City Councilor David Flaherty
WESTFIELD – The draft job description for the Chief Financial Officer was challenged by At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty, first at the Finance sub-committee meeting preceding the City Council, and then at that meeting under Reports from Committees.
At the Finance meeting, Flaherty handed out an amended job description, which added items that he said were based on conversations in the City Council and Finance over the last two years.
“My interpretation of what the Council wanted for the CFO was different,” Flaherty said. He said the primary modification was who appoints the CFO. He said the City Council appoints the other four financial positions of treasurer/collector, auditor, assessor and purchasing, and should appoint the CFO.
Flaherty also said the job description read to him as adding responsibilities of the treasurer/collector, which is not what they had in mind.
“I believe Dave represented very well the position of the Finance Committee,” Said Ward 5 Councilor and chair of the Finance sub-Committee Robert Paul. He said he would schedule a meeting, and send the job descriptions to the city councilors for review. He said they are on the clock, with a 30 day window to make changes. In August, the Mayor had said he hoped to have someone in the position, which is in the budget for half a year, by January of 2019.
“There are also people who feel this is not our job, and should be given to the city,” Flaherty said. He then produced the city’s code of ordinance 12-5, paragraph b, which reads:
‘Prior to filling a vacancy for administrative head of a municipal department, the appointing authority shall review the adequacy of the then existing job description for the administrative head of the department with the personnel director, shall make such changes as may be necessary to provide an appropriate description of the job and shall establish such qualifications as are required by law or as are otherwise appropriate so as to endure the selection of a candidate with the skills commensurate with the responsibilities of the job.’
Paul then made a motion to refer the job description to a joint meeting of Finance and the Personnel Action Committee (PAC), chaired by At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris.
During the City Council meeting, Flaherty said the Finance Committee voted 3-0 to send the edited job description to the PAC. He said he didn’t know they had already met on the job description earlier in the evening. He also said the job description is for a key financial position in the city, and Finance wanted to edit it first.
Flaherty said the edits include all “those things we’ve talked about over the years. The modified job description will allow us to request these things be done.” He said the other big change is that the position is appointed by the City Council instead of the Mayor, as are the other four financial positions in the city.
City Councilor Cindy C. Harris
“We do not have the authority to make the changes that you are speaking of,” responded Harris.
Flaherty then read the ordinance that he had read during the Finance sub-committee meeting.
“This is the Mayor’s position, we wouldn’t be the appointing authority,” said At-large Councilor Stephen Dondley. Flaherty countered that, without the ordinance in place, there is no appointing authority.
“It’s my understanding also that the Mayor is the appointing authority,” said PAC member and Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski. He recommended that the Council reject the job description, which would send it back for a new version and accomplish the same thing.
“There’s a lot of things that need to be discussed,” Flaherty said. City Council President Brent Bean said the problem was they were being discussed tonight (Thursday), adding that Harris had done her work and had been diligent. “I do have a problem with the appointing authority; (we) should separate financial and executive,” Bean said, adding, “I wish we had this discussion a couple of weeks ago.”
“This is such an important matter, waiting two weeks won’t be harmful, it will be helpful,” said Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell.
“The day after the agenda came out, I spoke to the personnel director. We all agreed to this job description. You did have the opportunity to make these changes,” Harris said to Flaherty. She then said she was going to make a motion to eliminate the item from PAC, and send it entirely to Finance.
Bean said he was fine with sending it to Finance, and suggested inviting the attorney, if necessary to the meeting. The motion to remove the job description from PAC and send it to the next meeting of Finance passed unanimously.
