EASTHAMPTON — After the departure of former City Council president Homar Gomez, who was elected to the state House of Representatives, the council finds itself in the midst of a reorganization with Councilor James Kwiecinski being voted in as the new vice president.
“I want to show my support. You care very deeply about the council,” said Councilor Koni Denham, adding that Kwiecinski’s dedication had remained even through several personal challenges over the last couple of years.
Councilor Salem Derby noted that he and Kwiecinski had worked together for 20 years on the council and he’d always found him to be “wise and dedicated to the city of Easthampton.”
Councilors Owen Zaret and Tamara Smith concurred, with Smith noting that Kwiecinski is always “open to having discussions.”
Three councilors had initially tossed their hats into the ring to be vice president but two had since withdrawn.
Derby, the former vice president, is currently acting as the president and is expected to be formally voted in at the council’s next meeting on Feb. 5.
After a passionate speech from Eric Poulin, a Parks And Recreation Commission member, about why he wasn’t reappointed in December, Councilor Brad Riley clarified that he actually was because the council had not had a majority of the full council’s vote to deny the approval.
At the Dec. 18 meeting, Riley, chair of the Appointments Committee, said that he had multiple people, who wanted to remain anonymous, speak to him about concerns about Poulin’s behavior on the commission. With that information, the council originally voted four to two, with three abstentions, to reject Poulin’s reappointment. However, a majority of the full council, five votes, is actually required to do so. Since more than 45 days had passed since the appointment was first presented, Poulin was automatically appointed to the Parks And Recreation Commission.
Earlier in the meeting, Poulin had accused Riley of approaching the city clerk “to dig for dirt” on him. Later in the meeting, Riley said he had been doing his “due diligence” when he spoke to the city clerk but that there had been no violations of Open Meeting Law by Poulin. Riley also reiterated that he would keep the complainants anonymous unless they chose to come forward.
During a 15-minute public hearing, the council voted on three items. First, it approved an interdepartmental transfer of $1,344 to cover an old Highway Department bill for a police detail. The bill was mistakenly sent to Eversource before being sent to the appropriate payer of the city of Easthampton. Secondly, the council voted to approve the location of a new utility pole on Everett Street. The jointly owned stub pole will be located 36 feet north of the current one which had become a safety concern.
Finally, changes to the city ordinance for the council on aging were approved. These changes allow residents who do not reside in Easthampton but who have a connection to the city to serve on the council on aging. However, no more than one-third of the council can be made up of non-residents.
Council on Aging Vice Chair Tom Brown noted that the residency requirement had put the council “in the minority of other boards” who do not have the same requirement. This change stemmed from a longtime Easthampton resident who had moved to Westhampton and had to resign his seat on the council.
