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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
— ERNIE PYLE
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 097
“War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.” 75 cents
Council approves tax break for cutlery firm
Number one At a recent meeting of the city’s Police Commission, retired Westfield police officer George Fanion, himself formerly the holder of the department’s badge #1, presents the venerable police shield to his son, Det. Brian Fanion, who recently became the longest serving rank and file officer in the department. The younger Fanion joined the force in 1985 and has served in the Detective Bureau since the late 1990s. (Photo courtesy The Westfield Police Department)
Pro-marijuana group submits first draft of ballot question By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A group hoping to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Massachusetts has submitted a draft of a proposed ballot question to the state attorney general’s office. Bay State Repeal said the question would let adults 21 or older grow and buy the drug while taking steps to ban sales to minors, including undercover sting operations at stores that sell pot. Those who provide marijuana to minors — except as recommended by a doctor — would face fines and potential jail time. The question wouldn’t require marijuana
sellers be licensed by the state. “Criminalizing marijuana to keep it away from young people has backfired completely,” says Bill Downing of Bay State Repeal. “Street dealers don’t check ID.” The proposal would update other state laws. It would require that state and private employers treat adult consumers of marijuana the same way they treat consumers of alcoholic beverages and largely prohibit landlords from evicting a tenant for cultivating or possessing marijuana. However, landlords could include a ban on cultivating marijuana in new See Ballot Question, Page 8
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council voted 10-2 Thursday night to approve a five-year special tax incentive for Lamson & Goodnow which will give the cutlery firm a financial edge to move to Westfield. The company is moving to Westfield as it recovers from bankruptcy following Tropical Storm Irene which flooded the Deerfield River and extensively damage the plant in Shelburne Falls. Lamson & Goodnow was established in Shelburne Falls, in 1837, and became the premier cutler in the United States. The company was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sold the Shelburne Falls property to pay creditors. Lamson & Goodnow President and Chief Operating Officer James C. Pelletier said the firm looked at a number of communities in which to relocate, but found that Westfield best supported the firm. “We have 30 employees now (in Shelburne Falls) and will have 30 employees here in Westfield in two months,” Pelletier said, adding that the firm recently held a job fair at the Shaker Farms country club and will hire eight applicants from that event. Pelletier, whose children attended Westfield Schools, said that his firm will also indirectly create additional jobs because of outsourcing to other Westfield-based companies such as Johncarlo Woodworking, which is making 500 knife handles a day, and New England Heat
(COURTESY THE GREENFIELD RECORDER)
Treatment, located at the Savage Arms complex on Springdale Road. “We are going from a 50,000 square foot facility to a 20,000 square feet building because (of the ability to find) outsourcing here in Westfield,” Pelletier said. “We plan to come out of bankruptcy this year in Westfield.” Pelletier was appointed by a bankruptcy judge and given the mission of bringing Lamson & Goodnow out of bankruptcy. Pelletier has performed that function several times in the past, being court appointed to bring Smith & Wesson out of bankruptcy nearly two decades ago. “I’ve given the personnel director the mandate to hire anyone from Westfield. We owe a debt to the city,” Pelletier said. At-large Councilors Cindy Harris and David A. Flaherty voted against the STA because it transfers the tax burden
from the firm to other taxpayers in the city. “Every time we give an STA other taxpayers have to pick up that burden, so I’m going to vote no,” Harris said. Flaherty said that STA should be reserved “for very special circumstances” and that this is not the case in this instance. At-large Councilor Dan Allie argued that the Lamson & Goodnow STA “is an extraordinary circumstance” and that he “cannot imagine the devastation” following Irene and the flooding of the Deerfield River. Ward 5 Councilor Robert Paul Sr., said that in his experience “it’s a hard thing to come out of bankruptcy. What we have is a company being creative. We need to provide some assistance.” “We’re making an investment to help this company See Tax Break, Page 8
Council seeks state reform of Civil Service By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The City Council, on the recommendation of the Public Health & Safety Committee, approved a resolution seeking statewide reform of the Civil Service program, seeking to make the state agency more responsive to the needs of communities in the Commonwealth participating in Civil Service. PH&S Chairman Dan Allie, At-large councilor, composed a letter to Governor Charles Baker seeking a review and reform of the current procedures governing Civil Service. “The goal should be to hire the best applicants available, who have a strong desire to work in selected municipalities, and to promote those individuals who best fit position,” Allie stated in the resolution letter to Baker. “The system should not result in delays, obtaining lists and necessary information to make an informed decision,” Allie stated. “Areas of concern (with the current Civil Service system) include testing, providing approved lists and hiring in a timely manner, delays leading to unfilled positions, staffing shortag-
DAN ALLIE es, overtime, lost funding, other expenses and issues.” Allie suggested reforms that allow applicants for Civil Service controlled position to identify up to three specific communities and that the names of entry-level candidates should be removed from the Civil Service availability list when they are hired. Allie also suggested the Civil Service testing should be regularly programmed and that test scores and hiring lists made available soon after the qualifying test is held. Furthermore Allie suggested that the test questions should reflect the
needs of specific communities seeking employees. The resolution letter has signature blocks for Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, Council President Brian Sullivan and Allie as chairman of the PH&S Committee. Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy commended Allie for taking the initiative to seek a resolution for the city’s recent problem in making Civil Service appointments in the Fire Department and resolution of a termination in the Police Department which took the state agency two years to resolve, meaning that a replacement officer could not be hired during that appeal. “I’s like to thank Councilor Allie for all of the work he has done on this issue,” Figy said. Allie’s committee conducted an open meeting in March with other members of the City Council, the Law Department, Union officials and members of the public in attendance. That discussion indicated that the council has little authority, if any, to address the Civil Service issue directly. “Civil service is bent, if not broken,” Allie said at the March meeting. “Parts of it don’t work at all. I’m trying to make suggestions to
the state. Any action (through contract negotiations) has to be initiated by the Mayor, but there may be other avenues to address this through our local representatives in the Legislature.” Allie had suggested that the City Council, through several committees now reviewing the civil service status, focus on change within the Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Public Works and the Westfield Gas & Electric Department. Any change in job status under Civil Service regulation can only be done by the city’s executive branch through contract negotiation with the unions. Law Department Supervisor Susan Phillips and Labor Counsel Jeff Krok presented two different avenues of addressing problems some departments have experienced with the civil service process of hiring and promoting individuals. One avenue of removing positions and employees from civil service is through contract negotiations between the city’s executive branch (the mayor) and the unions representing those employees, Phillips said. Any agreement between the
mayor and the unions would then come to the City Council as a home rule petition to the state Legislature for its approval of changing the civil service status of those positions and employees. Phillips said that in the late 1990s under former City Solicitor Peter Martin that process was used to remove a number of department supervisors from civil service. “There are really two issues being discussed here. One is removing portions or full departments from civil service,” Phillips said. “The second is changing civil service through the legislative process in Boston.” Krok said the City Council members should be careful of discussing specifics and what the city would be willing to give the unions in exchange for removing personnel and positions from the civil service process. “As elected city officials, anything said could be construed as an (contract) offer and if withdrawn, could result in an unfair labor complaint,” Krok said. Thursday night Allie said the resolution letter to Baker would “avoid a lot of land mines. This is something we can do.”