Thomas Flaherty, general manager of Westfield Gas & Electric.
Reminder Publishing file photo
WESTFIELD — The unique compensation package for the members of the city’s Municipal Light Board will remain as is after the board was told by Westfield Gas & Electric’s legal counsel that it needed “no further discussion.”
“On the advice of counsel, the health benefits discussion, it’s the advice of counsel, to let that rest right now and not have any further discussion on the health benefits,” said WG&E General Manager Thomas Flaherty during the monthly meeting of the Municipal Light Board on May 6.
The item appeared on the agenda at Commissioner Robert Sacco’s request, after he asked Flaherty to add it for discussion during May’s board meeting.
“I’m not going to ask for a vote, but I want to put it back on the agenda for next month to let the new commissioners think about it and learn what they need to learn,” he said during the April 1 meeting of the board.
There was no discussion of the package during the meeting.
Last September, the commissioners serving on the city’s Municipal Light Board, in a split vote, approved its compensation package with language that said WG&E will cover the entire cost of the city’s health insurance premium for members who opt to take it while maintaining its annual compensation of $7,500.
It is unlike any other board, council, or committee compensation package in the city.
During the September meeting, when the board was debating the new compensation arrangement, Sacco spoke out against it.
He said serving on the board should be for public service, not employment, and therefore should not include additional benefits. He added that he had concerns about any “potential for inequity.”
At the May 6 meeting, after Flaherty recounted what the WG&E counsel suggested, Sacco kept his response brief.
“There’s no discussion … we’re skipping that item on the agenda,” he said.
When reached on May 12, Sacco referred to Flaherty’s remarks when asked if he agreed with counsel.
“We’re being told by the department’s attorney that we don’t talk about it,” he said.
Asked if the issue might again be brought up for discussion, Sacco said: “That’s up to counsel.”
The discussion by the board to change the package began in July 2025.
During that meeting, Flaherty announced that health insurance premiums had risen 28%, and that increase exceeded the $625 monthly stipend paid to the commissioners, according to the minutes of the July meeting.
He recommended that WG&E cover the difference between the monthly stipend paid to commissioners and the amount they pay for coverage under the city’s health insurance plan. He estimated it would cost WG&E $20 to $30 per board member who takes the city’s health insurance, according to the minutes of the July meeting.
When asked about the issue, Flaherty said he supported the change.
“It’s a benefit of the elected office,” Flaherty said, adding that when he had served on the board in the early 2000s, the annual stipend covered the cost of taking the city’s health insurance.
“Each time it was raised, it was to cover the increased cost of health insurance,” he said.
He also recognized that seats on the board are elected, and he didn’t think the additional compensation was an issue.
“They’re putting themselves out there to serve the city,” he said.
As for shouldering the cost of the premium, Flaherty said the amount is so small it wouldn’t affect the city department’s bottom line. WG&E had revenues of $110 million last year.
Flaherty acknowledged that the Municipal Light Board would have a unique compensation package in the city, but he also said that any board, commission or council can adjust its compensation if they want to.
Former Municipal Light Board Commissioner Ed Roman, who retired from the board in January, initially raised the issue but stressed at the July meeting that he was not looking for an increase in the stipend. He said he wanted to hear the thoughts from other commissioners.
He shared at the meeting that he was comfortable paying a small portion of the premium out of pocket, and if he was the only commissioner who was affected by the premium increase, he’d “drop the matter.”
Sacco suggested maintaining the status quo during the July meeting, but wanted the WG&E attorney to determine the legality of the proposal.
At the Municipal Light Board’s September meeting, a majority of those in attendance voted to “approve the payment by WG&E of the full cost of health and dental insurance for members of the Municipal Light Board upon their individual request dependent upon plan eligibility, to participate in the WG&E health and dental insurance program, and that the health and dental insurance benefits shall be in addition to the stipend paid to such Municipal Light Board members,” according to the minutes.
The motion, made by Roman, was approved by Ray Rivera, Dawn Renaudette, Bill Parks and Robert Goyette.
Opposed were Kevin Kelleher, who also retired from the board in January, and Sacco.
Those who voted to approve the motion offered their reasons for supporting it.
Roman said the issue may be more relevant for future board members, echoing Renaudette’s reasoning.
She said future commissioners may have different circumstances, like someone who wants to run for the board to serve the city, but who is struggling financially and needs access to health insurance.
Rivera, who was serving as chair during the September meeting, acknowledged the amount was small, but if WG&E can offer the benefit, the board should at least consider it.
