Mary O’Connell
City Council is on hiatus until the end of August (next meeting August 24) but many of us are still working on constituent services and upcoming municipal legislation.
The matter of approving Private Ways as Public Roads is still very much in the forefront and on the agenda of the Legislation and Ordinance sub-committee. We have a draft list of streets to come before the Council later this summer/early Fall. The request will come in the form of a Home Rule petition to the State Legislature to allow us to re classify many private streets to public streets. Please reach out to your City Council if you have questions on whether your street is on this list.
On Thursday, the Community Preservation Committee approved a recommendation to the City Council to allow $250,000 in preservation funding to go towards the design phase of the Columbia Bike Trail. Kudos to Councilor Oniski for taking the lead on this proposal. It was at his suggestion during budget cut meetings that we apply for this funding for the design portion of the trail project. He has been an ardent supporter of the use of these funds and last night the vote by the Community Preservation Committee occurred and passed.
I do have some concerns about the legality of using CPC funds for this project BUT was re-assured that the Law Department has approved the use of this funding source as completely legal. The use of CPC funding for rail trails is an approved type of project. The disconnect for approval may come because of the way in which the rail trail was acquired and funded by the City. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts reviewed and re wrote the Community Preservation guide lines in 2012. The law allows for use of CPC funds IF the trail is categorized as “Recreational Land”. If the trail is simply “Recreational Open Space” then the funds use will be disallowed. We must follow all applicable law on this funding procedure. We, as a City, have all learned the hard way how expensive it is if we do not follow procedure as evidenced in the delay of the proposed elementary school project. The legal determination on the use of CPC funds to rail trail design will be made prior to our City Council vote on this matter.
The Westfield Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Breakfast this past Thursday and it was a smashing success. The breakfast was held in the cafeteria of the South Middle School and it worked well for all attending including the many vendors present.
One group attending and promoting their goal is Westfield 350. Our City is looking forward to our 350th Anniversary on May19, 2019. A Board, Friends of Westfield 350, has been formed and is diligently working on events to mark the year of our birth. We have a website and a Facebook page.
The election season is heating up. There are incumbents and new candidates running for office. Please listen to what these folks say and promise to do and what goals they propose. It is easy to check on fulfilled campaign promises from incumbents. Ways to do this are by looking at their voting records, reviewing their creation of legislations (motions before council), attendance, and analyzing campaign funding reports. For example, if the bulk of a candidate’s funding comes from out of the City and from organized Labor, one might well ask where their loyalty lies. If a candidate has missed many Council meetings I would question their commitment. We each have our opinions on what makes a good elected official and it is important to truly study each candidate that comes before us. In reviewing qualifications of new comers, I would suggest looking at their past community involvement, education, and work background, all important factors.
Best wishes for a great and safe summer.
Mary O’Connell
Ward Four Westfield City Council
