Newly elected City Council President John J. Beltrandi, III. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Newly sworn in City Council members met in Council Chambers following the inauguration to elect a president for the governing body. There were two nominees, At-large Councilor John J. Beltrandi, III, who ultimately edged out At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty 7-6. The two nominees presented contrasting visions of the City Council in their comments before the vote.
At the start of the meeting, City Clerk Karen J. Fanion asked for a nomination for a President Pro-Temps to preside over the meeting. Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. was nominated and elected for the duty.
Paul asked for nominations from the floor for president. Bean nominated Beltrandi, and newly elected At-large Councilor Nick Morganelli nominated Flaherty. The nominations were then closed.
Flaherty said that he thought each candidate should take a moment to speak, and he began by saying it was “an interesting election, to say the least.” He said he believes the City Council needs to be independent from the Mayor’s office, as an equal branch of government.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot, especially in the last two years,’ Flaherty continued. He said the role of the president is limited, to run meetings, select committees, and the president’s vote doesn’t count more than any other.
“We all come from different backgrounds and skill sets. The president doesn’t have power over anybody,” Flaherty said. He said he would like to see the City Council set goals instead of just reacting to the agenda put before them. “We should be proactive,” he said, adding that many of the councilors ran on common issues. “We can work with the Mayor. The Mayor hears the same things,” he said.
Flaherty also said he’s put thought into committee assignments, and would like to put people on committees that match their experience, interests and skill sets. He also said he would like to create five member sub-committees, which would allow two members to have conversations in private about matters before the committee.
In terms of seating, he thought Councilors should be able to stay where they are. “I hope that I would get your support,” Flaherty said.
“If you were elected, you would have to give up your seat,” said Paul jokingly, while thanking Flaherty for his comments.
Beltrandi then took a turn. “I’m someone who could bring people together and work with the Mayor’s office,” he said, adding that he did not agree with having five people on every sub-committee.
He also said he knew the rules pretty well, since this will be his sixth term on the City Council. He said he has the ability to see both sides, and appoint committees that make sense.
“A lot of things were said during the election. People want things to move forward,” he added. He said his focus would be on making the meetings professional, limiting comments and seeing that work gets done in sub-committee and not on the Council floor.
A roll call vote was then taken. Flaherty received votes from At-large Councilor Dan Allie, Ward 1 Council Mary Ann Babinski, newly elected At-large Councilor Matt Emmershy, Flaherty, Morganelli and Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise, six in all.
Beltrandi was supported by Bean, Beltrandi, newly elected Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns, Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy, At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris, who acknowledged Flaherty with respect before voting, Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski and Paul, seven in all.
Following the vote, Beltrandi took the president’s seat. “Thank you for voting for me. I look forward to working with everybody,” he said, adding that he knew he could count on Flaherty for his advice and expertise.
Following the meeting, Flaherty said, “We’re both experienced councilors. I see some things a little differently than he does. We’re certainly not adversaries; we both want what’s best for the City,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to working with everybody, and as a group move the city forward. It’s important to give the Mayor the ability to run the business of the city, with the cooperation of the City Council,” Beltrandi said.
Bean also had some comments. “For the last two years, I’ve been Council President. I’m looking forward to John’s leadership. I wanted to be able to come down and debate more issues,” he said.
Not everything went entirely smoothly at the meeting. Before adjournment, Beltrandi had changed the seating assignments for the City Councilors, which met with some resistance. Harris said she was not happy being placed on the opposite side of the chambers, which she said was not as warm, and she was comfortable where she had been sitting. Flaherty also was not happy with his new seat on the opposite wall, which he said was a tighter fit, adding that he is “a big guy.” He also said that at the next meeting, he may make a motion to swap seats with Harris.
