The Holyoke City Public Service Committee on March 25 voted to recommend that the full City Council approve two appointments made by Mayor Joshua Garcia.

The committee recommended Dennis Lazariga of 6 Pinehurst Road to serve as a commissioner of the Holyoke Housing Authority to fill the remainder of a term expiring April 1, 2029. The committee also recommended Samuel Mateo Jr. of 26 Orchard Street to fill a vacancy replacing Michael Moriarty; the transcript lists Mateo’s term expiring Oct. 1, 2026. Both nominations will be considered at the full City Council meeting on April 1.

Dennis Lazariga addressed the committee after his insertion on the agenda, saying he was honored to be appointed. “It is, an honor and a pleasure to be here. I was appointed by the mayor, to serve on the housing authority and I accepted, and I look forward to this position,” Lazariga said. He described a background in art and more recent work in real estate, including acquiring and developing a multiuse building called the Cubit Building in 2015.

Samuel Mateo Jr., introduced by the mayor’s letter as the nominee to replace Michael Moriarty, told the committee he is a local business owner and said he has 30 years of experience in graphic and web design and five years as an owner. “I am a business owner here in Holyoke. Been running the company for 5 years. Prior to that, I worked for the company for 20 years,” Mateo said. Mateo said he has worked with churches and volunteered with the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative.

Committee members moved to recommend each appointment to the full council. For Mateo the committee recorded the recommendation as a 3–0 vote; the committee took Lazariga’s nomination up and recommended approval by voice vote. Committee members thanked both nominees and told them they did not need to attend the April 1 full council meeting unless they wished to do so.

The committee did not take any final action to install either nominee; both recommendations advance the nominations to the full City Council for a final confirmation vote on April 1.