City Council and School Committee to address vacancy

Date: 12/8/2010

Dec. 8, 2010

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE -- The School Committee and the City Council are arranging a joint "convention" in January, 2011, to discuss whether or not to fill the vacancy on the School Committee caused by the recent death of Susan Lecca.

Mayor Michael Bissonette, who is also chair of the School Committee, stated he believed any discussion of the vacancy prior to the Dec. 1 meeting would have been "in bad taste."

School Committee Vice Chair Donald Lamothe raised the subject.

Bissonnette said the city charter allows the convention to have a number of options, including setting a special election or tabling the subject. At this time, the mayor said the convention could be either in the second or fourth week of January to take advantage of coinciding meetings of both bodies.

The topic of the vacancy comes at a time when Bissonnette is advocating for a reduction of seats on both the City Council and the School Committee. He believed ward representation for the School Committee is important, although he said the number of wards should be reduced from nine to seven.

He explained the City Council doesn't need to change the charter to eliminate wards as the charter gives that body the power to do so.

He noted the city's original charter did not have "at large" seats designated for the School Committee and "things were done in haste to get the mayor onto the committee."

The addition of the mayor on the committee created an even number of members, a condition that can cause deadlock votes.

Bissonnette sees the need to make changes so they will be in place for the 2015 election cycle. He would also like to see four-year terms for the School Committee and other officials that would "allow for long-term planning."

He reminded the committee that any citizen could seek a charter change through a ballot question to establish a new charter commission.

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Bissonnette also reported to the committee the city has consolidated all of its short term borrowing last week, which will allow it to pay off $14 million over the next 20 years at a lower rate.

The result is that three capital projects will be able to move forward in terms of exploring funding: the conversion of the former Chicopee High School into a new middle school; the development of a new senior center; and renovations made to the public safety complex.

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The School Committee also saluted the members of the Comprehensive High School Girls Varsity Soccer Team who won the Western Massachusetts Championship. The team and its coaches received certificates from Bissonnette and School Superintendent Richard Rege and a standing ovation from the committee members.