Mayor Brian P. Sullivan speaking to the City Council at an earlier meeting. (WNG File Photo)
WESTFIELD – For the Mayor’s briefing that is held at 6:30 p.m. prior to most City Council meetings, there were only two items on the agenda on Thursday. Before he addressed those items, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan asked the councilors if they had any questions for him.
Seeing none, he asked for immediate consideration of a Narcan Grant of $5,000 from the state to the Westfield Fire Department. He said he was asking for immediate consideration for a grant with no funds required from the city. “I’m trying to help you out,” Sullivan said. He also referred to a recent grant from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency for $14,460 which also had no requirements, but had been held up by being sent to the Finance subcommittee. “Now, we’re behind the eight ball,” he added. The MEMA grant was recommended by the Finance Committee earlier in the evening, and approved by the City Council during the meeting that followed.
Sullivan’s second item was a draft ordinance to add a Media Systems Specialist position to the Mayor’s office for a one-year term. Sullivan said the ordinance and new position needed Council approval, but the job description didn’t need to be approved.
He said the new position would be housed at Westfield Technical Academy down the road, where the city is hoping to establish an access television station both for the public and for an educational curriculum at the school, with separate entrances. Sullivan said the PEG (public, educational or governmental) agreement with Westfield State University used to be $75,000, but had been reduced by $35,000 to help fund the new position.
At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty said he would like to make a motion to have all meetings broadcast on Channel 15.
The mayor said that the current agreement is to broadcast the School Committee, Planning Board and City Council meetings. He said more would be cost prohibitive. “That is at the will of the Council. I don’t see doing any more than what we’ve had in the past,” Sullivan said.
At-large Councilor Dan Allie asked whether volunteers could do the videotaping.
“You’ve got to do it right, if you’re going to do it,” said City Council president Brent B. Bean, II. He also said there has to be an official record of all meetings, and audio-video doesn’t meet the criteria.
Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski said that years ago, she had been involved in community television, and volunteers manned the cameras. “We took a class, learned how to use the equipment. They could go and tape other meetings,” she said.
“That’s what the PEG access is there to do,” Sullivan said.
Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. said that someone from the public had live-streamed the Finance Committee meeting Thursday on Facebook. He felt compelled to read every single item in full due to the taping. “The public should have access to everything, and see every meeting. This is more than a simple discussion,” Paul said.
Both the Mayor and Flaherty said that broadcasting on social media and open meeting law requirements were two separate things.
“Every single meeting that is posted and advertised, has to have minutes. If it’s going to be broadcast, that’s a financial decision by the City Council,” Sullivan said. He said if all meetings were to be broadcast, that would have to include all the sub-committees as well as commission and monthly meetings. “It’s much different running those meetings than it used to be,” he added.
Sullivan then brought up the subject of social media, talking about the topics of conversation that people, including the City Councilors, run with. “And yet, I stand before you every two weeks with zero questions. I offered to come here, which is new, and you won’t look me in the eyes,” he said. “I have been open, transparent. I have brought more to the City Council than I ever got in 18 years,” he added, again talking about the comments made on social media.
Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell said she hadn’t made any of the Mayor’s Coffee Hours, and was going to ask him for an update.
“There were 47 people for my Coffee Hour, and not a single one of you,” Sullivan responded, referring to the meeting sponsored by the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce this past Monday morning. He also charged O’Connell with being one of the councilors he was talking about, which she denied.
After the meeting, O’Connell responded to the Mayor’s comments. “I am puzzled and concerned by the mayor’s outburst. I hope that he will try and govern in a manner that is respectful and helpful to the City of Westfield. I will continue to support him in that endeavor,” she said.
Flaherty responded to the Mayor with an issue he took up at the end of the City Council meeting in the form of a motion. “We’ve been told not to ask questions that are not on the agenda,” he said. Although the Mayor’s briefing is an informal, ie. not posted or advertised meeting in advance of the City Council meeting, the Mayor generally uses the time to go over the agenda items for the council that are from his office.
“Don’t bring Council rules into the Mayor’s briefing,” responded Sullivan, adding that he was sorry to be losing his temper.
“I think it’s important that there’s one check on the Mayor, the City Council – not twelve different checks. I agree with him, there’s too much politics,” said At-large Councilor Stephen Dondley.
Sullivan responded that with the treasurer/collector, auditor, personnel director and city attorney, “I get checked and rechecked again,” he said before ending the briefing.
At the end of the City Council meeting that followed, Flaherty added a new motion to the agenda, to request the Law Department to look into whether councilors can go off the agenda during the Mayor’s briefing.
“I think your motion is out of order. The Mayor comes in and asks us if (we) have any questions, and again at the end. We continuously go off topic,” Paul said.
“It’s an Open Meeting Law question, because it’s on the agenda,” Flaherty said, referring to the confusion between the briefing being informal, and yet reviewing City Council agenda items. At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris asked if Flaherty would reword the motion to put it in the context of the Open Meeting Law, which he did, and the motion passed with only Bean opposed.
