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Date: 1/15/2016
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The vacancy left in Mayor Will Reichelt’s administration from his own job change has been filled. Kate O’Brien was hired as West Springfield’s second town attorney, replacing Reichelt, and was sworn in on Jan. 4.
O’Brien comes to Town Hall with nearly five years of experience in the private sector with Sullivan, Hayes and Quinn, LLC in Springfield. While she enjoyed her time at a private practice, O’Brien said she was excited to serve her hometown in a greater capacity.
“It’s interesting. I grew up here, and my parents grew up here, so I know a lot of the people,” O’Brien told Reminder Publications. “Just being involved in all of the different projects to better the town and help move West Springfield forward, it certainly is rewarding.”
O’Brien has been actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Trustees for the Boys and Girls Club of West Springfield and briefly on the Capital Program Planning Committee. This is something that made O’Brien the right choice for the role, Reichelt said.
“She knows the community, she knows the people … She obviously has the willingness to get involved,” Reichelt said. “That’s part of it. That plays to the strengths of the role. It’s not a 40-hour a week job. I don’t expect people to work a 100 hours a week, but it’s definitely more than a 40-hour a week job. You really need to care about the community to do good. From that role, you can do a lot for the community.”
With her office just feet away from Reichelt’s, both her boss and predecessor, O’Brien said there is a little added pressure but he has been helpful in her transition.
“I certainly have big shoes to fill,” O’Brien said with a laugh. “It’s also nice to have the resource there. It’s not a situation where I’m just left wondering what’s going on with everything. It’s nice to have him right there, but obviously, I need to get things done on my own.”
Though Reichelt previously served as the town attorney, he said his role in town hall will be different than O’Brien’s. Because of his background in public service, Reichelt played the role of project manager and de facto chief of staff for Mayor Ed Sullivan’s administration.
O’Brien’s career had previously focused on labor and employment law in both the private and public sector. Even though she has made the jump to public service, O’Brien’s background at a law firm fits Reichelt’s evolving vision for the role of town attorney.
“She’ll be able to focus more just on the legal aspects of it, more focused on if we have lawsuits. She’s done a lot more than I have,” Reichelt said. “She’s done arbitrations, she’s done trials, she’s done all of that with both labor and general counsel services. She’ll bring that to the table and be able to advise me more in that role.”
O’Brien said this would be an advantage in her role, being able to “approach things differently.” She said believes in Reichelt’s plans for West Springfield and is looking forward to working with him to move them forward.
While coming to the field of public service will be a benefit for the town, O’Brien said she is excited about change, as well.
“I think probably the ability to work on things directly and see a project through to the end. When I was in private practice a lot of the times I’d give advice and I wouldn’t really know what happened to it because I’m not in the client doing what the client needs to get done,” O’Brien said. “I think that’s what I’m most looking forward to is being able to really get involved with something and see it from start to finish and have it be completed.”