This Just In

By SCOTT JACKSON

Twenty-one residents have qualified for the ballot in this fall’s municipal election, which will feature four contested City Council races and a race for three seats on the School Committee.

There will be a preliminary election in the School Committee race next month.

Would-be candidates had until the end of the business day on July 27 to return nomination papers, including the signatures of 50 registered voters, to the Board of Registrars of Voters. Those running for the six ward seats on the City Council needed to collect all those signatures from voters within their ward.

Five people qualified for the ballot in the race for the three at-large seats on the council.

All three incumbents – Noel DiBona of 70 Chickatabot Road, Nina Liang of 100 Grand View Avenue 8A, and Anne Mahoney of 12 Ferriter Street – are running for reelection. DiBona and Liang are both seeking their fourth two-year term and Mahoney is seeking her third. DiBona and Mahoney previously served on the School Committee.

Joining them on the ballot are Michael Bellotti of 33 Bayberry Road and William Burke of 28 Rice Road. Bellotti is currently the Norfolk County treasurer and was formerly the county sheriff and a state representative. Burke ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 2018 and had run for Congress two years prior.

A sixth candidate, John Rodophele of 62 Grenwold Rd., pulled papers to seek an at-large seat but did not return them.

There will also be races for three of the six ward seats on the council.

In Ward 1, incumbent David McCarthy of 48 Whitney Road will face off against Joseph Murphy of 18 Macy Street. McCarthy, who formerly served on the School Committee, is seeking his third term on the council. This will be the third time McCarthy and Murphy have run against each other.

In Ward 2, incumbent Anthony Andronico of 46 Endicott Street and Steven Perdios of 86 Ruggles Street both qualified for the ballot. Andronico, who had been serving on the School Committee, was appointed to the Ward 2 seat in January following the resignation of longtime councillor Brad Croall. Croall was first elected in 2011, when he defeated Perdios for an open seat.

A third resident, Jorgette Theophilis of 4 Norman Road, returned her nomination papers but was five signatures short of the requisite 50. A preliminary election in would have been required in the Ward 2 race if she had qualified for the ballot,

In Ward 5, incumbent Charles Phelan Jr. of 298 Fenno Street and challenger Stephen Christo of 42 Standish Avenue both qualified for the ballot. Phelan is seeking his second consecutive term; he previously represented Ward 5 on the council from 1988 to 1996. Christo had run against Phelan for an open seat in 2019.

The remaining incumbent councillors – Ward 3 Councillor Ian Cain of 93 Forbes Hill Road, Ward 4 Councillor Brian Palmucci of 16 Cross Street and Ward 6 Councillor William Harris of 74 Ashworth Road – qualified for the ballot and will be unopposed in the fall. Cain and Harris are seeking their fourth terms and Palmucci his seventh.

Seven candidates qualified for the ballot in the School Committee race, which means a preliminary election will take place on Sept. 14 to whittle the field of candidates down to six, barring any withdrawals.

All three committee members whose terms expire at the end of the year have qualified for the ballot: Douglas Gutro of 85 Arnold Street, Emily Lebo of 354 Highland Avenue and Courtney Perdios of 86 Ruggles Street. Gutro, who previously served on the City Council, is concluding his first four-year term on the committee; Lebo has served ten years on the board; and Perdios was appointed to the seat in February to fill out the remainder of Andronico’s term after he joined the council. Perdios had finished in fourth place in the 2019 school board election.

Joining them on the ballot are challengers Tina Cahill of 51 Grenwold Road, Ellen Patterson O’Donnell of 6 Hatherly Road, Liberty Schaaf of 28 Howe Street and Liz Speakman of 129 Merrymount Road. O’Donnell, Schaaf and Speakman were also nominated for the open seat Perdios filled during the February joint convention.

An eighth candidate, John McDonald of 241 Quincy Shore Drive, took out nomination papers but did not return them.

Candidates for both City Council and School Committee have until 5 p.m. on Aug. 10 to submit certified nomination papers, including a statement of candidacy, to the clerk’s office. The deadline for objections and withdrawals is 5 p.m. on Aug. 12.

Ballot position for the preliminary will be determined by drawing on Aug. 6 at 10 a.m.

The deadline to register to vote in the preliminary is 8 p.m. on Aug. 25. The last day to apply for a mail-in ballot ahead of the preliminary is Sept. 8 and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is noon on Sept. 13.

The cut off to register to vote ahead of the final election is 8 p.m. on Oct. 13. The deadline to request to vote by mail in the final election is Oct. 27 and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is noon on Nov. 1.

By SCOTT JACKSON

An early morning motorcycle crash Saturday in Squantum claimed the life of a 23-year-old Dorchester man.

Quincy police responded to the scene of the crash shortly after 2 a.m. on Saturday, Capt. John Dougan said, and found the rider and motorcycle up against a seawall.

The rider, identified as Carlos Soto-Mendez, age 23, of Dorchester, was taken to Boston Medical Center with critical injuries. He was pronounced deceased there that morning, according to Sgt. Karyn Barkas.

A preliminary investigation by Quincy police indicated Soto-Mendez lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into the seawall, Dougan said.

The crash remained under investigation by the department’s accident reconstruction unit as of Tuesday, Barkas stated.

By SCOTT JACKSON

A 26-year-old Quincy man is facing charges after allegedly fleeing the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash in Wollaston early Sunday morning.

The crash took place near the intersection of Hancock and Beale streets around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, according to Quincy Police Capt. John Dougan.

Dougan said a vehicle was traveling southbound when it veered into the northbound lane, striking another vehicle head-on.

The driver of the vehicle that was struck was unconscious when first responders arrived, Dougan said, and Quincy firefighters had to remove him from the vehicle using hydraulic tools. The driver was taken to Boston Medical Center in serious condition.

A third vehicle was also involved in the crash, Dougan said. The driver of that vehicle was treated at the scene and was not hospitalized.

The driver of the vehicle that veered into the northbound lane fled the scene on foot but was located by officers at a nearby convenience store, Dougan said. He was taken to Boston Medical Center for evaluation.

Dougan said that driver – identified as 26-year-old Anthony McShane of Quincy – would be summonsed to court on charges of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury, and a marked lanes violation.

By SCOTT JACKSON

Residents and elected officials from Quincy and Braintree spoke out against a proposed digital billboard that would be located along Route 3 in Quincy. Members of the board vetting the proposal were also skeptical of the idea.

Quincy’s Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing Tuesday on the request of the John Flatley Company for a variance to construct the new digital billboard at 1 Crown Drive, which is located within the Elevation apartment complex at Crown Colony. The board did not vote on the proposal that evening and will discuss the matter again on Aug. 10.

The proposed billboard, which would be 35 feet tall, would face toward Route 3 and Braintree. It would replace an existing billboard already on site.

“We are essentially seeking to replace the signage that exists there today, the static sign that exists there today, with a new digital sign,” said Edward Fleming, the attorney representing the John Flatley Company at the hearing.

While the developer is seeking permission to build the new billboard, a provision in Quincy’s municipal code prohibits the construction of new billboards and also prevents the ZBA from granting a variance for such a sign.

“The construction of new off-premises signs, including billboards, is prohibited throughout the City and the City may not issue permits for their construction or relocation. No use variance shall be granted to vary this provision,” the municipal code states.

At Tuesday’s hearing, however, Fleming said a separate section of the code gives the ZBA the ability to grant use variances in all zoning districts throughout the city – a provision he said was not changed when the City Council barred the ZBA from granting variances for billboards.

“They didn’t change the underlying authority that was given to the Zoning Board of Appeals,” he said.

In addition, Fleming said the ability to permit billboards ultimately rests with the state’s Outdoor Advertising Board. That board, he said, would have to hold a public hearing where residents of Quincy, Braintree and other communities would be allowed to share their concerns.

“All we are asking the board to do tonight is to grant a variance to allow this matter to move forward to the state level,” Fleming said.

The sign will not be visible from Quincy’s residential neighborhoods, Fleming said.

“You will not be able to see this sign from a residential neighborhood in Quincy, whether it is on Independence Ave or on Centre Street,” he said.

Douglas Richardson, a vice president with the John Flatley Company, said the height of the billboard, 35 feet, was chosen because it is 18 feet lower than the nearby buildings that comprise the Elevation apartment complex. Richardson presented the ZBA a slideshow he said indicated the billboard would have no visual impacts when viewed from the Common Street neighborhood and other areas in Braintree.

“There are multiple buffers, trees and grade changes as we make our way over towards the Common Street area,” he said. “We have done multiple perspectives and you will not see it.”

Drivers headed northbound on Route 3, Richardson stated, would have a “very limited view” of the sign. He said the billboard would be placed at an angle and its pixels use shades – which he likened to blinders used on horses – to limit the amount of bleed from the side of the signs.

Elected officials from Braintree, however, said the billboard would negatively impact their community.

Braintree Town Councillor Julia Flaherty, whose district includes Common Street and other nearby areas, said the sign would be visible in areas at a higher elevation than Common Street and in the second floors of homes, particularly in winter when there are no leaves on trees.

“It will impact our property values. It will impact our quality of life. No digital billboard belongs that close to a residential neighborhood,” she said. “I really hope that Braintree neighborhoods are not irrelevant to your consideration.”

Flaherty also said the billboard would distract drivers traveling along Route 3, which could lead to car crashes.

“It’s already a fairly stressful place to drive because everyone on the road there has to be focused on getting into the correct lane as they approach the north-south split,” she said. “Billboards create a driving distraction that creates accidents…it is designed to draw your eye away from the road, away from what you are supposed to be focused on.”

Braintree Town Councillor Steven Sciascia, whose district abuts Flaherty’s, noted that a digital billboard next to Route 3 in Weymouth generated complaints from area residents concerned about light pollution after it was installed.

“The issue is not the billboard, it is the fact that it is a digital, 24-hour-a-day lighted billboard that will be seen from a lot of areas in Braintree,” Sciascia said. “Those lights radiate. Everyone has seen them. You have heard all the controversy from towns like Weymouth that have signs like this go in and the impact it has on neighbors.”

In addition, Sciascia noted the applicant’s presentation used images taken during the spring or summer, when trees are full of leaves.

“When it is winter, and when it is 8 o’clock at night and you are trying to get your kids to go to bed and you have to keep the blinds closed because there are lights coming in your window, it will impact residents,” he said.

Quincy City Councillor Anne Mahoney said the intent of city councillors was clear when they barred the ZBA from granting variances for new billboards.

“The city of Quincy made it very clear that we do not want billboards anymore in the city,” she said. “Billboards do not have an economic value for the residents of the city of Quincy. It doesn’t make the area more valuable – it actually depresses the area, and that is a fact if you do the research.”

Mahoney also said she was concerned about the electronic sign leading to distracted driving along Route 3.

“I agree with my neighbors in Braintree. They articulated it very, very well and I am thanking them for being here tonight, because digital advertisements – especially in that section of the highway – would be extremely dangerous and I would hate to see that happen,” Mahoney said.

Members of the zoning board were also skeptical about the proposed digital billboard.

Michael Covais, the board’s vice chairperson, said he was concerned about the proposed location of the sign along Route 3, calling it a “terrible place for it.”

“Though it is not part of my job, I know, I am concerned about our neighbors too. We should be good neighbors,” Covais added. “The citizens of Quincy aren’t going to get anything out of it and the citizens of Braintree may have some problems.”

Board member John Himmel said he drives through that particular section of Route 3 on a daily basis and called it a “nightmare” in the morning and “worse coming home.”

“I can’t imagine anything worse than a digital billboard up on that hill,” he said. “On top of that, what is the advantage for Quincy? Are we going to be known as the ‘City of Signs and Cement?’ And, the negative impact on the town of Braintree, I think, is terrible.”

Martin Aikens, the board’s chairperson, likewise questioned what value the new billboard would provide to Quincy. Aikens said he did not want to vote on the matter at Tuesday’s meeting because the board received more than 40 letters about the proposal. He wanted time to consider that correspondence before voting and made a motion to continue the matter until Aug. 10.

Board member Brian Radell added that he would like to hear from the city solicitor or another city official about whether the ZBA could even grant a variance for the billboard before the vote is taken.

By SCOTT JACKSON

Quincy officials have announced the names of the nine members of the newly formed Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The nine members Mayor Thomas Koch has appointed to the commission are:

Ward 3 Councillor Ian Cain; attorney Gabriel Cheong; Faries Gray, a leader of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag; Philip Chong, the president and CEO of Quincy Asian Resources; David Murphy, the city’s commissioner of natural resources and formerly the town manager of Randolph; Lola Tom, the director of Asian services and community development for Hamel-Lydon Chapel; Mercy Umoren, a 30-year resident of the city; business owner Tony Patel; and Jean Kutash, who is a member of the city’s Commission on Disabilities.

The commissioners held their first meeting on Thursday evening. Koch, in an interview earlier Thursday, said that meeting was intended to be organizational in nature and would allow the members to get to know each other.

“The commission members, most of them haven’t met each other yet,” Koch said. “It is probably going to be more introductions, set up the ground rules, what kind of a schedule are we looking at…they have got to figure all that out.”

Koch said he planned to ask Cain, who is the first Black person elected to the City Council, to chair the commission at the first meeting. He also wanted to let the members know his office would be available to provide assistance as needed.

“Essentially, I am going to get on, thank everybody for serving, letting them know I have asked Ian to chair the meetings, that my office will be available to do any task they need to be done,” Koch said.

“I don’t want this to become a lot of work for any individuals. They are all volunteering their time, so if there is research they want done, there is information they want, the city, various departments, can handle that aspect, and then I will get out of the way.

“I will say hello, I will let them know my thoughts about things in the city, and then hopefully we get a report sometime in the fall from them and take it from there.”

Chris Walker, the mayor’s chief of staff, said the commission is not subject to the state’s Open Meeting Law. Nevertheless, future meetings will likely be open to the public.

“It’s not subject to it for a couple of reasons,” Walker wrote in an email. “First, the Commission was formed at the sole discretion of the Mayor and not by any law, regulation, or order from the City Council. Secondly, the decisions the Mayor makes based on the work of the Commission are his alone.

“Future meetings are expected to be open to the public regardless of the Open Meeting Law.”

Koch had announced he would be establishing the commission in March, two months after city councillors passed an ordinance to create a Department of Social Justice and Equity, which would consist of a single employee, a director, who would be tasked to, “create equity and inclusion among all populations in Quincy.” The mayor did not include that department in his budget for fiscal year 2022, which began July 1.

In Thursday’s interview, Koch said he has not seen problems other communities across the nation are facing happen in Quincy. The commission, he explained, would probe into those issues.

“I heard the message from some people in the community who felt the city wasn’t doing enough for segments of our population. As you know, I publicly did not agree with that. If you go back a year and a half before the pandemic and before the social justice movement across the country, the city was flying. The school system was doing extremely well. People were moving here because of the schools, the parks, it’s a safe city,” Koch said.

“I’m not saying we’re perfect – nobody is perfect – I just have not seen the types of issues that have been described nationally happening here in Quincy.”

“Having said that,” Koch continued, “I think this will be good for all parties, because I think the commission is going to learn about things the city is doing that they are not even aware of – whether it is rec programs, things happening in the schools, the libraries – and maybe the city learns some things from this process we weren’t aware of.

“I think it is a good exercise for the city to go through and take a hard look at things and make some recommendations going forward. I am open to ideas and suggestions, but at the end of the day, if it is a funding issue, it is my call then of course the [City] Council’s call.”