Quincy City Council: June 22, 2026

• Date: June 22, 2026
• Governing Body: Quincy City Council / Oversight Committee
• Meeting Type: Oversight Committee Hearing and General City Council Meeting
• Attendees:
  • City Councilors: Richard Ash, Noel DiBona, Walter Hubley, Anne Mahoney, Maggie McKee, Deborah Riley, Virginia Ryan, Ziqiang Yuan, David Jacobs (Chair).
  • Administration Representatives: Christopher Walker (Mayor's Representative), Police Chief Kennedy, Paul DelBaba (Municipal Finance Director), Marlee Smith (Treasurer-Collector), Jim Timmons (City Solicitor), Kathleen Logan (Purchasing Agent).

The Oversight Committee reviewed the investigation into former Elder Services Director Thomas Clasby, who was indicted on federal charges including embezzlement, mail fraud, and wire fraud.

Key Discussion Points:

• Investigation Timeline: Christopher Walker reported the matter came to the Mayor's attention on April 16, 2024, via a whistleblower. Chief Kennedy stated the FBI joined the case on May 14, 2024, after initial evidence of interstate transportation of stolen property was uncovered.
• Financial Impact: The investigation identified 262 fraudulent transactions totaling $329,148. This included payments to a fake business, "Celtic Safety Consultants," and excessive vehicle repairs.
• Remedial Actions: Treasurer Marlee Smith outlined new revenue turnover policies implemented in October 2024, including:
  1. A cash-in-office threshold of $500.
  2. Mandatory weekly deposits.
  3. Annual on-site departmental audits.
  4. Installation of cash-counting machines and check scanners in high-volume departments.

Council Inquiry:

• Councilor Riley questioned the lack of a formal written fraud policy. Christopher Walker responded, "Some things are so self-evident that they don't require policy manuals... fraud is fraud."
• Councilor McKee noted that known improprieties allegedly began in 2014, suggesting a decade of systemic manipulation.
• A heated exchange occurred with Purchasing Agent Kathleen Logan regarding procurement oversight, leading to a brief recess and Logan's departure from the meeting.

The Council discussed the appointment process for Timothy Baker (At-Large) and John Delcarly (Tenant Representative).

• Status of Documentation: Councilor Jacobs expressed disappointment that the administration had not provided requested documentation regarding the tenant representative appointment process after three months.
• Legal Compliance: The Council emphasized the requirement under General Law Chapter 121B, Section 5, to notify tenant agencies 90 days prior to an appointment.
• Action: The Council moved to continue the matter to September 2026 to allow the administration to produce the required notification letters.

The Council considered an ordinance to safeguard transparency and public access to materials.

• Provisions: Requires all supplemental materials (slides, reports, memos) to be posted 48 hours in advance of meetings.
• Amendments: Section 5 was amended to strike "proposal" and "resolution," meaning the prohibition on first-presentation voting applies only to ordinances, contracts, and other dispositive matters.
• Vote: Passed as amended in the Rules Committee (5-0: Ash, Hubley, Riley, Yuan, McKee) and subsequently adopted by the full Council.

The Council took action to amend the 2024 ordinances that had significantly increased salaries for the Mayor and City Council.

• 2026-029 (Mayor's Salary): Amended to delete the $285,000 salary and restore the previous rate of $159,431.
  • Vote: Passed 8-1 (No: DiBona).
• 2026-030 (Council Salary): Amended to restore the salary to $29,800 (effective for the term beginning in 2028).
  • Vote: Passed 9-0.
• 2026-031 (Annual CPI Increases): Repealed the provision for automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments for elected officials.
  • Vote: Passed 9-0.

Legal Note: Solicitor Timmons provided a letter from the Quincy Retirement Board confirming that the Mayor's pension would be calculated based on actual compensation received, not the amount listed in the previous ordinance, mitigating concerns regarding the "repeal" vs. "amend" terminology.

The Council reviewed a complaint filed by Leah DeGloria alleging that Councilor McKee improperly shared amendments outside of a public meeting.

• Finding: The Council found no evidence of deliberation. The communication was deemed a distribution of documents for transparency purposes.
• Action: The Council voted to authorize President Mahoney to respond to the Attorney General stating that no violation occurred.