City Council - Appointment Committee

Appointment Committee Meeting Minutes: April 1, 2021 Councilor Rothschild called the meeting to order at 3:33pm Members Present: Councilor Lindsey Rothschild, Councilor Erica Flood Also in Attendance: Stan Diamond Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve minutes from 3/11/21 (Rothschild) Second (Flood) Unanimously Passes Public Speak Time: No comments from the public. Mayoral Appointments: NAME POSITION/BOARD TERM EXPIRES Amy Teffer Conservation Commission Dec. 31, 2023 Stan Diamond Council on Aging Dec. 31, 2022 Emily Russo Personnel Director Dec. 31, 2023 Stan Diamond – states he is currently a member of the Council on Aging and he himself is a senior citizen, he enjoys working with Brendan Rogers, the COA Director. Stan has served on both the Telecommunications Comm and Senior Tax Work Off Comm, both committees just completed their work and so the timeframes he set aside for these meetings are opening up in his schedule and he is trying to stay busy and serve our community. Stan is currently VP of the Easthampton Media, Inc. Board of Directors – has helped with events at COA staff for various events, PSA productions and servicing production of city council meetings when extra help is needed. Councilor Flood shares her enthusiastic endorsement of Stan’s nomination to the COA and acknowledges his talents and passion with serve this committee well. Motion to approve recommendation of Stand Diamond to the COA for term ending Dec 31, 2022 (Flood) Second (Rothschild). Unanimously passes. Amy Teffer- Her responses to our questions provided by email and partially read into the record, remaining responses attached below for reference. Motion to approve recommendation of Amy Teffer to the Conservation Commission for term ending Dec. 31, 2023. (Flood) Second (Rothschild). Unanimously passes. Emily Russo- Motion to approve recommendation of Emily Russo as Personnel Director for term ending Dec. 31, 2023. (Flood) Second (Rothschild). Unanimously passes. Discussion about proposal to amend Council Rule 11H – Role of the Appointments Committee (to establish process & communication) – - Discussion of mechanics of rule change. - Discussion of Code of Ethics, concluded that this should be part of the on-boarding process via mayor’s office or actual committee; is outside of our scope with respect to rule 11H. Motion to adopt following language as a prat of Rule 11H as follows: ”All mayoral appointments to multi-member boards and committees will receive the following notification via email from the Appointments Committee. Follow-up questions may be asked of candidates either in person or via writing.” (Flood) Second (Rothschild). Unanimously passes. Collaborate with Easthampton Media to create PSA's about committees and boards Discussion of which committees to prioritize, feedback from Mayor’s Office is that Affordable and Fair Housing Partnership is in great need of help, next comes Agricultural Commission. Flood to reach out to Chair Jana Tetreault to attend April 21st and give a brief description of what committee does and when they meet. 2 audiences here: City council so we can be more informed of what they do and for the greater community so we can use this video to help recruit members to committee. Please keep this to between 5-7 minutes and will be during city council communications time in agenda. Flood to reach out to Agricultural Commission Chair Gerry Page for presentation on May 5 or May 19th. Motion to Adjourn (Flood) Second (Rothschild) Unanimously passes. Adjourned at 4:01pm Respectfully Submitted, Councilor Erica Ann Flood Clerk to the Appointment Committee On Apr 1, 2021, at 12:16 PM, Amy Teffer wrote: Hi Lindsey - 1. I am interested in serving on the Conservation Commission because it is a direct application of my expertise as a conservation scientist and because I care about what happens in Easthampton relative to environmental issues. I want to know what is happening relative to development, provide insight that I might be able to offer as an ecologist, and be able to have a voice in the choices that are made. I’d like to learn from the current committee members so that I can more effectively serve in the context of that experience. Easthampton is my home and I am invested in how this city develops, especially with regard to equity and conservation. Serving as a committee member is the best way for me to do that. 2. I will contribute to the committee by listening, learning, and sharing my knowledge in a respectful manner. I have been working in conservation, primarily as an applied scientist, for over a decade. I have worked with diverse groups including policy makers, resource managers, landowners, resource users, Tribal Nations, and other stakeholders in conservation issues throughout my education and early career. My current Fellowship (David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship) is focused on leadership and training to better facilitate conversations relevant to conservation issues, expand diversity and inclusivity in decision making, and apply information in real life contexts, including policy reform and citizen science and engagement. My education includes a BSc, MSC and PhD in fields of conservation, fisheries, ecology, and biology, all in the context of conservation issues and real life solutions. I have lived in Easthampton on and off since 2002 and am passionate about how the town promotes equitable development and access to open spaces for its citizens. 3. I engage with the Easthampton community in a number of ways. As a parent of a 5-year-old, I am well acquainted with the community of parents of young children in Easthampton and our use of open spaces such as parks, playgrounds, sidewalks, the bike path, and more. As she enters school this fall, I will be engaged with the school board and offer my service on parent-teacher organizations as well as providing service as a guest speaker regarding conservation science in western MA in the classroom. During the pandemic I have held discussions and even a demonstration with my “bubble” of neighbors, letting the kids partake in a live fish dissection. I love connecting with residence along the millponds who are fishing - asking what they are catching, how they use the waterways, and what they wish could be improved about that access and opportunities. I have attending endless community events with my family, including farmers markets, baby goat days at the Easthampton Feed Store, Millpond Live Concerts, Cultural Chaos and more. I am active on social media promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in science and our community. I use art as an expression of social justice, with a recent display of Breonna Taylor in my yard on Parsons street, which was also on display at the Springfield Museum as part of a community portraiture event. I will be stepping back from work to do more community engagement this fall. I hope this helps shape your idea about me and my passion for city service in the context of conservation. There is so much potential for Easthampton to be a leader in pairing conservation with development, and maintaining diversity, equity and inclusion in those decisions. We have already made so much good progress and I think we are poised to do even more as the pandemic (hopefully) winds down and our economy gains strength once more. The district where I live is densely populated with families that need access to open spaces, as many of the residents rent or share space as multi- family homes. With the current city plans for development in the Ferry Street and New City areas along the lower millponds, we can give kids the space and access to that space they need to exercise, get fresh air, and grow passionate about the outdoors. I am excited for the future and would like to serve as much as I can to help shape it. All the best, Amy