Lynn council set to mull mayor’s ZBA pick

LYNN – The City Council’s Interview Committee is scheduled to discuss Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy’s pick of Daniel E. Gisonno as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.Gisonno was the mayor’s latest appointee to the board that oversees special permitting for land usage and related matters.A lifelong Lynn resident and graduate of Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, Gisonno is general manager of a construction company that specializes in residential and commercial projects. He is married with children and is a board member of the Pine Hill Little League. He also coaches two CYO basketball teams at St. Pius V Church and lives on Walnut Street.City Clerk Mary Audley said the councilors would likely interview the appointee Tuesday because the council does not meet again until August.John A. Volo, vice chairman of the appeals board, was removed from the position on a technicality and Gisonno was selected as his replacement.The appeals board has six regular members and four associates.Changes on the appeals board were among several made on municipal boards and committees since Kennedy took office in January. While researching information about the appointment process, she found that members for a quarter century had been incorrectly appointed to the appeals board.Kennedy supported her finding by producing a March 13, 1985 legal opinion from Michael Barry, the city solicitor, to then-Mayor Antonio Marino. In effect, the ruling stated that the mayor has the authority to appoint members to the Zoning Board of Appeals, not the City Council.Neither the mayor nor the city solicitor were able to determine why the authority was transferred to the council. However, both remained convinced it was done in error.The mayor said those members appointed through the erroneous process would be encouraged to re-apply for the position once the matter is rectified.