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Date: 2/9/2022
WILBRAHAM – Wilbraham Police Capt. Edward Lennon was approved by the Board of Selectmen to succeed Chief Robert Zollo when he retires on June 25.
The board’s Feb. 7 vote finalized a succession plan drafted by Zollo. Just as Lennon was brought up through the ranks, the plan is for a sergeant to fill the captain’s position and to post for the sergeant’s job.
Lennon said if the sergeant position is posted within the next month, the timeline should work out so there are no gaps in staffing, and everyone will be ready to move into their new positions in June.
Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Carolyn Brennan praised the Police Department for promoting from within. Board of Selectmen Clerk Theresa Goodrich agreed and said the succession creates continuity and provides a goal for less-senior officers.
During the Citizen’s Forum portion of the meeting, five individuals asked the board to rescind the mask mandate for town-owned buildings. The mandate has been in place since the winter holidays and the coinciding rise in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.
The board then commented on the issue. Brennan said it is difficult for employees to wear masks all day and Goodrich said that while N95 masks are effective, she does not approve of mandating people to wear masks. She said people should “not be discriminated against” for not wearing a mask, and that masks are “devastating” to children. The board voted unanimously to rescind the mask order, to the cheers of the individuals who had spoken earlier.
Town Clerk Carole Tardiff told the board that the non-partisan elections provision voted on at the 2021 Special Town Meeting had been approved by the state on Feb. 1 and was in effect. The change removes the political party signifier next to town-office candidate names on the ballot.
While the town’s political committees may still support the candidate of their choosing, there will be no party caucuses to nominate candidates. Instead, each person seeking office must take out nomination papers and collect 50 valid signatures. If no candidate receives 50 signatures, Tardiff said it is considered “failure to elect,” and the Board of Selectmen will appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the next election. Candidate names will appear on the ballot with candidates for re-election first and the rest by alphabetical order.
At the end of the meeting, the board voted to form a new seven-person Broadband Committee, each serving for a term of one year. Those interested in serving on the committee can contact Town Administrator Nick Breault at 596-2800 ext. 100.