MAYOR DANIEL M. KNAPIK
WESTFIELD – City officials are considering options following the retirement of Public Works Superintendent Jim Mulvenna, including options to restructure the Public Works Department.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said this week that he has requested the Personnel Department to research and revise the job description and duties of the DPW superintendent post. Knapik said that revision could also include new application standards for candidates applying for the post.
“I’ve asked Human Resources to look at the job descriptions and application requirements for that post in surrounding communities,” Knapik said. “I plan to submit the revised job description to the City Council at its August meeting, although they may not act on it immediately.
BRENT BEAN II
“I think there is some desire in the council to look at other options including consolidation of departments,” Knapik said. “This is a process that we go through every time there is a vacancy in a department head position.”
City Council President Brent B. Bean II said the council members may opt to do both, review the job description revision and look at consolidation.
“We do need to look at that job description,” Bean said. “I think that the DPW director’s position is very technical. It has changed dramatically over the years.”
“I think that the DPW director should have an engineering background,” Bean said. “We need somebody in that job who can speak the same language when dealing with engineers about projects.”
Bean said there is also interest among council members at assessing consolidation.
CHRISTOPHER KEEFE
“I think that councilors are very interested in doing something similar to what we did a few years ago when we consolidated the Water and Wastewater departments into the Water Resource Department,” Bean said.
“When we did that the council had an appetite to go further, so we’ll take a look at consolidation if it makes sense,” Bean said. “Consolidation doesn’t always mean cost savings, but it might be a better fit for the community and increase efficiency.”
Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe said the City Council has “explored consolidation” if it makes sense.
“It’s always worth exploring consolidation,” Keefe said. “We’ve looked at that with the School Department in personnel and payroll and right now have a pending ordinance to create a Building Maintenance Department to consolidate maintenance oversight of city buildings and grounds.”
“This is one consolidation that is obvious, the maintenance of all the city’s infrastructure, highway, water and sewers, should be under one person who would be responsible for coordinating work,” he said.
“Right now we have a decentralized system where there is little effective coordination,” Keefe said. “By consolidating (those responsibilities) we’d have someone to get everybody at the same place, at the same time.”
The City Council, in the past, has sent job descriptions to its Personnel Action Committee for further study before voting on the description, which is then sent back to the appointing authority, which is currently the Board of Public Works.
