Resignations Required For Handful of Framingham Individuals To Be Sworn in on Inauguration Day

FRAMINGHAM – Five individuals whom the voters elected on November 2, will need to resign their volunteer appointed positions on Framingham Boards, Committees, & Commission, due to the “Steiner Rule” before the inauguration on January 1, 2022.

City Clerk Lisa Ferguson said “Individuals who were elected on November 2, 2021 and hold an appointed seat(s) on a committee, board or commission are required by Article I, s. 5.3 of the general ordinances to resign prior to being sworn in on Saturday.”

There was some discussion this month that the individuals could be sworn in without resigning, but that is not the case.

Ferguson said the “individuals have been notified.”

“As required by Art. I., Sec. 5.3 of the General Ordinances, prior to swearing you into office, you will be required to resign from all appointed offices that you hold.  You may send the letter of resignation via email (preferred), hand deliver it to the City Clerk’s Office or hand it to me this Saturday prior to taking the oath of office for your elected position,” wrote Ferguson to the individuals impacted.

Article 1, s 5.3 is known as the “Steiner rule.”

In early 2020, District 3 City Councilor Adam Steiner proposed a rule that would prohibit individuals elected from also serving on a Board or Commission, and would prohibit individuals from serving on multiple City of Framingham boards and commissions.

The rule was voted by the City Council 6-4-1 in June 2020 and July 2020, but Mayor Yvonne Spicer did not sign until April 8, 2021.

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Tuesday night, December 7, the 11-member Council took a vote to repeal the rule and the motion failed 5-6.

Voting to repeal the “Steiner rule” was City Council Chair George P. King Jr., Leombruno, District 4 City Council Mike Cannon, District 6 City Councilor Phil Ottaviani Jr., and District 8 City Councilor John Stefanini.

The Steiner rule means Youth Council founder and chair Isabella Petroni, Cultural Council Vice Chair Leslie White Harvey, Veterans Council member Nick Paganella, Historic District Commission member Julie Ferrari and Agricultural Advisory Committee member Leora Mallach will need to resign in order to be sworn in for their new elected office.

Editor’s Note: Petroni is the daughter of SOURCE editor/publisher in full transparency.

Petroni and White Harvey were elected to the 12-member Board of Library Trustees for a 4-year term.

Paganella and Ferrari were elected to the 5-member Framingham Cemetery Trustees.

Mallach was elected to be the District 7 City Councilor for a 2-year term.