Final Committee Attendees: Members - Present: Town Moderator Alan Foulds, Finance Committee Chair Ed Ross, Select Board Chair Karen Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Michael Sakraida, Joseph Pagliuca Jr., Bernard Horn Jr., Jeanne Borawski, Joseph McDonagh, Daniel Dewar, Joseph Carnahan, Jacqueline McCarthy, Geoffrey Coram Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn La Verde Topics of Discussion: Town Moderator Alan Foulds called the meeting to order at 6:04 pm. Interview Applicants and Incumbents for Finance Committee: Michael Sakraida has been a resident on Linden Street for almost nine years. He works In a sales office in Cambridge and is currently wrapping up a post MBA rotational program. Though he does not work directly in Finance, he works adjacent to and in concert with Finance. If not appointed to the Finance Committee, Mr. Sakraida Is Interested in other Boards and Committees, including the new Parking Advisory and Recommendations Committee. Mr. Sakraida stated that he loves this town and wants to work for the greater good of the Town. Joseph Paglluca, Jr. moved onto Mount Vernon Street in 2012 and is a Town Meeting member of Precinct S. He works as Assistant Controller of the MBTA, and started as Director of Finance for State Auditor Suzanne Bump. Mr. Paglluca stated that he would be proud to be part of the process and would love the opportunity to be part of something that helps run the Town. Bernard Horn, Jr. has lived in Reading since 1973, is a Town Meeting member, and has been involved with organizations in the community including: Scouts, churches, and active on the Library Endowment Committee. He has a strong background in Finance Accounting and runs an investment firm in Boston. He is a founding member of the Center for Finance and Policy at MIT and has served on a lot of non-profit boards. Jeanne Borawski Is an Incumbent seeking reappointment. She first joined Town Meeting ten years ago. She previously served on Finance Committee for a year and a half before serving on the School Committee for six and a half years. She believes that to understand Page I I one's values, look at where they spend their money, and ask whether the spending matches the values. Joseph McDonagh has lived in Reading for almost 35 years. His three children went through Reading Public Schools and he has been involved in many different organizations with them as they grew up in the community. He was involved with the St. Ignatius Church Finance Committee for nine years. His most applicable career experience is with professional operations and product management. He compared the struggle of towns with trying to sustain and improve the product, but the fiscal reality is trying to retain old clients and obtain new ones. The Town has to deliver services in a way that can sustain the investment in those services. Daniel Dewar is an incumbent seeking reappointment who has enjoyed volunteering on the Committee. He is a business owner and is familiar with finance and budgets. Most interesting to him has been learning about things going on in Town and the needs of the Schools. Joseph Carnahan has lived in Reading for ten years. He joined Town Meeting in 2016 as a walk-on due to a vacancy in the precinct, then pulled papers and joined the following year. He works as a software engineer in Cambridge. His two children attend the Barrows School and he is interested In the Finance Committee because he is interested in the financial health of the Town and Schools, and was told that serving on the Finance Committee is a great way to learn how everything works. Jacqueline McCarthy is originally from Washington, DC, lived in Reading part time for eight years, as she continued to work in the DC area, and has lived here full time for the last year and a half. Her professional background is in Public Policy and Government Relations. She and her husband now work together for clients in the State House and Boston City Hall. She had the opportunity to get involved with local issues with the water tank, and has had the opportunity to see the issues the Town Is facing by attending Select Board meetings for the last year. She likes to dig in on policy issues and would like to serve on Finance Committee to have a part in making the Town Meeting warrants better and more reflective of the Town's priorities. Geoffrey Coram is a Town Meeting member who moved to Reading in 2000. When his children were in school, he joined the PTO and got involved in the redoing of Birch Meadow. As his children advanced through the schools, he served as treasurer for the Birch Meadow, Coolidge, and RMHS FrOs. He served as an interim member of the School Committee in 2019, then ran for School Committee this past year, but lost. He has contributed to other organizations in a treasurer and budgetary capacity for a number of years and feels that experience could be useful on the Finance Committee. Deliberate and Appoint Finance Committee Members: Mr. Foulds proposed to first fill the three full term seats, with the first three candidates to receive two votes being appointed to a seat, followed by a vote to fill the final seat with one year remaining on the term. The Appointing Committee then discussed which applicants most impressed them, and agreed that all of the candidates were very strong. Motion to nominate all nine candidates for appointment to a three-year term on the Finance Committee expiring lune 30, 2024 by Ms. Herrick, and seconded by Mr. Ross. Votes as follows: Michael Sakraida: O votes Joseph Pagliuca, Jr.: 0 votes Bernard Horn, Jr.: 0 votes Jeanne Borawski: 3 votes Joseph McDonagh: 1 vote — Karen Herrick Daniel Dewar: 0 votes Joseph Carnahan: 0 votes Jacqueline McCarthy: 3 votes Page 1 2 Geoffrey Coram: 3 votes Motion to nominate the six remaining candidates for appointment to a partial term on the Finance Committee expiring June 30, 2022 by Ms. Herrick, and seconded by Mr. Ross. Votes as follows: Michael Sakraida: 0 votes Joseph Pagliuca, Jr.: 0 votes Bernard Horn, Jr.: 0 votes Joseph McDonagh: 3 votes On a motion by Mr. Ross, and seconded by Ms. Herrick, the Finance Committee Appointment Committee voted 3-0-0 to adjourn at 7:52 pm. Page 13