City Charter explains it

Date: 3/28/2014

Regarding your story on March 21 on the Chicopee City Messenger position; it’s odd that the applicant, a former alderman/councilor, was unfamiliar with Chapter C, Article III, paragraph 26 of our city code that states very clearly, regardless of the job description, and it is the same paragraph that previously prevented the applicant from serving on an non-paid commission:

“Members of City Council not to hold other city office. No member of the City Council shall, during the term for which he is elected, hold any other office in or under the city government, have the expenditure of any money appropriated by the City Council, or act as counsel in any matter before the City Council or any committee thereof; and no person shall be eligible for appointment to any municipal office established by the City Council during any municipal year within which he was a councilor, or until the expiration of the succeeding municipal year.”

It’s also odd that none of the other councilors picked up on this. Even more odd is that the Human Resources Director accepted the application and referred it to the city council. The application should have simply been returned to the applicant with a copy of the City Code.

So how did the application get that far through the process?

Jim Raschilla

Chicopee