By Cary Shuman
Constantino “Coco” Alinsug will be elected president of the Lynn City Council Monday, and there will be several changes to follow in the way the 11-member body conducts its operations and serves its constituents.
Alinsug, who was elected to a third term unopposed in November, will unveil a 10-point agenda that “will change a lot of things as far as the culture and tradition of the Lynn City Council.”
“We need to be on par with a lot of the city councils in major cities,” said Alinsug.
Alinsug, 54, who came to the United States from the Philippines in 1996, noted that he is “the first person of color and of the LGBT community in the history of Lynn” to serve as council president.
Alinsug is an outreach educator and works as director of community engagements at the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds.
“I’m very excited to take office as the new president of the City Council,” said Alinsug.
Residents will notice some of the Alinsug-led changes at City Hall soon.
“We’ve moved the City Council office from its old location to the Law Department, which is adjacent to the Council Chambers,” said Alinsug. “So, for the first time in history all city councilors in Lynn will have desks (with individual name plates) and offices at City Hall. Our constituents will be available to meet with constituents in that office. I strongly believe we’re all leaders in Lynn, all elected by the people of Lynn, and we need to roll up our sleeves and start working, and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Alinsug will add nine committees (to the 23 existing committees) under the umbrella of the City Council. The new committees will be: Youth, Children, and Adolescence, Arts, Culture, Entertainment, and Tourism, Environmental Affairs, Women and Gender Equality, Seniors and Elderly Affairs, Council Appointment Sub-Committee, Downtown Development, Sister Cities and International Relations, Civil Rights, Racial Equality, and Immigrant Advancement.
Elaborating on the new Council Appointment Subcommittee, Alinsug said, “There are a lot of commissions and boards in the city that the City Council is responsible for, and we don’t have a process for that. So, anybody who would like to apply or be reappointed can go to that committee. We have an Ordinance Committee that has not held a meeting since I became a councilor, which to me is surprising because we are the lawmakers of the city.”
Alinsug said with the additional committees, each councilor will serve as a chairperson of at least two committees.
Alinsug has been a very productive and highly visible community leader in his four years as the Ward 3 councilor. His monthly newsletter is regarded as one of the most thorough and comprehensive publications by a public official in the region, engaging readers across the city.
Alinsug said he is looking forward to working with Mayor Jared Nicholson in the new term. Alinsug and Nicholson are neighbors in Ward 3.
Coco Alinsug’s Lynn City Council 10 Point Agenda: 1.) The President should be ready and commit to involve himself/herself to most city functions. Flag raising, ribbon cuttings, school functions, or be pro-active by making sure that the City Council is represented. (The face of the Council) 2.) Be fair in assigning committees, assign committees regardless of seniority. Remember we’re starting a tradition here and a new approach. Each Council assigned to a project are requested to submit a report, or the least update fellow City Councilors. Update the list of Committees, compare with committees from neighboring cities similar to our populations, add new committees as needed, for example the creation of Council Appointments Sub-Committee who is tasked to review, interview and recommend all Council appointments. see separate list. 3.) Team building/Have a retreat, if possible. Invite MMA to have a session about committees and functions of a Councilor, Explain what are the expectations of each committee, Robert’s Rule of Order, How to draft an ordinance, etc. (See if there’s a conflict with open meeting laws) – https://www.mma.org/resource/parliamentary-procedure-at-councilmeetings-a-practitioners-view/ 5.) Desk for each Councilor. / Move to a bigger office: It’s a statement/symbolic, being inclusive, smaller desks so we may fit it in our space, and be able to get some youth interns, clean up the Council chamber, 5 at Conference Room, 5 at President’s Office, President’s Office will be at that small room. Change Conference table to a smaller one. Also, clean the Council office regularly, make it inviting to our residents and visitors. Throw unnecessary materials and broken frames, etc. See if we can scan those old maps or have the Lynn museum or Historical Commission save it for us on a temperature control vault. 6.) Digital and Website, if possible start digital and limit paper communications. Work with IT and see how we could do this. Create a Social Media Account for Lynn City Council, Put photos and bios of each Councilor on Lynn City Website. Use the power of technology. 7.) Code of conduct, dress code: This applies to Councilors and staff. No shorts or flip flops on Council meetings, always wear your Council pins in all functions (if possible), As for the staff, they will have monthly supervision by the President or the Vice-President, or the Personnel Chair. 8.) Internship program: Invite Lynn HS students to intern with Councilors and will report to the Council office. See if we can hire that extra staff for this purpose as one of that staff’s responsibility? (to be discussed, but definitely open up the Council for youth internship), work with the Committee on Adolescence, Family and Children (see new list of committees) 9.) Rules on Council Chamber: The Council Chamber is reserved for Council use only, 10.) Open Mic and Presentations to the Council of Boards and Commissions and Translation Service: Details provided by the Open Mic Night Task Force (Lamanna, Alinsug, Hogan, and McClain). Extend application to speak via in-person too. Must be flexible. As for the presentations, all boards and Commissions shall provide a presentation about their work to the Council, a brief presentation would be ok, just update the community about their existence, to say the least. Work with the Mayor’s office to request a Spanish translator on stand-by to every Council meeting, and request to go with any of the Councilor on field inspection or neighborhood meetings (on a case to case basis, or per request)