Marlborough council refers succession report to Operations and Oversight on 7-4 vote

MARLBOROUGH -- February 14, 2022, Marlborough councilors split 7-4 on routing the city's succession-planning report to committee. Personnel Chair Councilor Dumas initially moved to accept and place the consultant report on file, but withdrew after At-Large Councilor Mark A. Oram and Councilor Landers pressed to keep it active in a subcommittee. At-Large Councilor Kathleen D. Robey opposed referral, calling it the mayor's report: "He should take it and do something with it." The council also unanimously approved a $118,940 Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources grant for Freeman School energy-management upgrades, referred a $1,648,616 mid-year transfer package to Finance, and approved on suspension the site plan for Avishon Realty's retail-plaza expansion at 661 Boston Post Road East. Mayor Arthur Vigeant reported 34 active COVID cases, 89 percent of residents with one vaccine dose, and a planned March 8 School Committee meeting on the school mask mandate.