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February 16, 2021
To: Town Council
From: Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator
Chrissy Whelton, Assistant to the Town Administrator
Re: Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Appointments
Standing Committee Appointments
The Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, Housing Authority, Planning Board and Recreation Advisory voted unanimously to send forward the following members to be appointed by the Council to serve on the CPC. The five nominees to be ratified this evening are:
- Chris Feeley - Housing Authority
- Joseph Halligan - Planning Board
- Phyllis Malcolm - Historical Commission
- Wayne Samarrian - Recreation Advisory Board
- Jeff Livingstone - Conservation Commission
Note: these appointments will be automatically renewed in June for the upcoming fiscal year and the staggered terms will begin July 1, 2021. All appointments to expire June 30, 2022. The five standing committees are annual appointments.
At-Large Membership
The Town received thirty (30) applications for the four At Large members of the CPC. We interviewed twenty-eight out of the 30. Two applicants did not get back to us for scheduling. Interviews were held virtually on Monday February 1st and Tuesday February 2nd for approximately twenty minutes each. Nine of the 30 applicants currently serve on another board or committee in Franklin.
The Town Administrator nominates the following candidates for ratification by the Town Council for the four Citizens at Large seats on the CPC as follows:
1. At-Large Seat #1 (2-year Term) - Michael Giardino.
Mr. Giardino is a lifelong resident and open space, recreation and athletics advocate for Franklin seeking to volunteer and give back to the community that gave so much to him.
He is no stranger to Franklin athletics, youth sports and recreation. As many in town know, he has been heavily involved with Franklin Youth Sports and years of running little league baseball and Franklin High School athletics. Michael has volunteered his time for years to St. Rocco’s Festival. As an avid outdoorsman, Michael wants to help preserve Franklin's open space, recreation and historical assets.
2. At-Large Seat #2 (2-year term) - Lisa Oxford.
Ms. Oxford is a lifelong, third generation resident in Franklin with an interest in preserving open space and trail networks in town for outdoor recreation. Lisa has worked closely with the elderly community and understands the need for affordable housing for seniors and less fortunate or disabled populations. Lisa has strong collaboration skills and looks forward to assisting and adopting a vision for this committee on affordable housing and recreation, trails and open space.
3. At-Large Seat #3 (1-year term) - David McNeill.
Mr. McNeill is a lifelong resident of Franklin currently working as the Legislative Director for the House Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture where he works on policy and legislation on the topic of the environment. As a child who attended swim lessons at Beaver Pond, he has a strong commitment to preserving the Town’s natural resources for future generations, as well as Franklin’s unique historical character. As a lifelong Franklin resident who cannot afford a house in Franklin, he hopes to bring a different perspective to the committee.
4. At-Large Seat #4 (1-year term) - Monique Doyle.
Ms. Doyle is a longtime resident of Franklin with a strong interest in preserving open space, creating additional recreation spaces and expanding the community garden. Ms. Doyle worked with the CPA committee to educate the public on how the CPA would be an asset to Franklin. Throughout the process, we heard from several individuals who wished to have a member of the grassroots CPA Coalition to have a representative for the inaugural CPC committee.
Summary
After interviewing all of the candidates, we believe this group of nominees reflects a great diversity of interest to get the inaugural committee started. The committee nominees have representation and interest on all of the issues the CPC will be looking at: open space and trails, recreation and ballfields, historical preservation and affordable housing for all residents. All of the candidates expressed a sincere interest in preserving open space and were vested in being advocates for all of the uses and needs of CPC. All candidates expressed a commitment to share their expertise or interests, but also maintain an open mind on matters they may not be as familiar with.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have.
