Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/11/2023
WESTFIELD – City councilors on Jan. 5 voted to approve several items debated by the ad-hoc Charter Committee, taking the first step towards a home rule petition and charter change.
They also voted to take no action yet on some of the more controversial items, including extending the mayor’s term and allowing the mayor to appoint someone to chair the School Committee in his or her place.
Committee member Brent Bean asked his fellow councilors to approve a new method of filling midterm vacancies on the City Council, School Committee and Municipal Light Board, using special elections. This request generated the most discussion of the evening.
“We felt one of the common themes is that they would be uniform in nature,” Bean said, adding that the consensus on the Charter Committee is that special elections would be conducted for anything outside of six months remaining on a term.
Councilor Ralph Figy, also a member of the Charter Committee, said the committee also discussed the cost involved in running special elections, and talked about setting up a special fund with $100,000 from free cash, which is unspent money left over from previous years’ budgets.
“I like the idea of giving the voters a say, but $100,000 is still coming from the people,” said James Adams, who asked what the cost is for a special election.
Bean said the average cost is $30,000. He said that cost could be trimmed by having just one polling place for special elections, or having the special municipal election on the same day as a state election. He said there have been arguments against a special election in the past, citing historically low voter turnout.
“The city clerk told the committee a full election costs $30,000. We’re trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Councilor Dan Allie, one of the people who raised the issue of low voter turnout. He said for the City Council or the School Committee, a vacancy should be filled by the next highest vote getter at the previous election.
Allie said there have been 10 such vacancies over the past 10 years that needed to be filled.
“That number of vacancies would be a significant amount of money,” he said, and questioned why councilors would appropriate $100,000 in free cash to elections when none was appropriated in December to lessen the tax burden on residents.
Charter Committee Chair Dave Flaherty said a special election with just one polling place would cost $7,000.
“If we accept the six months, with anybody that leaves office after March, we would be saving money,” he said, adding that currently the city has “decent reserves.”
“Citizens told us they want their vote to count. I want to give the voters the chance to have their say. I’m in favor. I don’t think it’s a significant cost,” Flaherty said.
“I agree a separate election will allow people to have their say. There is nothing more fair than that. You can still have a special election during a November election,” said Councilor William Onyski.
Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane asked if the committee discussed early voting and mail-in voting for special elections. Flaherty said they would follow state law, which City Clerk Kaitlyn Bruce said requires early voting for local elections.
Asked when the change would take effect, Bean said state Sen. John Velis is willing to take the home rule petition for charter amendments to the Legislature if approved by the City Council.
The question was moved, and passed to approve special elections for vacancies on all three boards, with Allie and Councilor Nick Morganelli opposed. Flaherty said the vote would just take it to the next step, to add the change to the proposed charter amendments.
Figy reported that the committee voted 3-0 that changing the term of mayor to four years beginning in 2026 should require a binding ballot vote at a city election, and to refer it to the council’s Legislative and Ordinance Committee (L & O) and to the Law Department for proper wording.
Flaherty said the committee would prepare the wording to send to L & O, and no action was needed by the council.
Figy said the committee also voted to remove from its consideration, with no action, a proposed amendment to allow the mayor to appoint a chair of the School Committee if he or she desires not to serve directly.
Figy, who serves as the council’s liaison to the School Committee, said there had been a lot of discussion and feedback on the item, and said it was pretty unanimous that leading the School Committee is part of what a mayor signs up for when running for office.
“In my opinion, it’s very important for the mayor to be involved in the largest budget within the city budget, and also with the agency that has the most employees of any department within the city. By not being on the committee, he would not have his finger on the pulse of the schools. We felt that we should not entertain this. That’s why it’s coming out with no action,” Figy said.
During the public participation session, Jessica Britton had spoken on this topic, as she had at several other meetings. She said she had asked during the Dec. 15 public hearing if the same person who wanted to extend the term of mayor to four years also proposed not chairing the School Committee.
Britton said as elected officials, certain promises are made.
“I have a hard time understanding why the mayor would not serve,” she said.
During the discussion, Flaherty responded to Britton’s comments. He said it was he, not Mayor Michael McCabe, who had included the item among the charter changes to discuss.
“The mayor did not ask for this. I personally believe the mayor should be able to choose whether he serves or not serves. If he could appoint somebody who really knows schools in and out, I think that would be a benefit to everyone in this city,” Flaherty said, adding that he had voted to support Figy’s action to remove it from the committee.
The council also voted unanimously to approve edits to gender-specific pronouns in the charter, making changes in all places where male pronouns were used by default.
The council voted to schedule a public hearing on the next batch of charter amendments for Jan. 19.
Beltrandi takes gavel
After a unanimous vote, Ward 5 Councilor John J. Beltrandi III took the gavel to preside over the Jan 5 City Council meeting as the body’s new president. He is in his fifth term on the council, and previously served as president in 2018.
Before stepping down from the position, 2022 Council President William Onyski thanked members for their support and for allowing him to serve.
“It’s been an honor,” he said.
Captioning requested
During the public participation session, John Plata returned to ask the City Council to consider closed captioning on local broadcasts of meetings. Plata, who is deaf, has been making the request annually since at least 2017.
Plata said it is important for deaf people in the community to know what happens in local government meetings, and reminded the council to consider the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Don’t put deaf people down,” he said.
Also speaking was resident Kevin LeClerc, who asked councilors to use their clout to have the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority increase service to Westfield, saying the wait for buses to Springfield is too long.