Quincy City Council: March 2, 2026

• Governing Body: Quincy City Council
• Meeting Type: Rules Committee, Ordinance Committee, and Regular City Council Meeting
• Date: March 02, 2026
• Attendees:
  • City Councilors: Maggie McKee (Rules Chair), Richard Ash, Walter Hubley, Deborah Riley, Ziqiang Yuan, Virginia Ryan, Anne Mahoney (President), David Jacobs, Noel DiBona.
  • City Staff: Chris Walker (Mayor's Representative), Al Grazioso (Commissioner of Public Works), Larry Prendeville (DPW Superintendent), Michelle Hanley (Council on Aging), Charlie Dong (ISD Assistant Commissioner).

The committee discussed an order to amend the Council rules to establish a permanent 'Resident First' public participation period.

• Key Provisions:
  • Public comment will be a standing agenda item at all regular meetings.
  • Quincy residents are recognized first; speakers are limited to three minutes.
  • Total duration is 20 minutes, though this can be extended by a majority vote.
  • Amendment: A 'five-minute rule' was added, stating: "Should no speaker approach the microphone or state their intention to be here and heard during the first five minutes of the public forum participation period, then the period will be closed."
• Official Action: Motion to move out of committee with a favorable recommendation as amended.
• Vote: Unanimous 'Aye' from committee members (Ash, Hubley, Riley, Yuan, McKee).

The committee reviewed an ordinance titled "An Ordinance Strengthening the Powers and Independence of the Financial Oversight Authority of the City Auditor."

• Legal Language: The ordinance states: "The city auditor shall have unrestricted authority to examine, audit, or evaluate all books, contracts, records, accounts, financial systems, obligations, and expenditures of every department, board, office, authority, enterprise fund, and capital project of the city."
• Key Discussion: Councilor Mahoney emphasized that since the 2008 reorganization, the Auditor's access has been limited to 'after the fact' reviews. This ordinance mandates access to electronic records immediately and hard copies within two business days.
• Official Action: Motion to move out of committee with a favorable recommendation.
• Vote: Unanimous 'Aye' (Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Jacobs, Mahoney, Riley, Ryan, Yuan, McKee).

Thirteen residents and representatives addressed the Council during the open forum:

1. Kathy Thrun (234 Everett St): Expressed concerns regarding PFAS in firefighter gear. "I want our firefighters protected... but I also want to make sure that that gear we are about to purchase is safe."
2. Jeff Tarcio (Counsel for Mary Orlando/Quarry Hills): Refuted allegations of unpaid rent by Quarry Hills Associates, stating that all 2023 payments were made in full and verified by independent audits.
3. Joanne Collins (88 Hillside Ave): Spoke in favor of transparency and the new public forum rules.
4. Joe Murphy (18 Macy St): Stated that "oversight is not obstruction" and encouraged the Council to continue asking difficult questions.
5. Veronica Bertrand (195 Copeland St): Thanked the DPW for storm cleanup and supported firefighter safety.
6. Bill Zamzow (46 Tilden Circle): Raised concerns about the $16 million pension installment and the $3.5 million cyber heist loss.
7. John Rodefell (62 Groundwall Rd): Requested that the city honor public records requests for 1099 vendor payments and employment data.
8. Steve Paradios (86 Ruggles St): Provided positive feedback on the Council's aggressive agenda.
9. Debbie Napstead (16 Cornell St): Commended the DPW for blizzard response.
10. Leah DeGloria (Weymouth resident): Urged the Council to approve the firefighter gear bond immediately, stating: "Every day that this is in Council and committee is another day that firefighters have to put on a uniform that they know is cancer-causing."
11. Rick Doan (Interfaith Social Services): Thanked the city for snow removal around the food pantry, which serves 2,000 households.
12. Stuart Rowe (53 Woodbine St): Advocated for better pedestrian and accessibility infrastructure, noting that snow often traps wheelchair users for weeks.
13. Robert Quinn (20 Dixwell Ave): Urged the city to prepare protocols for potential enhanced immigration enforcement by Homeland Security.

Commissioner Al Grazioso and Superintendent Larry Prendeville provided a report on the January 25-26 and February 22-23 storms.

• Statistics:
  • Snowfall: 27 inches in the January storm; 21 inches in the February storm.
  • Equipment: 190 pieces of equipment (40 city-owned, 150 contracted).
  • Hauling: 86,000 cubic yards (43,000 tons) of snow hauled to snow farms.
  • Enforcement: 1,500 fake tickets issued to encourage residents to move cars.
  • Fines: Charlie Dong (ISD) reported $13,000 in fines issued to businesses for failing to clear sidewalks.
• Challenges: The loss of a major contractor (Feeney Brothers) who previously provided 60 plows required the city to scramble for new contractors. Infrastructure issues included 12 water main breaks and a sewer collapse during the storm period.

• Firefighter Turnout Gear (Order 2026-038): An appropriation of $2,646,730 for new gear. President Mahoney noted that by law, the bond must be advertised for 10 days.
  • Action: Referred to Finance and Oversight Committee.
  • Vote: Unanimous (9-0) via roll call.
• Quincy Homestead Exterior (Order 2026-039): A request for $325,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for painting and repairs. Councilor Jacobs raised concerns about the state's (DCR) responsibility for the building.
  • Action: Tabled for further information from DCR.
  • Vote: Unanimous (9-0) via roll call.
• Manic Construction Gift (Order 2026-044): A $2,000 gift to the Department of Elder Affairs.
  • Action: Approved.
  • Vote: Unanimous (9-0) via roll call.

• Quincy Housing Authority (Orders 2026-040 & 2026-041): Reappointments of Tim Baker and a Tenant Representative.
  • Action: Tabled. Councilors requested resumes, attendance records, and performance metrics for the appointees.
  • Vote: Unanimous (9-0) via roll call.

• ARPA Spending Transparency (Order 2026-042): A resolve requesting a full public accounting of the $46.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds received by the city.
  • Action: Approved and referred to Finance and Oversight Committee.
• Pension Theft Update (Order 2026-043): A resolve requesting the Quincy Retirement Board appear to discuss the $3.5 million fishing scheme loss from 2021.
  • Action: Approved and referred to Finance and Oversight Committee.

The Council voted on several items previously discussed in committee:

• Council Rules (2026-008): Approved as amended (9-0).
• Online Services Resolution (2026-036): Approved (9-0).
• Traffic Orders:
  • 2026-026: Add Handicap Parking at 257 Grafton St. (Approved 9-0).
  • 2026-027: Traffic request (Approved 9-0).
  • 2025-028: Remove 'No Parking' on Mullen Ave (June-Sept). (Approved 9-0).