By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – City Councilors rallied around departing Council President Patricia Pope and presented her a citation for “great leadership” at the June 15 council meeting, moments after they voted final approval of her new position as the new Council on Aging (COA) Director, effective July 5, 2015. Interim Council President Edward Clancy made the presentation citing her years as Ward 4 Councilor and Councilor-at-Large and emphasizing her “serving with distinction” for the past 18 years.
In accepting the citation and special gavel she used in leading the Council, Pope said: “It was a true pleasure to work with all of you. You do an excellent job and I thank you and the mayor. I promise I will make you proud.”
Pope will be filling the position held the past four years by Jennifer Claro who resigned in April to become COA director for the town of Westford. Pope will also be resigning from her position of six years as marketing director at Whitney Place Assisted Living Residences in Northborough She has also been on the staff at New Horizons of Marlborough.
Councilors are seeking a decision from the city’s solicitor on the best way to legally proceed with the vacated City Council seat caused by Pope’s resignation. They referred the matter to the Legal and Legislative Affairs committee for study.
Suggested recommendations from Clancy on how to proceed include: to continue with the seat vacant for the remainder of the legislative session that would expire on Dec. 31, 2015; to fill the vacant seat, by majority vote of the present City Council, with a former City Councilor or Marlborough resident who has expressed a desire to assist the Council for the interim period and is not a candidate for election to any position in the upcoming Biennial City Election to be held Nov. 3, 2015; or to wait until after the completion of the Nov. 3 election and fill the seat with a newly elected Councilor-at-Large, who is not a present City Councilor.
City Councilor Ward 1 Councilor Joseph Delano was elected vice chairman of the Council, filling the vacancy created by Clancy’s stepping up to the presidency.
