Special Board of Aldermen 07-06-2021 Page 8
Chairman Caron
Okay thank you Alderman Lopez.
So now we'll move on to testimony in favor of R-21-152 Relative to Adding Two Members to the Board of
Health. Is there anyone within the chamber who would like to speak in favor? Please come to the podium.
No one. Okay. Do we have anyone on Zoom who would like to speak in favor of adding two members to
the Board of Health? Please raise your hand. Okay | don’t see anyone so we'll move on.
TESTIMONY IN FAVOR - None
Chairman Caron
Testimony in opposition of adding two members to the Board of Health. Any within the chamber who would
like to speak, please come to the podium. No one. Is there anyone on Zoom who would like to speak in
opposition, please raise your hand?
TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION
Laurie Ortolano
Laurie Ortolano — 41 Berkeley Street. | just want to let you know I’m really glad | was able to listen to the
Board President on this. | do not support this on all. I've been on boards and when you have a board of
three, it’s a real pleasure. You can be three people who work together and respect each other can get so
much done. | also think that filling board seats isn’t easy. Filling these volunteer seats essentially is not
easy and adding to them is not necessarily the right thing.
When Alderman Lopez discussed this a week or two ago, | kept listening for him to see my full Board is
backing me. | wanted to know the position of the three members of the Board of Health and there was
nothing being said about that. | live very close to Dr. Stephanie and | walked down to the house today and
knocked on the door and unfortunately she wasn’t there so | couldn't talk to her. So! am very, very happy
that | was able to listen to the Chairman talk.
You know Dave Tencza mentioned at the last meeting that you know everything is boards of five, boards of
five is the way we go and that’s just not true. The Board of Assessors is a Board of three. Nobody has
been working to beef that up because you’d all be terrified I'd get a seat for god’s sakes. So you know we
keep it as three. That’s what you do. The Commissioners have been three and | don’t even think the
Police Commissioners as three are inappropriate. | think its fine and there are other boards in this City
because | looked through them that are boards of three. |’ll tell ya, you don’t want to just flush these away
and say we’ve got to add people in order for them to be productive. This pandemic was a very unusual
situation and we should use it to make a precedent on how the board should operate. | think we won’t see
this continue, and we'll get behind this, and that board will be just fine doing what it does, and when there’s
time for replacement, | appreciate other people but we have a diverse board. | think we have dentist, a
thoracic surgeon, and a pediatrician — something of that nature. As people move on, we can put a mental
health person. You can put a holistic doctor. Imagine that. That would be pretty interesting. Do whatever
you want to do but | do not support adding seats and | would ask that the Board not support this. Thank
you.
Chairman Caron
Thank you. Is there anyone else who wants to testify in opposition? Seeing none. We're looking for
testimony in favor. Is there anyone in the chamber or on Zoom who would like to speak in favor? Seeing
none.
