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| By Nate Luscombe Staff Writer CHICOPEE "The last time I retired, I threw out my briefcase," said Frank Lapointe. "Now I don't know this new briefcase very well." Lapointe was recently hired by Mayor Michael Bissonnette as Chief of Staff. LaPointe brings many years of experience in government to his new position. Lapointe, 67, was in the State Legislature from 1969 to 1978, and then served as the Assistant Secretary of State in Jan. 1979. He was also the head of Personnel and Labor Relations in western Massachusetts for the Department of Social Services, managed Medicaid personnel and finished up as the assistant director in the Department of Transitional Assistance, before retiring in 2000. Lapointe got into the position after a casual conversation with Bissonnette around Christmas time. The two talked about what needed to be done in the city and how to make the city better. "It was a casual, philosphical conversation," Lapointe said. A few days later, Lapointe got a call from Bissonnette, who asked him to join his administration as chief of staff. "I never lost interest in the process of making governmental agencies work more efficiently," Lapointe said. "I just haven't done it in a few years." Lapointe's salary has a ceiling of $30,000 a year. He will make about $13,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Lapointe's duties lie mostly behind the scenes. While Bissonnette's role is out front, speaking for the city, Lapointe's role is more in terms of "facilitating the function" of the mayor's office. "I facilitate things to make his job easier," Lapointe said. "That allows [Bissonnette] time to conceptualize where the city should go." When Lapointe was involved in the legislature, "we didn't have aides, so we had to do everything ourselves," he said. "We didn't have time to stop and think. It's important to have that breathing time." Lapointe said he has a good sense of how to keep the functions of a public office going, thanks to his 20-plus years of governmental experience. Though he just un-retired, Lapointe said another retirement isn't on the horizon. "If things really get going, I'd be tempted to stay and keep doing newer and better things," he said. "But if things are running smoothly, and I find I'm getting tired, I may find it easy to walk away." Lapointe is also a film critic, who writes for his own film critique web site. The site, www.projections-movies.com, gets more than 9 million hits a year. "You have to do something to keep yourself entertained," Lapointe said, referring to his involvement in film reviews after his first retirement in 2000. Lapointe's position is listed as a part-time position, but he will likely be working a full-time schedule. |