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Date: 1/12/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The town of West Springfield hosted a swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 3 to inaugurate the mayor, School Committee and Town Council members.
Otto Frizzell, town clerk, administered the meeting.
The meeting began with a reading and prayer from Bishop William Byrne of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
Frizzell introduced the members of the School Committee, which includes newcomers Diana Coyne and Kira Thompson, as well as continuing members Nancy Farrell, William Garvey, Kathy Alevras and Colleen Marcus. Coyne and Thompson take the seats vacated by Pat Garbacik and Jennifer Marcus, both of whom chose not to run for re-election on the November 2021 ballot.
Also sworn in were members of the Town Council, including new councilors Michael LaFlamme and Jaime Smith, and returning councilors Brian Clune, Anthony DiStefano, Michael Eger, Brian Griffin, Sean Powers, Edward Sullivan and Daniel O’Brien. LaFlamme was elected to the District 2 seat formerly held by Nathan Bech, while Smith took an open at-large seat. Both Bech and former at-large Councilor George Kelly opted not to run for re-election.
School Committee members and town councilors serve two-year terms.
Mayor William Reichelt was joined by his family as he took the oath of office for another four-year term as mayor.
Reichelt congratulated the new councilors and School Committee members.
“I look forward to working with all of you over the next two years. I hope the challenges we face in the next two years will not be ones of having to react to outside and unforeseen crises, but rather ones where we create new opportunities,” said Reichelt.
Amid the pandemic, Reichelt said, “In West Springfield, we have used these challenges to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of the community in ways we had not previously.”
He continued, “Capitalizing on the innovations implemented during the pandemic, we intend to continue these efforts through eight pillars representing the remaining eight decades of this century to support our vision for a bright future.”
The eight pillars include climate resiliency; revitalization of neighborhood business hubs; infrastructure upgrades and improvements; investments in facilities focused on the human services needs of residents; diversity, equity and inclusion; innovation in government; expansion of social emotional programs in education; and legislative modernizations, building on initiatives currently in progress.
Reichelt noted several of the town’s ongoing and upcoming projects, all of which are intended to continue economic growth and development.
“I see a promising future for West Side, and hope to spend the rest of the decade making this community the best it can be,” concluded Reichelt.
Sullivan to lead council
Following the swearing-in ceremony, the Town Council hosted a brief meeting to select a new president and vice president.
Powers nominated Sullivan as council president. The council voted seven in favor, zero opposed.
Next, DiStefano nominated Clune as council vice president. Once again, the council voted seven in favor, zero opposed.
Sullivan said, “Thank you everyone for your confidence in me. Hopefully we’ll have a great two years.”
During the previous term, Griffin served as president and Clune served as vice president.