Ralph Figy begins his tenure as City Council president. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Thursday was an evening for changes in leadership on the City Council. Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy was appointed president in an 8 to 5 vote over At-large Councilor Nicholas J. Morganelli. Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. stepped down after years of public service on the Council and on the Municipal Light Board, and a new auditor was selected in a close vote between two candidates, both present on the City Councilor floor.
Voting for Figy were Councilors Babinski, Bean, Beltrandi, Figy, Harris, Onyski and Paul. Voting for Morganelli were Councilors Allie, Emmershy, Flaherty, Morganelli and Surprise.
After the initial vote went for Figy, At-large Councilor Cindy Harris asked for a motion to reconsider a 100% vote for the new president, which passed without dissent.
Before stepping down from his seat, At-large Councilor John J. Beltrandi, III took the opportunity to thank the City Clerk’s office, city councilors, staff, department heads and the Mayor’s office for their hard work during the year, to applause and a standing ovation.
Figy then opened the meeting for public participation. Matthew Roman of the “senior snoopers” was first up, congratulating the new president. “The old people say good luck to you; we’ll be watching you,” Roman said.
At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty made a motion to take the report by the auditor’s preliminary screening committee out of order. Harris submitted the two candidates for consideration, out of a total of six applicants that applied.
Christopher Caputo, 31, of Springfield was selected as the new Auditor for the City of Westfield at Thursday’s meeting. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Harris introduced Christopher Caputo of Springfield as the assistant accountant for the City of Longmeadow from 2015 to the present, prior to which he served as a financial analyst in the Health Department for the City of Springfield. A graduate of Bentley College, Harris said Caputo had attended many Mass. Municipal Association (MMA) conferences, and had served in the Forest Park Civic Association and Kiwanis Club.
Jennifer Gallant, who was previously assistant city auditor in Westfield, has been serving as auditor since the retirement of Mary “Happy” Daley last fall. Prior to coming to Westfield in 2017, she served four years as chief financial officer for the Polish Credit Union in Chicopee, and three years before that as CFO for the Chicopee Municipal Credit Union. Gallant received her master’s at UMASS’ Isenberg School of Management, and is a long-time volunteer with Relay for Life, and on the board of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen. Gallant also has attended MMA conferences, Harris said.
Letters of reference were submitted for both candidates. Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise, who served on the screening committee expressed his thoughts before the vote. “When you hire a treasurer with no municipal experience, it requires an auditor with a lot of municipal experience,” Surprise said, noting that Caputo had served for eight years in city government. He was referring to the recent hiring of Matthew Barnes, a certified public accountant with experience in the private sector as the new treasurer/collector for the city.
Flaherty, who also served on the screening committee, commended the people on both screening committees, adding that he thought having two councilors serve on each was helpful, and said “the staff did an excellent job.” The Councilors then voted 7 to 6 to hire Christopher Caputo as the new City Auditor. Voting for Caputo were Councilors Allie, Beltrandi, Emmershy, Flaherty, Morganelli, Paul and Surprise. Voting for Gallant were Councilors Babinski, Bean, Burns, Figy, Harris and Onyski.
Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr., seated next to At-large Councilor Matthew Emmershy, listens to words of appreciation from fellow councilors. (Photo by Amy Porter)
At the end of the meeting, Figy noted that it was the last meeting for Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. who is retiring from public service, and gave the floor to At-large Councilor Brent B. Bean, II for a presentation. “The City of Westfield is better off because he was Councilor of Ward 5,” Bean said, saying to look to all the work done in Ward 5 for the evidence. “He really dedicated himself to this city. Westfield is a better place for it,” added Bean.
Other councilors also spoke up. Flaherty called Paul “a real asset to this city,” who had done a lot of work behind the scenes, and said residents could thank him for helping to establish Whip City Fiber. Beltrandi said Paul had become “a great friend, somebody to confide in,” which was echoed by Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns, who also called Paul a “mentor.” Surprise thanked Paul for his “financial oversight,” and At-large Councilor Dan Allie called him a “class act.”
Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski told him she appreciated him “for the person you are.” At-large Councilor Matthew Emmershy said he had been a “wealth of knowledge,” who helped him “hit the ground running.” Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski referred to Paul as “the smartest guy in the room. He’s helped me a lot through many projects,” and Morganelli said it had been “a pleasure” serving with him.
Incoming and outgoing Ward 5 Councilors Leslie D. LeFebvre and Robert A. Paul, Sr. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Paul stepped to the podium to thank everyone for their “kind and generous thoughts and words.” He said each councilor has all of the same attributes in different ways “when we listen to each other.”
Paul also said he appreciated serving under a great mayor who had experience as a city councilor and worked well with the managers of the city, and spoke positively of the future for Westfield.
“To make a transformation you have to know what the folks are really saying. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you,” Paul said.
Leslie D. LeFebvre, who also ran for Ward 5 Councilor in the Nov. 2017 election, will begin serving on the City Council at the next meeting on Jan. 17.
