Framingham City Council Meeting – March 17, 2026: SUDC Proclamation, Public Hearings, CFO Hire
Framingham City Council Meeting – March 17, 2026
The Framingham City Council met on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in the Blumer Room. The meeting opened with approval of the February 3rd minutes, a moment of silence for troops requested by Councilor Alexander, and a proclamation declaring March 2026 as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) Awareness Month. The council conducted public hearings on two zoning amendments, appointed a new financial analyst, voted to authorize hiring a CFO at the top of the salary range, extended the budget deadline by 30 days, and heard an update on the city's equity audit. All votes were taken in person.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from February 3, 2026.
- Unanimously approved hiring Anthony Kennehan as the City Council Financial Analyst. The Finance Subcommittee interviewed two finalists after reviewing 13 applicants; the recommendation passed 5–0 in subcommittee and unanimously by the council.
Proclamations & Presentations
- The council and mayor issued a proclamation recognizing March 2026 as SUDC Awareness Month. Madison Cini, a teen ambassador for the SUDC Foundation, spoke about her brother Ryan, who died of SUDC at 20 months old. She was the first ambassador in the organization to receive an official municipal proclamation.
- Sworn in the full Youth Council. Appointments included: RF Bott and Leroy Watkins (Mayor's at-large), Lillian Martin (Adam Lee), Cadence Gifford (Councilor Long), Ziva Thomas (Councilor Feeney), Addie Bannon (Councilor Cannon), Eva Wilmot (Councilor Oliviani), Patrick Coyne (Councilor Malik), Claire Lip (Councilor Stephanie), and Michaela Harvey (Councilor Bryant). Two vacancies remain in Districts 2 and 5.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mr. Bloomfield asked when the Mayor's budget presentation would be available (March 30th?), requested information on budget impacts such as GIC health premium increases, water/sewer rate increases, free cash balances, and asked whether the budget includes full-time employee reductions. He emphasized the need for timely information.
Appointments & Personnel Matters
- Referred to the Appointments Subcommittee: David Whiting to the Cushing Memorial Chapel Advisory Committee; Kevin Swope as Framingham Historian for an indefinite term; John Branagh to the Historical Commission through June 30, 2026; Robert Onsbach to the Human Relations Commission through June 30, 2027; and Clayton Howard to the Parks and Recreation Commission through June 30, 2028.
Public Hearings
- Clarks Hill Zoning Amendments: Catherine Garrahan (Bowditch & Dewey) and property owner Vios Theodorkas presented a proposal to include one Clark's Hill and adjacent parcels (approximately 14 acres) in the Planned Reuse District (PRD). The building is about 85–90% vacant. The plan would convert the top two stories of the existing Social Security office building to multifamily residential, preserve the ground floor commercial space, and possibly add future residential units. An MOU with the city was discussed to address density (proposed 20 units per acre) and other controls. Multiple councilors expressed strong support, while raising the need for clearer dimensional specifics and a stronger MOU. The hearing was continued to April 7, 2026.
- Eagle Rock Zoning Amendments: Attorney Catherine Garrahan, Kyle McGuire, Tyler King, and remotely Jim Housman presented a map-only zoning change to extend the B district into a portion of the former Bayberry Apartments property (42 acres total; 39 in Framingham) to allow mixed-use development. The existing 424-unit apartment complex would be renovated, and new construction might include apartments or ownership units. The MOU would require 13% affordable rental units, or 15% if rental, as an incentive for ownership units. Councilors discussed the need for affordable homeownership opportunities, concerns about stormwater runoff, wetlands, and the importance of the MOU's enforceability. The hearing was continued to April 21, 2026.
- 97 Franklin Street Purchase: Reopened and closed the public hearing. The council voted unanimously (roll call) to amend a prior bond order to allow purchase of 97 Franklin Street for $2.7 million, funded by $1.5 million from the joint dispatch funds, $1.21 million in new borrowing, and designating $500,000 for the Foley Building rooftop solar project (noted as already spent).
- Capital Budget: Reopened the public hearing and continued it to April 7, 2026.
Mayor's Report & Updates
- Mayor Sassitsky reported that Framingham's municipal electricity aggregation program delivered over $1.6 million in savings to customers in its first year, with about 19,000 accounts enrolled (roughly two-thirds of the city), and 95% selecting the standard green option.
- The city is conducting a survey for residents 55+ in partnership with UMass Boston's Gerontology Institute to inform Callahan Center planning. 5,000 surveys were mailed randomly.
- DPW will host a neighborhood meeting March 19 on water/sewer upgrades for Central and Kellogg Streets.
- Announced the 325th celebration events, including a juried photography exhibit (March 18–May 2026) and Women's History Month inductees (March 25). Also announced the Battle of the Badges hockey game (March 21) and the egg hunt (April 4).
- Announced hiring of Christopher Davis as Veterans Agent, starting March 23.
Finance & Personnel Votes
- CFO Hiring: The mayor requested authorization to pay the new CFO at the top of the salary range, following a search with 12 applicants. The Finance Subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend the higher salary. Councilor Stefanini praised the candidate's qualifications, stating he was better suited than imagined. Councilor Cannon urged the council to listen to the new CFO's advice. The motion to authorize the higher salary passed without opposition.
- Budget Extension: The council invoked Article 6, Section 3B to extend the budget submission deadline by 30 days, allowing the new CFO (expected to start around April 20) to review the budget. The vote was 10–1. This shifts the budget timeline: Budget due by May 1; council referral May 5; first finance reading June 2; second reading/vote projected June 16, with potential additional meetings June 9 or 23.
- Approved the appointment of Frank Saketti and Robert McGonagall of Frosty Ice Cream for a hawker/peddler license (unanimous).
- Approved a secondhand articles/junk/metal license for National Rarities LLC at 92 Worcester Road, continued to April 7 (unanimous).
Discussion Items
- Equity Audit Update: Jesse Edwards, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, presented progress on the city's equity audit recommendations. He highlighted workforce representation gaps, lack of vendor demographic data, underrepresentation of Black, Asian, and multicultural residents on boards, and limited community experience data. He detailed efforts including targeted recruitment via Handshake, farmers market booths, lunch-and-learn workshops, and plans for board recruitment. Multiple councilors expressed mixed reactions: Councilor Ward and Councilor Stefanini were critical of lack of tangible deliverables and slow progress; Councilor Bryant defended the audit as a transparent tool; Councilor Stefanini noted geographic diversity has improved (46% of appointees from South Framingham). No formal vote taken.
- Zoning Amendment Advertisement: The council voted 11–0 to advertise a public hearing for amendments to dimensional regulations and table of uses in the G district. An amendment changed the proposed floor area ratio (FAR) from 0.35–0.40 to 0.50 after discussion about not wanting to restrict future two-family development. Councilor Stefanini noted this was just the start of a long zoning process.
- Fifth Tuesday Discussion: Councilor Stefanini proposed dedicating the June 30th (fifth Tuesday) meeting to economic development. Some councilors expressed concerns about scheduling during the week of July 4th and the availability of business partners. The item was not voted; the chair suggested revisiting the calendar.
Key Outcomes
- Approved unanimous minutes, appointment of financial analyst Kennehan, and multiple licenses.
- Continued Clarks Hill hearing to April 7; Eagle Rock hearing to April 21; capital budget hearing to April 7.
- Authorized purchase of 97 Franklin Street via unanimous roll call.
- Authorized CFO salary at top of range (unanimous) and extended budget deadline 30 days (10–1).
- Voted 11–0 to advertise zoning amendments with FAR of 0.50.
- Approved snow/ice free cash transfer of $1.5 million (unanimous) and crossing guard contract (unanimous).
- Referred five appointments to the Appointments Subcommittee.
Meeting Transcript
The City Council is the sole legislative body of the city of Framingham and is therefore responsible for passing city ordinances. The City Council is made up of 11 members who exercise the legislative powers of Framingham. Two of these members are known as counselors at large, and nine members are known as district counselors. The city council serves as a link between the citizens of Framingham and their municipal government. Councillors help constituents by connecting them to resources, services, and city departments. And also serve as advocates for all Framingham residents. The following City Council coverage is brought to you by the Government Channel, a service of the City of Framingham. Welcome to the City Council meeting of March 17th, 2026. Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone. It gave me a good excuse to dress casually, but I feel a little bad looking at the well-dressed youth that have my picture taken, but uh happy St. Patrick's Day nonetheless. So the first thing we have on our agenda is minutes from February 3rd. Motional approval. Second. Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor. And uh two things at the beginning, I'd like to know everyone is here, which is great. It will make the meeting go much faster than uh anything else. I also uh would like to at the beginning of the meeting to recognize Councilor Alexander for a brief uh remembrance that you suggested. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, just wanted to um uh have us um do a brief moment of silence for um our soldiers and sailor ailment airmen and troops that are in harm's way. It doesn't matter what your political persuasion is, um, but this is a time for everybody just to uh rally um the rally for everybody uh for their families and all the sacrifices they make every day on behalf of us. So a moment of silence, please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much, Councillor Alexander. Okay, next on the agenda, we have a joint proclamation by the Council of the Mayor recognizing March as sudden explained death in childhood month. Umcini from District Three requested this proclamation in honor of her brother and in recognition of those affected by a loss such as this. She and her family are in attendance this evening. And Councilor Feeney will read the proclamation. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I just want to thank Madison for bringing this to the council. I also want to point out that Madison is the team and teen ambassador for the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation, and she is the first ambassador in the organization to receive an official proclamation from a municipality. So thank you. In recognition of sudden unexplained death in childhood month, whereas sudden unexplained death in childhood is a category of death in children over the age of 12 months that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation, including an autopsy. And whereas each year there are approximately 500 cases of U, I'm sorry, SUDC in the United States, including more than 200 younger children between the ages of one and four who die without any clear cause or explanation. And whereas, while less common than sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, which occurs before the first birthday, SUDC is an important health health concern deserving of increased public awareness and research. And whereas SUDC is the fifth leading category of death among children ages one to four in the United States, and whereas there currently is no known way to predict or prevent SUDC as its causes are unknown. Whereas continued research and awareness efforts are vital to uncovering the causes and identifying ways to prevent these tragic losses in the future. And whereas we recognize the dedicated efforts of organizations such as the SUDC Foundation, medical professionals, uh metal legal, medical legal death investigators and volunteers who are working to better understand the causes of SUDC, improve the health of infants and children, and provide much needed hope and support for those families grieving and the heartbreaking sudden unexplained death of a child. And whereas sudden sudden unexplained death in childhood awareness month provides an opportunity to honor the memory of the young lives that ended too soon, show engagement and support, sorry, so show encouragement and support for the families and loved ones devastated by their loss, increased public awareness of SUDC, and the need for ongoing research efforts in a search for answers. Now, therefore, the mayor and the council of the city of Framingham to hereby recognize March 2026 as sudden unexplained death in childhood awareness month in the city of Framingham and encourage all residents to honor the memories of the children gone too soon, support affected families, and join efforts to raise awareness, advance research, and work towards a future free from SUDC. Signed by Mayor Sasitsky and all of the counselors. And so Madison, I believe, would like to say a few words. My brother Ryan passed away before I was born, so I never got the chance to meet him. His death was determined to be SUDC. He was 20 months old.
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