Framingham Mayor Receives 10 Applicants For 3 Board of Health Positions

FRAMINGHAM – The City of Framingham has received 10 applicants for the 3 open seats on the Framingham Board of Health, according to Mayor Sisitsky’s Chief of Staff Susan Nicholl

“The interest among the community to serve on the Board of Health has been encouraging and inspiring,” said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky to SOURCE media.

“The residents stepping forward to serve bring an impressive variety and depth of knowledge and I am grateful to them for volunteering for this Board,” said the Mayor.

The mission of the Framingham Board of Health is to protect, promote, and preserve the health and well-being of all residents of the City of Framingham. Under Massachusetts General Laws, state and local regulations, and community direction, the Board of Health is held responsible for disease prevention and control; health and environmental protection, and promoting a healthy community.

The positions are volunteer and unpaid.

The Chief of Staff has had preliminary conversations with the applicants and the Mayor has so far met in person with four of them. 

Mayor Sisitsky anticipates making his recommendations to the Framingham City Council well before the end of February.

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Why are 3 Members Needed for the 5-Member Board of Health?

In March 2021, the City’s legislative branch fo government, the City Council, voted to increase the Board of Health from 3 to 5 members, but Mayor Yvonne Spicer delayed submitting the petition to the legislature for months. It was eventually submitted in August 2021.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker on December 20, 2021 signed the home rule petition into law, earlier this month.

Also in December, one of current three members resigned.

Under the act, signed into law by Gov. Baker, one of the two new members will have an initial term of two years and one will have an initial term of three years.

Laura Housman’s term on the Board of Health ended in December, and she told the former mayor she did not want another term.

The current chair is Dr. David Moore, whose term ends in June of 2023

The third member of the Board of Health is Alexandra Rubin, who was appointed this year when Gillian Carcia, who was chair resigned. Rubin’s term ends in June of 2022.

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The Governor signed the expansion of the Board of Health to 5 members in December 2021, but the Board has only had the two members since January 1, 2022.

SOURCE asked if the Board of Health can vote on anything until there is at least a quorum of three members.

“Reviewing the issue with counsel, the membership of the Board of Health upon which quorum and majority determinations would be made does not increase from 3 to 5 until the City Council approves the Mayor’s initial appointments to the two new seats, so there is no issue with the validity of the actions that have been taken by the Board of Health since the special legislation to increase the size of the Board of Health was enacted in December,” said the Sisitsky administration to the digital news outlet.

So long as two members vote in favor of a measure under the current Board of Health composition, that is sufficient for the Board to act,” said the Sisitsky administration in a written statement.

Last month, the Framingham Board of Health voted 2-0 for a mask mandate in the City of Framingham.

But before that vote, the Mayor issued an executive order for a mask mandate in the City until the end of February. The Mayor’s order, which began January 19, can stand without the Board of Health.