BROCKTON After leading the Brockton City Council for a year amid a pandemic that presented many challenges, Ward 7 Councilor Shirley Asack has virtually turned over her gavel.
Councilor-at-large Winthrop Farwell Jr. officially became the city council president on Monday evening, two weeks after his colleagues selected him to lead the body in a private caucus.
Farwell was named the president by a 9-2 vote, with Councilors-at-large Tina Cardoso and Moises Rodrigues abstaining. It s a privilege and honor to serve as council president, Farwell said. This is one of the times in your life you wish your mom and dad were around to see that maybe that mischievous little kid that they had to try to corral actually had some degree of success.
1. COVID hits the city hard
It would be wrong not to include the coronavirus pandemic on any list of top stories this year, but that s especially true in Brockton. The city was a top coronavirus hot spot in the state early in the pandemic, long having the second-highest infection rate. The city was disproportionately affected by the highly contagious disease, striking nursing homes, the homeless shelter, businesses and young and old residents. COVID-19 has also especially impacted communities of color and Brockton has the fifth-highest concentration of people of color among cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. The city ranks fourth in household size and also has more front-line workers than any other community in the state. More than 8,000 residents have contracted the disease and at least 340 have died from it.