City Council

METHUEN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING JANUARY 27, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. Chair Marsan called the Special Meeting, January 13, 2025, to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Clr. Saffie, Clr. Soto, Clr. Surillo, Clr. Valley, Clr. Campagnone, Clr. DiZoglio, Clr. Faretra, Clr. Pesce, and Chair Marsan. Acceptance of Agenda MOTION BY: Councilor Campagnone, seconded by Councilor Soto to accept the agenda. UPON VOTE: UNANIMOUS. Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Participation Mike Simard, 18 Arrowwood Street, “I am here tonight to support Ken Rossetti but I’m here more importantly for the 55,000 residents of Methuen. As you know, Ken has been our Solicitor for about four years. When Ken came on as the Solicitor, he came at a very tumultuous time where this city was in disarray, mainly to do with the police contract and with the hiring practices and the like. Ken helped turn this city around and bring us to where we are at now with the new Chief, new HR Director, we are making strides. If Ken were not to be re-appointed, it would set the city back a great deal and I do not think we would recover, quite frankly. If you look at tonight’s Tribune, it says: “Methuen Police Making Strides” and part of it was the hiring process and the fact that we have more diversity in this city. One of the Councilors spoke very eloquently about diversity and we are moving towards our department reflecting our community in the Arlington District. And if it were not for Ken Rossetti and his overhaul of the hiring practices and the civil service practices and the promotional practices, we would be where we were at five years ago. I think minds are already made up that you are going to give Ken Rossetti a pink slip for doing a great job. I think some of us, and I see factions happening and it troubles me because I care a great deal about the city. He is not always going to tell you what you want to hear. He is going to tell you what is best for the citizens of the city and that is the important thing. I locked horns with Ken Rossetti on numerous occasions where we did not see eye to eye. I am very pro police. His license is at stake here when he makes an opinion and often Councilors will put him on the spot on the floor to make him opine and he is not going to give you any BS. He is going to tell it like it is and if you do not like it so be it. If he does not know the answer, he is not going to string you along either. He will find that answer. We got into a lot of trouble back in 2017 with the contract. Some people got second chances. Ken Rossetti took us out of a deep hole and put us where we are at today and I know Chief McNamara touts a lot of his success on the department heads and Ken Rossetti is one of them. I don’t know what our plan is for a new solicitor to come in here but I can assure you with the upcoming inditements and I am pro police for a reason because if we have a good police department, people are going to want to live here, they are going to want to stay. They are going to want to invest here. That is why I am here too. But the last thing we want to do is go back. I think we must leave our egos at the door because he might have said something that did not fit with your narrative. But Ken is here. He is an attorney. He is a lot smarter than most of us and he is going to tell it like it is. There are Councilors in this room that got second chances that were part of that contract but here they are today because we have faith in them and we’re going to give Ken a pink slip because maybe he didn’t side with you, maybe he hurt your feelings. I METHUEN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING JANUARY 27, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. think that is closed mindedness and it is going to affect the citizens of Lawrence. I ask that you reconsider and think hard about the alternative if Ken Rossetti is not here defending the city as the solicitor because quite frankly twenty-nine years in municipal service, he’s the best damn attorney that I’ve ever seen working for a municipality. It would be a great loss to this city if you were not to re-appoint him as our City Solicitor. Thank you” Chair Marsan asked if there was anyone else who would like to speak. Solicitor Rossetti said he would like to speak to make sure he has an opportunity to do so. He is just going to take a moment to thank all the individuals who spoke publicly in favor of his re-appointment: Mike Simard tonight; by letter Police Chief Scott McNamara, Commission on Disability Chair Eileen Lee. He thanked them for their support. He also thanked three Councilors on this body who spoke publicly in favor of his re-appointment: Councilor Faretra, Councilor Saffie, and Councilor DiZoglio. He feels very fortunate that folks who have known him since the year he started his service for Methuen have come up publicly for his re- appointment. He thanked all of them for their support tonight. Re-Appointment of the City Solicitor in accordance with Section 2-8 of the Methuen City Charter requiring action by January 15th in each odd number year. MOTION BY: Councilor Faretra, seconded by Councilor DiZoglio to re-appoint. 6 no, 3 yes (Clr. Saffie, Clr. DiZoglio, Clr. Faretra) Adjourn MOTION BY: Councilor Faretra, seconded by Councilor Saffie to adjourn. UPON ROLL CALL VOTE: 5 no, 4yes (Clr. Saffie, Clr. DiZoglio, Clr. Faretra, Clr. Pesce) MOTION BY: Councilor Soto to appoint KP Law as the City Solicitor Councilor Faretra said there is nothing else on the agenda. Chair Marsan referenced Section 2-8 says that Council is here to appoint a city solicitor or until one is qualified. That is Section 2-8. Council has the option to qualify a person or position tonight. Solicitor Ken Rossetti said this is a matter of legal procedure. Under the rules, the solicitor has the floor. As Councilor Faretra said this impacts the open meeting law. Section 2-8 of the Charter does not trump the Open Meeting Law. There’s nothing on this agenda regarding the appointment of a successor city solicitor and he would add to that that under the Charter there is a mandatory holdover provision which provides that a person serves in office until his successor is appointed. Even in the absence of appointing KP Law or anyone else, he continues to serve until his appointment is duly made. He would also note for the body that if an Open Meeting Law Complaint is filed, the body proceeds to appoint and an Open Meeting Law Complaint is filed and it is sustained by the Division of Open Government and the Attorney General’s office, one type of relief that can be mediated out to the city is a recission of any vote undertaken in violation of the Open Meeting Law. METHUEN CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING JANUARY 27, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. Chair Marsan said it is up to the Council. They are a body of nine. We have an opinion of the solicitor. Councilor Faretra Charter Objected. Councilor DiZoglio – Point of Information – can we even Charter Object on something that is not even on the agenda? Chair Marsan said there is a motion on the floor so Councilor Faretra can Charter Object to the motion. Adjourn MOTION BY: Councilor Campagnone, seconded by Councilor Pesce to adjourn. UPON VOTE: UNANIMOUS I do hereby certify that at a meeting of which a quorum was present, the foregoing minutes were approved by the Methuen City Council by a unanimous vote on February 3, 2025. Linda Gagnon COUNCIL CLERK