Newburyport City Notebook
Mayor John Moak is a finalist to be the next town administrator in Pepperell.
According to a weekly newspaper within the Nashoba Publishing Company, Moak was interviewed last Monday night, along with Jason Hoch, a former administrator in New Hampshire.
The newspaper writes that Moak told the Board of Selectmen that he found "that the 'tremendous privilege of being called your honor' pales in comparison to working with an elected board in a smaller municipality that demands face-to-face communication to build consensus as an 'equal partner.'"
The paper also reports that Moak said he would be available in two weeks, but "asked for an answer quickly because he expects other offers will be coming."
The mayor's term doesn't end until the end of December. Mayor-elect Donna Holaday takes office Jan. 4.
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Moak said last week he disagrees with recent claims that holidays have been ruined in recent years for neighbors of Crow Lane, due to the presence of odors and smells from the landfill.
Moak said that there has been one holiday — Christmas of 2006 — that neighbors suffered from the smells. In 2007 and 2008, there were no problems at Thanksgiving or Christmas, the mayor added.
"I beg to differ that anything happened in '07 or '08," Moak said.
Moak also worked to ensure that this year's Thanksgiving was odor-free.
"We kill ourselves to make sure that happens," the mayor said.
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The City Council quickly approved two transfer requests last week that move the assistant assessor and assistant city clerk up on the salary pay grade scale.
Moak made the request after being approached by two of his department heads several months ago with descriptions showing the additional responsibilities for these two positions.
The City Council unanimously approved a $1,084.03 budget transfer for the Assessor's Office from its revaluation account to fund a salary grade upgrade from "M" to "N" for the assistant assessor position. They also unanimously approved a transfer request from the City Clerk's Office to move $1,032.41 from its elections account to pay for the salary and grade change from "M" to "N" for the assistant city clerk position.
At-large Councilor and Budget and Finance Committee chairman Donna Holaday said the two positions each have additional responsibilities with the recent creation of the passport agency at City Hall. That agency will bring in about $15,000 worth of revenue to the city, Holaday noted.
At-large Councilor Tom Jones called the transfers "an expenditure well worth undertaking," adding that the two full-time, 12-month positions are paid less than the average teacher's salary and do a lot for the city.
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Hailey Klein and Ed Cameron are helping to coordinate the local campaign for Congressman Mike Capuano as he runs for Senate. Any supporters who can volunteer for the campaign before the U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, Dec. 8, is asked to contact Klein at hailey.klein@gmail.com or Cameron at edcameronNBPT@gmail.com or 978-518-0786.
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The Chamber of Commerce's "Big Win" tickets are now on sale.
Tickets are $100 each. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Chamber at 978-462-6680 or stopping by the office at 38R Merrimac St.
First prize is $10,000; second prize is $2,500; there are four third prizes of $1,000; seven fourth prizes of $500 and five fifth prizes of $200.
Tickets purchased by Dec. 24 will be entered to win a $250 Newburyport gift certificate. The Early Bird winning ticket will be pulled Jan. 4.
The regular drawing will be held Thursday, March 18.
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The following meetings have been scheduled and are open to the public:
Tuesday
Commission for Diversity and Tolerance, 3:30 p.m., police station conference room
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers
Wednesday
Charter Commission, 7 p.m., library
License Commission, 7 p.m., police station
Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Hall auditorium
Planning and Development Committee/Committee of the Whole, 7 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers
Thursday
Historical Commission, 7:30 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers
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Katie Farrell Lovett covers Newburyport for The Daily News. She can be reached at 978-462-6666, ext. 3232, or by e-mail at kfarrell@newburyportnews.com.
