'Misinformation' prompts selectmen to take no action on public safety job

Date: 5/24/2011

May 23, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — "Misinformation" is the primary reason given by members of the Board of Selectmen as to why they elected to take no action on the article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant that proposed a consolidation of the administrative duties of the fire and police chiefs into one public safety commissioner position.

Selectmen Paul Federici and James Driscoll both used the term to describe what they heard regarding the proposed measure in the weeks between the board's recommendation of the warrant article and the Town Meeting.

"I decided [to take no action] on Friday [May 13] and the board agreed because I found there was too much misinformation," Driscoll, who was absent from the Town Meeting, said. "There was a lot of misunderstood information and false information and I think people were misled by folks who didn't agree with what we were trying to do. I didn't think it was the appropriate time to take it before the town."

Driscoll took the bulk of the criticism at a public forum he conducted, but the other two selectmen were unable to attend, on April 20 at which he laid out the proposal to have Chief of Police Douglas Mellis take over the administrative oversight of the Fire Department as well as the Police Department when Fire Chief Richard Brady takes his mandatory retirement in 2012.

"We knew that Chief Brady, who has done a tremendous job as our fire chief, had a mandatory retirement age that was coming up in approximately 18 months. This event was the catalyst for our looking into any potential implementation of the public safety director idea, provided the townspeople were in favor of it," Federici told Reminder Publications. "After the idea was presented and information, and more importantly, misinformation was spread, it became clear that the townspeople were not in favor of this idea."

Past and present firefighters and fire chiefs were especially outspoken against the measure at the April 20 public forum and Driscoll refused to get into a debate, stating the forum was an opportunity to have questions about the proposal answered. He said there would be time for those who wished to make statements or debate the issue to do so at the Annual Town Meeting and welcomed them to do so.

Driscoll insisted the maneuver would save the town between $70,000 and $100,000 in salary and benefits without having a negative effect on fire safety. Federici said that the article was put on the warrant because it was the board's responsibility to find fiscally responsible and economical means for running the town.

"I may be naive, but when I was elected I felt the job of the Board of Selectmen is to help run the town in the most efficient, cost effective way while continuing to keep the high quality of life that residents of East Longmeadow enjoy," he said. "When the idea of combining the chief positions into a public safety director [was suggested] the board decided to explore the idea."

Both Driscoll and Federici stressed that the board's intention was never to downsize or cut public safety in any way.

"One of the misnomers in this whole thing is that we were looking to cut public safety," Driscoll said. "I would support any increase in our fire coverage and that's something we're going to have to look at moving forward."

Federici added that the fact that the selectmen listened to the town's concerns and pulled the article proves that the system of government in East Longmeadow works with the best interest of the taxpayers in mind.

"I realized, after hearing the concerns and doubts of the very people that had been kind enough to vote for me, that this idea was not something the taxpayers wanted. That is how the democratic process works," Federici said. "So where I was originally in favor of exploring this idea, I realized that the voice of the taxpayers is the voice of East Longmeadow and that's when I knew now was not the time for this idea.

"I want to thank the townspeople who expressed their opinions and also those who attended the town meeting. You are the ultimate governing body of the town," he continued.

While the selectmen decided this wasn't the right time for such a public safety measure, Driscoll cautioned, "That's not to say it won't be brought up again in the future."

Selectman Jack Villamaino said that if such a discussion is had in the future, the board must do everything it can to make sure the right information gets to the taxpayers. However, he expressed doubt that this kind of proposal would be presented again.

"Whenever something like this is up for discussion, you have to try to be as accessible as possible for the people in the town to ensure they are properly informed," Villamaino said. "But with what we've heard from the town, I don't think [this proposal] has much of a future beyond this."

With consolidation no longer an option for the time being, the selectmen are now charged with the task of beginning the search for a new fire chief, a process Villamaino said Brady will most likely be involved in.

"We're probably going to ask him for his input," he said. "When we hired Dick [Brady], we talked to Chief [Robert] Wallace to weigh in with his knowledge of the department and his expertise and we're probably going to look to duplicate that."