NOTE: THIS MEETING IS BEING LIVE STREAMED AND RECORDED. CITY COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS CAN BE VIEWED ON THE CITY OF NEW BEDFORD’S HOMEPAGE UNDER QUICK LINKS, THEN MEETINGS.
AGENDA ITEMS:
1. CITIZEN’S INPUT TIME – Not to exceed the first thirty (30) minutes of the meeting.
1a. Zara Lemieux, 80 Thompson Street, Apt. #2, speaking on “ALPR Technology". (Referred – October 05, 2026.)
INVITEES: Zara Lemieux
2. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the APPOINTMENT of DONALD G. REI, New Bedford, MA to the HOUSING AUTHORITY, replacing the late Bruce Oliveira; this term will expire December 2027. (Matter ID #1768) (Referred – October 22, 2026.)
INVITEES: Donald G. Rei
3. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the APPOINTMENT of MADELINE PAIVA, New Bedford, MA to the LIBRARY TRUSTEES, replacing Lee Blake, who has resigned; this term will expire April 2028. (Matter ID #1769) (Referred – October 22, 2026.)
INVITEES: Madeline Paiva
4. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the APPOINTMENT of THOMAS P. CLARK, New Bedford, MA to the WATER BOARD, replacing Daniel Higgins, who has resigned; this term will expire April 2027. (Matter ID #1770) (Referred – October 22, 2026.)
INVITEES: Thomas P. Clark
5. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting the APPOINTMENT of ERIC V. LEPAGE, New Bedford, MA to the ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, as an ALTERNATE MEMBER, replacing Jane Gonsalves, who has resigned; this term will expire December 2029. (Matter ID #1771) (Referred – October 22, 2026.)
INVITEES: Eric V. LePage
6. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Abreu, Oliver, Lopes, Choquette and Carney, requesting, that a representative from the New Bedford Board of Health or the New Bedford Health Department appear before the Committee on Appointments & Briefings to discuss the Board’s recent vote to adopt a new Cigar Minimum Pricing Regulation, effective January 1, 2025, which restricts the sale of tobacco and nicotine delivery products; and further, that the Committee on Appointments & Briefings also hear from local business owners in the City of New Bedford who retail cigars to discuss the potential economic impacts this may have on their industry. (To be Referred to the Committee on Appointments & Briefings, the New Bedford Health Department, the Administration, a representative of the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association, and local New Bedford-based convenience, liquor, cigar and retail business community.) (Matter ID #0114) (Referred – January 23, 2025.) (February 18, 2025 – tabled) (February 17, 2026 – tabled) (October 20, 2026 – tabled.)
6a. NEW BEDFORD TOBACCO REGULATIONS, (Matter ID #0115) (Referred – January 23, 2025.) (February 18, 2025 – tabled) (February 17, 2026 – tabled) (October 20, 2026 – tabled)
INVITEES: Peter Brennan, Executive Director, New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association; Mark Galan, Public Health Program Manager, Health Department; Stephanie Sloan, Director, Health Department; Representative, Mayor’s Office
7. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Morad, Abreu, Giesta, Oliver, Gomes, Choquette, Lopes, Carney and Baptiste, requesting, that the City of New Bedford Board of Health immediately rescind the recently approved Cigar Minimum Pricing Regulation that was implemented on January 1, 2025 for an eighteen (18) month period; and further, that the New Bedford Board of Health seek additional grant funding to allow the Health Department Sanitarians to continue their efforts in education of the City's youth regarding the dangers of tobacco and nicotine product use and to increase the Health Department's ability to police City's retail establishments that are legally selling tobacco and nicotine products; and further, that representatives of the New Bedford Board of Health appear before the Committee on Appointments & Briefings in six (6) months, twelve (12) months and eighteen (18) months to update the Committee regarding their efforts of education and policing. (To be Referred to the Committee on Appointments & Briefings and the Board of Health.) (Matter ID #0230) (Referred – February 27, 2025.) (February 17, 2026 – tabled) (October 20, 2026 – tabled)
INVITEES: Peter Brennan, Executive Director, New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association; Mark Galan, Public Health Program Manager, Health Department; Stephanie Sloan, Director, Health Department; Representative, Mayor’s Office
8. WRITTEN MOTION, Council President Pereira, Councillors Abreu, Carney and Gomes, requesting that the Committee on Appointments and Briefings meet with Southcoast Neighbors United to discuss deployment of SCNU air sensors across New Bedford and to further discuss current environmental and health issues in the South End. (Matter ID #0646) (Referred – May 12, 2026.) (May 19, 2026 – tabled)
8a. RELATED MOTION, Councillor Pereira, requesting that the Board of Health and Health Department appear before the Committee on Appointments & Briefings to provide the body with data regarding any chronic or concentrated illness for the entirety of the peninsula in the South End of New Bedford. (Referred from Committee – May 19, 2026.)
INVITEES: Mark Galan, Public Health Program Manager, Health Department; Wendy Morrill, South Coast Neighbors United; Michele Paul, Director of Resilience & Environmental Stewardship; Jamie Ponte, Commissioner, Department of Public Infrastructure; Stephanie Sloan, Director, Health Department; Tracy Wallace, South Coast Neighbors United; Representative, Mayor’s Office
9. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Gomes, Pereira, Abreu, Carney and Oliver, requesting, on behalf of the Clarks Point Neighborhood Association, that the City and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Beaches look to install a solar beacon light on the lighthouse located on top of Fort Taber; and further, that Parks, Recreation and Beaches Director Mary Rapoza obtain an estimate for the cost of the solar beacon, including installation. (Matter ID #0532) (Referred – April 10, 2025.)
INVITEES: Jamie Ponte, Commissioner, Department of Public Infrastructure; Stephanie Sloan, Director, Health Department; Jennifer Vieira, Director, Department of Facilities and Fleet Management
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