TRACY CESAN
SOUTHWICK – Selectwoman Tracy Cesan plans to submit a column to The Westfield News outlining why an opinion from the state Ethics Commission is “inaccurate.”
A letter from Deirdre Roney, general counsel for the commission, to Southwick Town Counsel Kenneth Albano, offered a review of a conflict of interest opinion rendered by Albano last month.
Albano was asked to weigh-in on whether or not Cesan, as a town employee and member of the Board of Selectmen, should participate in discussions and votes involving department head negotiations, union employee negotiations, and employee handbook revisions.
Roney agreed with some of Albano’s conclusions but said she would state others “more strongly,” including preventing Cesan from discussing Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart’s contract negotiations.
Cesan said there is no reason she should not participate in Stinehart’s contract.
“They don’t want me to participate in the CAO’s contract because they said he has oversight of my contract, but the CAO does not set the terms of my fire department contract,” said Cesan. “The fire chief and selectmen do.”
Cesan said “they’re trying to limit my ability” to govern and said she will address the legal opinions in her Westfield News column later this week.
