Board of Health votes to appoint member for food inspections
Board of Health · Meeting of September 1, 2026
Bellingham Board of Health deputizes its own member to fix a restaurant inspection backlog. With Health Agent Dylan Labonte on leave until Sept. 24, the board unanimously appointed member Elena Almeida as a special municipal employee to handle food inspections, recommending she be paid $50 an hour rather than the $150 an hour an outside candidate had sought. Vice Chair Richard Gilberti said some restaurants had gone uninspected for two years, warning "if somebody gets sick or dies, this town is in big trouble." The board also engaged septic contractor Steve Donatelli and member Richard J.
Martinelli to split Title V and percolation-test duties, and Chairman Vincent Forte Jr. took on housing complaints himself. Separately, the board scheduled an October public hearing on permanently banning kratom, newly classified by the state alongside heroin-related substances as of Sept. 1.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 1,772 words
Source: the Board of Health meeting of September 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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