Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 4/16/2015
EAST LONGMEADOW – Residents approved the creation of a Charter Commission by a preliminary vote of 462 in favor with 90 opposed during the April 14 Town Election. The commission’s duty is now to review the town’s current form of government and to propose changes, which would likely be brought forward to residents in 2016.
The ballot question was a citizen petition submitted by a group of residents who obtained 1,700 signatures.
Town Clerk Thomas Florence said the commission will be formed within 20 days and at its first meeting it would name a chair, vice-chair and a secretary from its pool of nine members. A public hearing must also be hosted within 45 days.
Nine candidates ran uncontested for the Charter Commission: School Committee member William Fonseca, Appropriations member Russell Denver, former Town Moderator Larry Levine, Planning Board member George Kingston, Thomas O’Connor, Dawn Wiezbicki-Starks, Planning Board member Ralph Page, Appropriations Committee Chair Eric Madison and Raymond Miller.
Page said the commission will review the potential forms of new government for 12 to 18 months and then submit a report to the town regarding its recommended form of government for the town.
Previously, the town established a Charter Commission more than a decade ago, he added.
“I think, as a business man, about every 10 years is a good cycle to take a look at the form of government you have,” Page noted. “Analyze it. Decide if it’s working [or] if it’s not working [and] if it’s not working, how do you fix it? I think moving forward, that’s what we’re looking at.”
Page said the commission will have “an open mind” about any potential form of government by reaching out to other communities who have changed their local government in recent years.
“We’re not sure [about] the path to take and it may mean keeping the same exact path that we have,” he added.
The only contested race was for a three-year term on the Housing Authority. Incumbent James Moriarty was reelected over challenger William Arment by a count of 287 to 206 votes.
Florence said 570 people voted during the Town Election, which is approximately 5.27 percent of the town’s population.
“Going back seven years, this is by far the lowest,” he added. “We have anywhere between 14 and 23 percent.”
Florence said the low turnout had a lot to do with a lack of publicity, likely due to uncontested races.
“There was no lawn signs because there were really no contested races,” he explained. “It kept people away and I thought it might have been a little higher because of the [Charter Commission] question.”
Typically elections cost the town approximately $7,500, he noted.
“You have the election workers, programming the chips for the machines, printing the ballots, [and] miscellaneous expenses,” Florence said. “Each election is a little bit different. The big presidential elections might be more because you have to pay for more police officers.”
The list of uncontested incumbents reelected to their respective positions include Paul Federici for the Board of Selectmen, Christine Saulnier for assessor, Tyde Richards for a five-year term on the Planning Board, Deirdre Mailloux for School Committee, Rocco Carabetta Jr. for a five-year term on the Housing Authority, Charles Gary Jr. and Arthur McGuire for the Library Board of Trustees, Michael Carabetta for a four-year term on the Planning Board, and Thomas Wilson Jr. for Public Works.
Michael Carabetta, who has served on the Planning Board for six years, told Reminder Publications future developments include the potential construction of a new town hall.
The Planning Board is currently examining sites for a new town hall, which includes Heritage Park as well as town-owned land near School Street, he added. However, the board is still in the early idea stage and has yet to submit any documentation to the town.
“We want to kind of look at all the options that are available and I know there’s talk about rebuilding town hall and we want to find out what’s in the best interest for the town,” Carabetta said.