WESTFIELD – Amidst the hoopla created by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik’s announcement that he will not seek a third term in 2015 and the speculation of who will face Knapik’s 2013 opponent Michael Roeder, who has already said he will run this fall, one man has been somewhat lost in the shuffle, which is an odd way of describing the President of a City Council.
Such is the case for Brent Bean II, an at-large councilor who held the presidency in 2004 and for a second time in 2014 and chose not to seek reappointment this year.
The Director of Government and Community Relations at his alma mater Westfield State University, Bean said that serving as president was a great experience but that he is looking forward to rejoining the ranks of his fellow councilors.
“It’s a whole different experience sitting in the chair,” he said of being council president. “You pay more attention to the actual organization of the meeting and the fairness of letting people talk. It will be good to get back on the floor and debate some issues.”
With at-large councilor and former council president Brian Sullivan considered a strong contender to assume his former perch again – one he held for eight years intermittenly from 2001 to 2013 – Bean said he plans to do the honors and nominate Sullivan himself.
As to whether anyone else who may mount a challenge to Sullivan, Bean stated that he had heard At-large Councilor David Flaherty may be nominated, as well, although he believes Sullivan will take the presidency.
Knapik’s announcement that he will not seek another term in 2015 adds another wrinkle to Monday night’s vote, because whoever wins the presidency – be it Sullivan, Flaherty or another candidate – would become acting mayor in the event that Knapik resigns the office after June 30.
Bean stated that while he hopes Knapik finishes his term, if he is to resign, his resignation prior to June 30 is unlikely, as it would trigger a special election and would cost the city around $30,000.
“I know he’s tired and it is too bad, because I think he’s done some great things,” said Bean of Knapik. “I think he was the right person for the right time and you’re going to upset people when you’re making those kinds of hard decisions. The city hasn’t been in this great shape in years.”
Regarding the announcement from the Roeder camp that their man will be running for mayor this coming fall, Bean said that, in the event Sullivan becomes acting mayor or decides to run for the office, his experience gives him a major advantage.
“Being someone who has run for mayor, I give anybody who decides to put their name in a race a lot of credit. It’s not easy. You take a lot of unfair criticisms on both ends,” he said. “I think having the experience on the council and having your hands touch a lot of issues, from financial to legislative, I think is invaluable.”
Regardless of who runs or wins the 2015 Westfield mayoral race, Bean hopes that that individual has the city’s best interests at heart and “understands the inner workings of the city as a whole.”
“The idea of just running as a protest candidate is, in my opinion, not the way to go,” he said. “The reality is you run a very large business. You have people’s lives at stake when it comes to safety, employment and day-to-day services that the taxpayers expect.”
“It’s a large job, I think it’s underpaid and I’m hoping, in the end, we get someone who lives and breathes the job like Dan Knapik did,” said Bean.
