The Medford City Council on Tuesday, September 29 went on record 7 to 0 in support of the UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 members on strike at Encore Boston Harbor, 7 to 0 in objection to what its resolution called Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn’s “politically motivated refusal” to publicize the council’s new neighborhood meetings, and 7 to 0 to cut $340,060 from the mayor’s fiscal 2027 supplemental appropriation while adding $42,507.63 to the law budget.
Encore
The resolution by President Zac Bears and Councilor George Scarpelli says the more than 1,400 casino workers “reflect the strength and diversity of the City of Medford and our region,” commits the council to honor the strike by not eating, meeting or sleeping at the casino, and encourages city employees to join the picket lines. James Atkins, chief steward for the Encore Teamsters, and Germane Scobar-Shapiro addressed the council. Malden’s council passed a similar resolution on October 6 and Lynn’s on October 27.
Neighborhood meetings
The resolution by Councilors Liz Mullane and Justin Tseng says the council launched public neighborhood meetings in every ward, was told the city lacked staff to help publicize them, and then saw the mayor cite “unsupported claims about outside political involvement” to refuse city publicity, suggest ethical impropriety and remove the listings from the city website before the first meeting had taken place. It calls on the mayor to restore the listings immediately and says taxpayer-funded communications channels “should not be used in a manner that creates barriers between residents and their elected representatives.” Four residents spoke. Two weeks later the council itself posted the Ward 5 meeting notice as a resolution.
Money
Chief of Staff Nina Nazarian presented the supplemental appropriation. On Tseng’s motion the council cut it by $340,060 and funded $42,507.63 for the law department, and in a companion paper asked Fire Chief Evans to appear on October 13 and asked the mayor whether a fully funded city solicitor salary would be used to hire a solicitor or for outside counsel. The council approved the mayor’s capital and general stabilization fund requests for road resurfacing, Hormel Stadium and the Medford Connects program after presentations by City Engineer Owen Wartella, Health and Human Services Director MaryAnn O’Connor and Recreation Director Kevin Bailey, and tabled her request for police chief search funds.
Also at the meeting
- After a public hearing, the council approved 7 to 0 an amendment to the inclusionary housing section of the zoning ordinance allowing fractional payments in lieu of affordable units.
- Scarpelli’s order to put acceptance of Chapter 40, Section 6C, which shields a city that plows and sweeps private ways from liability for their defects, on the November 2027 ballot was referred to the Public Works and Facilities Committee. The order says 39 percent of Medford’s roads are private ways, that the city has budgeted nothing for private way repairs since 2020, and that a District Court appellate ruling in Gallagher v. City of Medford exposed the city to liability for a private way it maintained informally.
- The November 3 state election call and warrant were approved, with Director of Elections James Blatchford presenting.
- A National Grid and Verizon pole petition for North Street at Walkling Court was approved with the city engineer’s conditions, and a resolution to improve the city website went to the Resident Services and Public Engagement Committee.
- The council sent condolences to the police department and Lt. Harold McGilvery on the death of K-9 Seamus, and invited residents to Fire Prevention Day at City Hall on October 10.
The council records are on the CivicClerk portal (September 29 records).
