Council Members-Elect Outnumber Sitting Members at No-Quorum Meeting

Newly elected (but not yet in power) members of the City Council outnumbered sitting members at Tuesday night’s Public Works Committee meeting.

In fact, there were just two members of the six-person committee in City Hall at the meeting’s 6 p.m. start time. Without a quorum, Councilman Richard D. Santamaria Jr., vice-chair of the committee, was forced to announce the meeting would not be held.

Santamaria and Councilman Anthony J. Lupino were the only two members to show up for the meeting and, according to Lupino, the only no-show to give notice that he wouldn’t be attending was Steve Stycos.

The others: Emilio Navarro, Lesile Ann Luciano, and Maria Bucci “should be ashamed of themselves," Lupino said.

Santamaria waited until about 6:15 p.m. before making the call to postpone the meeting. He said all matters before the committee would appear on the full City Council agenda at the end of the month.

Meanwhile Council Members-elect Don Botts, Michael Farina, Sarah Kales Lee and Mario Aceto hung out in the council chambers, apparently eager for their turn behind the Dias after inauguration.

With about 45 minutes to kill before the 7 p.m. start of the Safety Services and Licenses Committee meeting, a few people left City Hall to get a coffee. Others milled about and talked about whether the stipend local elected officials get should be cut if a council member misses a meeting.

Lupino, who did not run for reelection this year, made his thoughts clear.

“We should take the total stipend, divide it by the number of meetings and cut it if you don’t show up,” he said. “People are elected to serve the people.”