By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
At its meeting on Nov. 23, the Town Council met the new Town Planner, reviewed the regular COVID-19 update, and Councilor Adam Scanlon attended his final meeting.
Jennifer Carloni hired as new Town Planner
Following the announcement that Nancy Runkle would be stepping down as Town Planner, a search process began to find the next person to fill the role. Town Manager Michael Borg said there were 10 applicants, which was narrowed down to three finalists. Borg said that Carlorni showed a level of imagination that the other applicants couldn’t match.
“It was a lesson for us to adopt,” said Borg.
In addition to working as senior planner for the City of New Bedford for nearly seven years, Carlorni has also worked for SRPEDD as a transportation planner. She grew up in the area and attended Bishop Feehan High School.
“It’s kind of a homecoming for me to come back to this area,” said Carlorni.
Adam Scanlon steps down from Town Council
Following his election to be the next state representative for Bristol County’s 14th district, Scanlon has opted to step down early to focus on his new position. His final meeting was on Nov. 23. In accordance with the Town Charter, the position goes to the next runner up among the candidates until one accepts. Andy Shanahan has accepted the position and will be sworn in at the next meeting. This will leave a vacancy on the Planning Board, of which Shanahan is a member.
Town moves to ‘yellow’ status on COVID-19 cases
Borg informed the council that—at the time of the meeting—North Attleborough has 744 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 655 are still active. This moves the town from the ‘red’ status which the Mass Department of Public Health assigned it following a sharp rise in cases. The town is now in the ‘yellow’ range.
“Taking the time to take preventative measures to stop COVID helps everyone else,” said Borg.
