The Newton City Finance Committee voted 7-0 on March 10 to appoint Patrick Song to the Financial Audit Advisory Committee.

Song told the committee he was honored to be asked and framed the appointment as a way to "give back to the community." He described himself as having "been professionally a CFO for more than a decade" and said he was "pretty familiar with the city budget" from prior citizen review during school budget cuts.

The appointment came near the start of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Finance Committee. Chair Julia Malachy (Ward 3) opened the item and asked Song to describe his background. Councilor Mickley (Ward 2) offered the committee's endorsement, saying she had known Song as a neighbor and a Ward 2 resident and praising his diligence on financial issues. Mickley said Song "really digs into the numbers and looks to assess opportunities to do things better."

After the introduction and brief discussion, the committee voted to approve the appointment by voice vote; the chair announced the tally as 7 to 0.

Song was told he would receive notice of the committee's next meeting, which the chair said is expected in April.

The committee did not identify any objections or conditions attached to the appointment during the meeting.