Framingham’s Welcoming Task Force Has Not Met in More Than A Year

[broadstreet zone=”58610″]

FRAMINGHAM – In February of 2019, the Framingham City Council, on the recommendation of District 7 City Councilor Margareth Shepard, voted to create a new task force that would interact and support the City’s large immigrant population.

The Framingham Welcome Task Force held its first meeting in July 2019.

The task force met just five times in 2019, filed only three sets of minutes for 2019.

The task force has never met in 2020, as of today, December 6. 2020.

In February 2019, the City Council voted 9-0 to create the task force to be chaired by Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer

The rest of the Task Force, under the ordinance, would be comprised of 3 City Councilors, a member of the School Committee, a member of the Framingham Police, two residents appointed by the Mayor, and a member of the MetroWest League of Services.

Mayor Spicer, former senior advisor to the Mayor Jacquetta Van Zandt, then District 9 School Committee member Tracey Bryant, Councilor Shepard, District 3 City Councilor Adam Steiner, former City Council Mike Rossi served on the task force along with a couple of others.

Van Zandt left the Spicer administration in November 2019 to be a part of the Kennedy for U.S. Senate campaign.

Rossi left the Council, choosing not to run for re-election.

No one from the Police Department ever attended a meeting through November 2019.

In early 2020, newly-appointed City Council Chair George P. King Jr. named Shepard, District 9 City Council Bryant, and District 2 City Councilor Cesar Stewart Morales to the task force.

District 9 School Committee member William LaBarge was named as the School Committee appointee in 2020.

[broadstreet zone=”59945″]

In July 2020, Shepard told Source “There still no word from the Task Force Chair on the next meeting date.  But I hoping that it will happens soon.”

When the task force last met in November 2019, under chair Mayor Spicer, it was working on a mission statement.

They task force had identified pillars including public safety, economic opportunities, city services, education, and public engagement.

Minutes from the last meeting in November 2019, have still not posted, more than a year after the meeting.

[broadstreet zone=”59948″]