Councillors debate Zoning Board appointment process

Advocate Staff Report

The Revere City Council’s reaction to Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro’s proposal that the city’s appointed Zoning Board of Appeals be replaced with an elected ZBA was mixed. Cogliandro began his pitch with some numbers explaining to fellow councillors that since he was elected to the council in 2022, the ZBA has heard 108 requests for variances. Three of those applications were withdrawn, 10 were denied and 95 were approved.

“The council complains about the number of variances, but we have no room to complain, we’re the ones who put them there,” he said referring to the council’s role in approving the mayor’s nominations for the board. “We are part of the process. Every ZBA decision is on the council and the administration; we put them in those seats.”

Cogliandro went on to say that the ZBA has become “incredibly powerful.” “Whether it’s to approve a gazebo, a hundred units in an apartment building or splitting a lot in half,” he said, “it behooves us to remove that power from elected officials and put it back in the hands of the people.”

Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya was the first to respond, and she said she opposed the proposal. Zoning Board of Appeal members are paid a $1,000 a year stipend. “I think it’s highly impractical for individuals to run a campaign for a position that pays minimal compensation,” she said.

She went on to say that if the ZBA were elected it might create the expectation of a more significant stipend when the council should be concerned with funding for the high school. Guarino-Sawaya also said the mayor has the opportunity to appoint whomever he wants on municipal boards and commissions as it’s part of his job.

But Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley said she couldn’t agree more with Cogliandro. “This is something that absolutely needs to be done,” said Kelly, who suggested that the alternative might be curbing the authority of the ZBA. She suggested taking away the board’s authority to grant parking variances.

Kelley said the change would require a home rule petition. She took advantage of the moment to announce that she was told by City Solicitor Paul Capizzi that the home rule petition she proposed to rein in the state mandate allowing the development of accessory dwelling units by right wherever single-family homes are allowed cannot move forward. “We seem to be accepting everything the state is mandating on us. These are unfunded mandates and something needs to be done about it,” said Kelley.

Cogliandro interjected that a home rule petition needs approval of the council, mayor, both houses of the state legislature and finally, the governor. He acknowledged it would have a lot of steps but isn’t impossible.

City Council candidate and local activist Anthony Parziale threw his support behind Cogliandro’s proposal during the public comment segment of the City Council meeting. “Anything that will give the people more say in what happens in their neighborhood, I am for,” Parziale told the council.

“I cannot see any reason why we wouldn’t allow people to decide what their neighborhood looks like,” he said.

Parziale said a ZBA appointed by the mayor and approved by the council left residents without choice. “These people decide what our neighborhoods will look like,” said Parziale. “I don’t think it’s fair that one group of unelected people get the power to reshape our city.”

But not everyone came down on one side or the other. Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto said he sees the merit of both sides of the argument. “I’m going to decide how to vote when it gets to me,” said Zambuto.

City Council President Marc Silvestri also said he agreed with both sides, but added that he has concerns about asking those interested on serving on the board to get into a race that requires significant time, energy and funding. He also expressed concerns about the legal costs of submitting a home rule petition.

Silvestri also said picking who serves on different boards is a bonus that comes with being elected mayor. “Taking that away waters down government,” he said.

The motion for an elected ZBA was referred to the council’s Legislative Affairs Subcommittee for further review.