THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022 Page 7 Cogliandro, Silvestri propose attendance penalties for absent councillors By Adam Swift W ard 3 City Councillor Anthony Cogliandro and Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri want their fellow councillors to show up to all the meetings if they want to earn their full salary. At Monday night’s City Council meeting, the two councillors presented a motion asking the council to draft an ordinance that will deduct a percentage of a City Councillor’s salary when they are absent from a regular meeting or a sub-committee meeting. The motion was referred to the council’s Legislative Aff airs Subcommittee. “I just want to go over some statistics,” said Cogliandro. “First, I want to say that there are reasons that people shouldn’t be at these meetings – totally understandable. We’ve had 19 subcommittees, and we’ve had two of them full; we’ve had 11 counSOLDIERS | FROM Page 6 rifi ce. In both our words and actions, let us all commit ourselves to serve the country to which they gave their lives. While there is still much work to be done, the generation of Veterans from this century have access to vast resources, life-saving technology, and increased information. This same generation of Veterans is just now starting to defi ne our post-service legacy and like our grandparents, return home with a deep commitment to service, and a desire to address the many problems that we face. One such issue needing to be addressed is helping Veterans fi nd purpose in their postservice lives. Truscott’s apology to the dead are not empty words, but a strong voice reminding us that we have an obligation to choose resilience and purpose when faced with guilt or grief. As an example, Gold Star Families, who have experienced tremendous loss, continue to serve their communities to maintain the legacy of the loved one they lost. I often recall a colleague of mine responding to the question “why do you do so much to help Veterans?” he simply held up his fi nger, choking back tears he responded, “for the one I couldn’t save.” By choosing to use his voice to advocate for other veterans, he not only helped them fi nd their purpose – he found his own. It’s often said that for those who have served “every day is Memorial Day,” a traditionally cil meetings, and we’ve only had every councillor at four of them.” Cogliandro said he understands that the job of a city councillor extends beyond the meetings, but that they are paid to attend meetings and conduct business for the residents. “I feel that it is a disservice to the people when we aren’t able to come here and conduct it,” he said. “I’ll just bring up one other thing: There was a subcommittee we had, and we didn’t even have a quorum … that’s bad. Obviously, I’m looking forward to some more discussion on this.” Silvestri said it’s an issue he has been passionate about since he was elected in November. “It’s not aimed at anyone personally, but I echo Councillor Cogliandro’s feelings,” said Silvestri. “We are elected, we are here to represent the people of Revere, and it’s our duty. We have less than 24 meetings in a year as council silent observance in the Veteran’s mind that can best be described as an impossible trinity made up of an overwhelming sense of guilt, grief, and grit. Usually, a moment of silence on this day is a welcomed and solemn way to honor the voices from our past, but for myself, after losing three former soldiers to suicide in the past few months, silence is no longer an option and the freedom to use our voice is the greatest gift that our veterans have to off er this Memorial Day. Joseph Reagan is the Director of Military and Veterans Outreach for Wreaths Across America. He has almost 20 meetings, and I think that unless there is a family member’s death, someone is very ill, an emergency comes up – we all have that happen – but we need to do better at being here 100 percent of the time as elected offi cials here in this city.” Councillors-at-Large George Rotondo and Dan Rizzo both said there could be issues with moving ahead and docking a councillor’s pay. “We have to be very careful with that,” said Rotondo. “We had three city councillors who passed while in offi ce and missed numerous months due to illness, operations, cancer and sepsis.” Rotondo asked how the ordinance would come into play if someone had multiple surgeries, or cancer or needed time off because they had a child. Rizzo said he understands the motive behind the motion, but said he agreed with Rotonyears experience working with leaders within Government, non-profi t, and Fortune 500 companies to develop sustainable strategies supporting National Security, and Veterans' Health. He served 8 years on active duty as an offi cer in the U.S. Army including two tours to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. He is the recipient of multiple awards and decorations including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. To view resources for service members, veterans, and their families, please visit learn. wreathsacrossamerica.org/ veteranresources. do that sometimes there were going to be incidents beyond a councillor’s control. “I’d like to think if someone is not showing up to the meeting, it’s not because they didn’t want to come to the meeting,” said Rizzo. “As an example, there was a meeting I could not go to; it was kind of a special meeting; it wasn’t on the calendar … I requested to Zoom in on the meeting; that was denied.” At the end of the day, Rizzo said, the councillors do not work for each other, but for the voters. “The voters are who put us in offi ce,” said Rizzo. “If the voters think we are not doing our job, we’re probably not going to get elected next time. I just think that if we are going to draft an ordinance and start self-governing ourselves and talking about fi nancial penalties, then we have to be careful with this.” Attorneys at Law 14 Norwood St., Everett, MA 02149 Phone: (617) 387-4900 Fax: (617) 381-1755 John Mackey, Esq. * Katherine M. Brown, Esq. Patricia Ridge, Esq.
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