Council Votes 5-3 to Table Sandin Pension Petition
The Lawrence City Council voted 5-3 to table a home rule petition seeking a line-of-duty death designation for the late Police Sergeant Charles Sandin.
Select Board · Meeting of September 15, 2026
LAWRENCE — The Lawrence City Council voted 5-3 to table a home rule petition seeking a line-of-duty death designation for the late Police Sergeant Charles Sandin. Retirement board administrator Gina Rizzo said the petition as written would cost the city about $1,312,000 in accrued liability, with annual payments of $180,300. Attorney Michael Sacco, representing the Lawrence Retirement Board, said a neutral physician found Sandin's death stemmed from an E. coli infection, not heart disease, while family attorney Lee Panettieri called the board's reading "an extremely technical way to look at what happened." Councilor Jonathan Marmo moved to table the item pending more medical records.
Separately, the council unanimously confirmed Shane Rodriguez as part-time first assistant city attorney and approved a $720,000 transfer to cover an unused school lease on Merrimack Street.
In the full story:
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Source: the Select Board meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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