City Councilor Sal LaMattina to Chair the Parks and Recreation and Transportation Committees

By John Lynds

Newly sworn in Boston City Council President Michelle Wu has appointed City Councilor Sal LaMattina to chair the Parks and Recreation and Transportation Committees and to serve as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

LaMattina, who was sworn in for a fifth term as District 1 City Councilor, had previously chaired the City, Neighborhood Services and Veterans Affairs Committee.

“With more residents moving in I believe that it is vital to create more open space,” said LaMattina. “I also feel that the city would benefit greatly by adding alternative forms of transportation which is why I will work with the administration on bringing more Hubways to the neighborhoods. I will continue to work with the neighborhood and Massport to address issues at Logan Airport as well”.

As chair, LaMattina will work on environmental issues of residents, including the impact of industry on quality of life. LaMattina said he will focus on the natural resources of the city, issues of air quality, land use, and water pollution.

“I’m also excited to begin to look at ways to improve the city’s recycling and other resource recovery efforts and issues related to waste disposal and land reclamation,” said LaMattina, who, along with the committee, will examine technologies and innovations regarding energy savings and efficiency.

The committee also works on open space conservation and other matters impacting the landscape of the city–like the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

The committee has oversight of public parks and issues impacting the Parks Department to ensure accessibility, maintenance, design and construction of the public parks in the city. The committee also has oversight of the Environment Department and trash collection and recycling operations within Public Works.