PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Dr. Debra S. Dagwan honorably served the Barnstable Town Council representing Precinct 8 from November 2009 to November 2021; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan was elected President of the Town Council on December 6, 2012 and served in that position for one year; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan served on the following Town Council Committees: Committee to Assess Homelessness in Hyannis, Town Council Parking Committee, Town Manager Contract Committee, Town Manager Review Committee, and Committee to Review Zoning and Permitting Regulations; and
WHEREAS, In her duties as a Town Councilor, Councilor Dagwan served as Liaison to the following Committees: Hyannis Main Street Waterfront Historic District Commission; Cable TV Advisory Committee; Jane Eshbaugh Community Service Award Committee; Scholarship Committee; Recreation Commission, and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Trust Fund Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS, Prior to her service on the Town Council, Councilor Dagwan was an elected member of the Barnstable School Committee from 2004 to 2009; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan recognized the need to preserve the over 100 year old Zion Union Church as a neighborhood landmark as well as a historical landmark within the Town of Barnstable when the building was up for sale and worked with then Town Council President Harold Tobey and Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP President John Reed to preserve, capture, reflect and honor some of the history of the people of the neighborhood through the creation of the Zion Union Heritage Museum which actively collects artifacts that relate to the arts, sciences, religions, local history, politics, sports and history of African-Americans and Cape Verdeans on Cape Cod; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan has been an active participant with the Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP and has worked on issues of civil rights and racial discrimination, equality for women, those with disabilities, and the rights of gay and transgender people; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan has also served on the No Place for Hate Committee, the League of Women Voters of Cape Cod Area, Independence House, and “Out in the Cold” where some Councilors joined members of Human Services organizations to bring awareness to issues faced by homeless individuals by sleeping on the Village Green on the longest night of the year; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan, a resident of Hyannis, has served on the Greater Hyannis Civic Association Board and has been an active participant running the Kids Zone for “Open Streets” on Main Street Hyannis; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan has been a staunch supporter in the Town of Barnstable’s Unity Day since its beginning; and
WHEREAS, Councilor Dagwan can be very proud of her lifetime of contributions to her Cape Cod community, the Town of Barnstable, and the Village of Hyannis.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Barnstable Town Council does hereby recognize Dr. Debra Dagwan for her service to the Town of Barnstable on the occasion of her last Town Council Meeting.
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Barnstable Town Council does hereby honor Dr. Debra Dagwan for her selfless service to the citizens of the Town of Barnstable, the Village of Hyannis, and Precinct 8.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Matthew P. Levesque, President, Barnstable Town Council, have hereunto set my hand and caused the official seal of the Town of Barnstable to be affixed this 4th day of November, 2021.
Matthew P. Levesque, President, Barnstable Town Council
