Who is the Salem Historical Commission?

The Salem Historical Commission is the official agent of municipal goverment responsible for community-wide historic preservation planning and for regulatory design review for properties in a local historic district.  The Commission is a volunteer board of Salem residents who are appointed by the Mayor and are approved by the City Council. The Commission's Clerk is Patti Kelleher, the City's Preservation Planner.  The Clerk is not a voting member nor an employee of the Commission, but rather a staff person assigned by the City of Salem Department of Planning & Community Development (DPCD) to undertake the administrative work such as collecting applications, posting agendas, providing abutters with meeting notices and taking minutes of the meetings.