NORTHAMPTON — With a new term in full flight, The Northampton City Council has officially solidified the makeup of two of its committees.
Ward 1 City Councilor Stan Moulton, Ward 4 City Councilor Jeremy Dubs, Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge and Ward 3 City Councilor Quaverly Rothenberg will serve on the City Council’s Committee on City Services for the next two years.
City Services is responsible for the matters and activities related to municipal government, including the review of all candidates for appointments to boards and committees. The committee has discussed several crucial city-related issues in the past including the final report recommendations from the city’s Barriers to Service Select Committee and the recently-formed Department of Health and Human Services Division of Community Care.
Moulton, in his second term on council, was named the committee’s chair during the committee’s first meeting of the year on Jan. 22.
“I believe that I have the time, the knowledge, the organizational skills to keep this committee running efficiently,” Moulton said, during the meeting. “My leadership style is collaborative, so I want to ensure that everyone who wants to be heard … are given that opportunity.”
The City Council Committee on Community Resources also conducted their first meeting on Jan. 22. For the next two years, Rothenberg and Dubs, along with At-Large City Councilor Garrick Perry and Ward 2 City Councilor Deb Pastrich-Klemer will serve on this committee.
The Community Resources committee deals with matters affecting the community including economic development, local business, tourism, the environment, the arts, planning, sustainability, housing and more.
After multiple split votes, the committee eventually landed on Pastrich-Klemer as the committee’s chair. She is currently serving in her first term on council.
“I work well at bringing people together and getting along with other groups, leaders, councilors and constituents,” Pastrich-Klemer said. “I’ve shown leadership skills and co-chair and founder of Indivisible Northampton, and my main goal is to work for what’s best for the community and I too believe everyone belongs here and deserves a place at the table.”
Both committees, along with the other two standing committees — Legislative Matters and the Finance Committee — are important extensions of the City Council because they typically involve more robust conversations with the public that may ultimately influence the decision-making of the full council.
Usually, the full council will refer an item to one of these committees for further discussion and public comment. The committees will then provide a positive, neutral or negative recommendation on the item before the item returns to the full council for a vote.
City Services typically meets on the first Monday of the month while Community Resources usually meets on the third Monday of the month. Agendas to the meetings are posted on the website.
The Finance Committee and Legislative Matters will have their organizational meetings on Jan. 29.
