For 3rd Time, Mayor Spicer Re-Submits 3 For Framingham Disability Commission

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FRAMINGHAM – For the third time in seven months, Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer is submitting the same three names to the City Council for approval.

The City Council rejected the three nominees twice in 2020, both times by a 9-1-1 vote.

The first vote was in August 2020 to reject all three nominees was 9-1-1. District 2 Councilor Cesar Stewart Morales voted no and District 7 Council Margareth Shepard abstained from the vote.

There had been outrage, that Mayor Yvonne Spicer had chosen not to re-appoint one of the founders of the Commission, Karen Foran Dempsey. Dempsey, until her death in December 2020, was a School Committee member in District 2.

Under state law, at least one member of the Commission must be an elected or appointed official..

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The Mayor then chose to resubmit the exact three same nominees, one month later on September 5. And on September 15, the vote was 9-1-1, again. District 2 Councilor Stewart Morales voted no and District 9 Council Tracey Bryant abstained from the vote.

On December 24, 2020, Dempsey died unexpectedly. A joint meeting of the City Council and the School Committee is scheduled Tuesday night, March 2 to replace her in District 2 on the School Committee through the end of her term – December 31, 2021.

Because the Council rejected the mayor’s nominees twice in 2020, Dempsey served on the Commission until her death.

Today, March 1, Mayor Yvonne Spicer sent a memo to the 11-member City Council stating she wanted to nominate the same three individuals to the Commission, again.

The Mayor is nominating current Disability Commission chair Ricky Finlay, from District 2, District 4 resident Meghan Todd, and District 4 resident Tyler Terrasi to the Commission. Tyler’s term would end June 30, 2022 and Finlay and Todd’s term would end June 30, 2023.

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Current Disability Commission members Susan Santone, District 2, and Rose Quinn, District 7, have terms that end on June 30 of this year.

Other members of the Commission are Andrew Cummings of District 5 and Sheryl Goldstein of District 3.

The City Council has 30 days to approve or reject nominees. If no action is taken in 30-day all are approved.

The Mayor’s COO Thatcher Kezer III is the City of Framingham ADA compliance officer.

The Mayor appeared before the City Council last week to discuss ADA compliance issues in the City.