City Councilor Brown vacates seat
Date: 8/29/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWESTFIELD — On Aug. 23, City Councilor Jim Brown formally announced his resignation from his seat on the City Council, effective Sept. 1.
In the letter, Brown cited his position as assistant field office director for Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston and its demands, as the reason for his resignation. He further stated that while he will miss working directly with Westfield residents, he feels it a disservice to them since he cannot vest himself in the duties of the council.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik expressed the shock of the announcement and his appreciation for Brown's staunch advocacy for Westfield. "I was completely surprised [by the resignation]," Knapik said. "He's been a great advocate for his Ward and downtown. What I liked the most about working with him: we shared the same passion [for the city and its improvement]."
Knapik continued, "I have known Jim since 1988. He's not originally from Westfield. But, for a guy who wasn't born and raised here — you'd never know it."
City Council President and Ward 1 Representative, Christopher Keefe, also expressed admiration of Brown's work on the Council. "He demonstrated to the public that he's an effective ward representative and council member," said Keefe. "It's been great working with him. He's one of the most detail-oriented, thorough council members I've worked with. He'll be sorely missed."
Mary O'Connell, City Councilor and Ward 4 representative, said, "I have mixed emotions about his decision. I'm happy for him, but we're [the council] really, really going to miss him. He's intelligent, hard-working, very professional, organized — We'll [the council] survive, somehow."
"It's become logistically impossible to do both," Keefe said.
O'Connell stated the next steps. "First, we need to get a representative for Ward 2," she said. "Then, we have to get that person up to speed and hope he or she can jump in and hit the ground running."
Councilor Brown was unavailable for direct comment.
