Brockton City Council Unanimously Confirms Newcomb's Promotion to Police Sergeant

BROCKTON -- March 2, 2026, Brockton City Council unanimously confirmed a police promotion and referred more than $750,000 in budget transfers at its rescheduled March 2 meeting. All eleven councilors voted to promote Officer Edward A. Newcomb III to sergeant following a communication from the police chief identifying him as the top-ranked candidate on the department's promotional list; Newcomb was sworn in on the chamber floor. The council referred a $600,000 appropriation to fully fund the city's property insurance account through fiscal year 2026, along with transfers of $65,648.79 and $35,590.86 from Human Resources Benefits distributed across more than two dozen departments. Councilor Farwell filed two home rule petitions, one to merge the city's traffic and parking commissions and one to force an easement at Eldon B. Keith Field for the Boys and Girls Club, a project stalled for nearly two years by the School Committee's refusal to grant access from West Elm Street while construction costs have climbed. The council also referred to Finance an order authorizing a Municipal Electricity Aggregation Program and a resolution inviting Mayor Moses Rodriguez, Police Chief Brenda Perez, and Police Lieutenant William Schliemann to discuss Brockton's addiction, mental health, and homelessness proposal from January 2026.