Framingham Rules, Ordinances and Ethics Subcommittee Meeting - October 26, 2026

The Framingham City Council Rules, Ordinances and Ethics Subcommittee met on October 26, 2026, beginning at 6 p.m. Members present were Chair Stefanini, Councilor Mary Kate Feeney, and Councilor Tracy Bryant. No agenda or minutes were included with the source material; this summary is drawn from the raw transcript. The committee approved prior draft minutes, heard lengthy testimony on a proposed Council on Aging restructuring, recommended a cryptocurrency ATM ban to the full Council, discussed a council liaison proposal, and advanced a sign ordinance.

Consent Calendar / Routine Approvals

• The committee unanimously approved the draft minutes of the 7/13 and 8/17 meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Cynthia Cobb, chair of the Council on Aging and District 3 resident, opposed the proposed district-only restructuring. She said the board currently has six members, not five, despite a minimum of seven, with five vacancies, and argued that shrinking the board or tying seats to districts would create more problems, not fewer. She noted the ordinance would eliminate the current board as of December, and said a bilingual member who sought reappointment was ignored and resigned, and that districts 7 and 9 have never had representation.
• Tom Grove, a long-serving Council on Aging member from District 8, endorsed fixing quorum through prompt vacancy appointments rather than restructuring. He cited a University of Massachusetts survey showing an increasing elderly population and praised the Callahan Senior Center while urging the COA to reach seniors who cannot visit it.
• Judy Grove, District 8 and a Community Preservation Committee member, supported filling vacancies and keeping an 11-member board with at-large seats. She criticized outdated Council on Aging web pages, unclear meeting information, and difficult online meeting access.
• Elaine Murphy, District 1, said 'don't fix what isn't broken' and favored a recruiting drive to fill seats from all districts while retaining three at-large seats. She offered to serve.
• Kathy McCarthy, a past COA member, opposed the ordinance. She said quorum problems were rare historically, and the real issues are lack of communication and the city's failure to appoint or reappoint qualified applicants. She called it 'a problem looking for a solution that is not a problem' and asked why the COA was being singled out, noting the COA did not request the change.
• Jeff Epstein said the application process is broken and the ordinance would wipe out the COA's membership and institutional knowledge at year-end. He argued seniors are not evenly distributed, noting that districts 1, 2, and 3 have about three times as many seniors as District 9, that 44 percent of Framingham seniors live in districts 1, 2, and 3, and that districts contain about 8,000 residents each. He said the mayor could pursue diversity by fixing appointments rather than adopting district seats.
• Brenda Diaz, a COA member from District 2, asked whether all city boards use district representation and what plan would ensure continuity if the COA were dissolved and reconstituted. The chair said most boards do not use district seats and that transition provisions would need to be worked out.
• Ladybug, District 9, raised a point of order asking that Councilor Bryant be allowed to finish sentences.
• In second-round comments, Kathy McCarthy added that the COA has a mission statement, hosted a diversity presentation with the city's DEI officer, and has dedicated members; she urged better city communication with applicants.

Discussion Items

Proposed Council on Aging District-Representation Ordinance

• Councilor Bruno/Leombruno presented the proposal, saying it grew out of earlier discussions about district representation and recent quorum problems. She said the board is down to about five or six members, and one representative from each of the nine districts could improve outreach and diversity. She said there is support from other councilors and the mayor's office.
• The chair read emails from Brian Sullivan and Audrey Hall expressing concerns about the ordinance as drafted.
• Citizen Participation Officer Nicole (last name not stated) reported that across all city boards there is about a 16 percent vacancy rate, about 11 percent if the 2030 council is excluded, and zero percent representation from District 9. She described doing about 500 interviews, revamping the appointment process, and conducting outreach with MAPC, faith-based groups, libraries, DFI, and assisted-living communities. She said final appointment decisions rest with the mayor.
• Councilor Leombruno estimated about five applications had come in over the previous six months; she said the mayor controls which names go forward.
• The committee discussed the need for a clear mission, broader senior-population focus beyond the Callahan Center, geographic and demographic diversity, solicitation and onboarding plans, meeting times, transition/effective dates, and the risk of disrupting a functioning board.
• Chair Stefanini read Charter Article 3, Section 3B, which directs the mayor to strive for geographic and demographic diversity on multi-member bodies, and noted the Citizen Participation Officer position was created for this purpose.
• Councilors differed on whether district seats would help; Councilor Malik noted the change was not requested by the COA and asked about transition/effective dates; Councilor Feeney wanted codified roles and mission; Councilor Bryant cautioned against accidentally dismantling the COA.
• The chair said he would prepare a draft for the next meeting; no vote was taken.

Proposed Cryptocurrency ATM Ban

• Councilor Feeney said cryptocurrency ATMs in convenience stores and gas stations are used in scams targeting seniors. According to AARP, Massachusetts residents lost about $7 million in 2025, roughly $19,000 per day. She said Framingham police confirmed it is a local problem, and at least 20 communities, including Haverhill, Waltham, Gloucester, and Hadley, have enacted bans; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Attorney General Andrea Campbell have pushed for bans.
• Kathy McCarthy spoke in support, saying the scams can wipe out seniors' savings and that an ATM transaction lacks the human safeguard of a bank teller.
• The committee reviewed a solicitor's memo and an Attorney General opinion related to Hadley's ban. It voted 3-0 to recommend the ordinance to the full Council, with a friendly amendment allowing edits to keep it consistent with the AG ruling.

Council Liaison Proposal

• Councilor Malik proposed adding council liaison positions, including to the Council on Aging, to improve community voice and create leadership opportunities. She said the proposal would not restrict any councilor's participation, would likely be assigned at the start of a term by the chair, and could relieve the economic development committee of being a catch-all.
• Councilor Bryant said some people she consulted viewed another liaison layer as unnecessary, and raised questions about impartiality and recusal. Councilor Feeney asked how multiple interested councilors would be handled and how the youth council's 'up to three' liaison language would fit.
• No vote was taken; the committee will continue discussion.

Sign Ordinance

• The committee tabled a separate item because of late and lengthy solicitor materials, then, after previous meetings of discussion, moved to send the sign ordinance to the full Council. The motion passed 3-0.

Key Outcomes

• Draft minutes approved unanimously.
• Council on Aging ordinance: discussion continued; chair will prepare a draft for the next meeting.
• Cryptocurrency ATM ban: recommended to full Council 3-0 with edits to comply with Attorney General guidance.
• Sign ordinance: advanced to full Council 3-0.
• Liaison proposal: held over for further discussion; no vote.