At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS FILE PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – At the City Council meeting on July 1, Personnel Action Committee chair Cindy C. Harris brought forward candidates to fill vacancies on two city boards, as well as a reappointment to the Planning Board. All were unanimously approved by the City Council.
The reappointment was of Richard Salois of Russellville Road, as a member of the Planning Board, for a term to expire in February, 2026.
Salois has been an alternate for two years. Harris said he believes he has had a positive effect on the process and decisions of the plans brought before the board, and he expressed an interest to the mayor in staying on board and eventually becoming a full member.
Salois is a mechanical engineer who has been involved in building industrial plants across the United State. As director of engineering at Cenveo in Stamford, Conn., he provided support to 17 manufacturing facilities with production and support equipment and operations, as well as managing the reengineering center in Chicago. He has been involved in projects worth many millions of dollars, Harris said.
Since 1989, Salois has provided companies with consulting services as RWS consulting in Westfield relative to machinery design and operational change. His background is in managing design, construction, process improvement, overall manufacturing operations, and working with management involving zoning concerns. Harris said he believes in integrating industry and neighborhoods, not stifling one or the other, concentrating on quality of life issues. He has served as the planning board representative on the Westfield Community Preservation Commission for the last two years, and is a lifelong resident of Westfield.
Ward 1 Councilor Nicholas J Morganelli Jr. said Salois is very engaged at community meetings, always gives feedback and is very knowledgeable. “He wanted to be on the planning board because he truly cared for the city. I couldn’t be more happy to cast my vote,” he said.
Harris then presented a new appointment of Edward Ekmalian Jr., of Crestwood Circle, as a member of the Council on Aging board until February, 2024, to fill a vacancy. Earlier in the meeting, the council also voted on an ordinance change to allow the council on aging to conduct board meetings in the Westfield Senior Center.
Harris said Ekmalian attended the personnel action committee meeting earlier on July 1 along with COA Executive Director Tina Gorman. She said he has a bachelor’s in mathematics and experience in warehouse operations, quality control, customer service, shipping and receiving. For 25 years, Ekmalian was the director of quality control for TruServ in Westfield, saving the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also worked for Westfield Gage in shipping and receiving and as a supervisor at Lesco in Westfield.
Harris said Ekmalian has been involved in the neighboring Agawam Senior Center assisting in fundraising, as the director is a close personal friend, and would appreciate the opportunity to serve the center in Westfield. He has attended many meetings at the center up until its closing. He said his strengths are in organizational and planning skills and computer skills, and said he would devote his interest full-time to the Westfield COA. Gorman said he also volunteered at the Brown Bag food distribution program.
Another new appointment was that of Joseph Golio, Wildflower Circle, as a member of the Off-Street Parking Commission until February, 2024, to fill a vacancy.
Harris said Golio also attended the personnel action committee meeting. She said he works for the Bureau of Labor Statistics as an economic assistant, which involves gathering information of critical data on pricing on housing, leases, rent and structure. He has a background in business as a retail management professional, including for the Ames department stores, where he helped to turn around low performing stores to profitability, and overseeing merchandising and seasonal displays at Spencers Gifts. He was also managing owner of CM Fashion Company, including a store in downtown Westfield. Harris said Golio is the past founding director of the Westfield Community Development Corp. which focused on downtown revitalization.
Following the appointments, At-large Councilor Kristen Mello thanked the personnel action committee for all of the appointees and reappointees. “There’s been a bit of a backlog, and I know you guys have been doing the yeoman’s work for a while now. I really appreciate all the hard work you’ve done on this, and the patience of our appointees,” Mello said.
