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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
— DOUGLASS CATER
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 065
75 cents
Council’s role limited in civil service issues
Baker fills 2 open seats on health board BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker has named two new members to the board overseeing the state’s health connector. Mark Gaunya and Rina Vertes took their seats at a board meeting this morning. They fill two of the positions that opened last month when Baker asked for and received the resignations of four board members. Gaunya is co-owner and chief information officer at Borislow Insurance. He takes the spot on the board reserved for an insurance broker. Vertes, president of Marjos Business Consulting, fills the seat set aside for a health insurance actuary. Among the board members who stepped down was MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who came under fire for saying it was “the stupidity of the American voter” that led to the passage of the 2010 federal health care law. He has since apologized. “The Health Connector board is hugely important to the people’s ability to access health care options and the experts we appointed today are vital to improving the once troubled system,” said Baker. “I believe people are policy and I look forward to working with these health care experts as they lead the exchange.” “Our administration believes these health care professionals with decades of experience will continue the turnaround effort of the Connector,” said Lieutenant Governor Polito, “and provide the people of Massachusetts with an efficient, well run exchange.” Gaunya and Vertes will serve as two of Baker’s four appointments to the 11-member Health Connector Board. Gaunya will sit in the seat reserved by statute for a member of the broker community and Vertes will take the seat reserved for a health insurance actuary. They will both participate in today’s Health Connector Board meeting. “The broker community plays an important role in the Massachusetts healthcare market – we are the trusted
“If power corrupts, being out of power corrupts absolutely.”
Kevin Green, left, from MassMutual, discusses an imaginary financial and savings plan with high school seniors from the city gathered in the Woodward Center on the campus of Westfield State University Tuesday as part of a financial literacy event ‘Credit for Life.’ The three-hour event created a hands-on interactive activity that included handling and creating financial choices in the real world. The event was sponsored by the Volunteers in Public Schools of Westfield and supports the Westfield Credit for Life program. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Credit for Life
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Law Department outlined the role of the City Council in resolving civil service issues effecting several municipal departments earlier this week at a session of the Public Health & Safety Committee. 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 has been a lot of discussion as to whether civil service works for the city,” Phillips said at the meeting Tuesday. “The process of removing people starts with union negotiations. It’s something the executive branch has to put on the table for discussion. The Council has no direct input in (labor contract) negotiations, but would have to vote to send a home rule petition to the Legislature. “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 See Civil Service, Page 3
High school seniors gathered in the Woodward Center on the campus of Westfield State University Tuesday as part of a financial literacy event ‘Credit for Life.’ The three-hour event included hands-on interactive elements on handling and creating financial choices in the real world. The event was sponsored by the Volunteers in Public Schools of Westfield and supports the Westfield Credit for Life program. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
See Health Board, Page 3
House approves $50M extra for snow removal A state transportation official says the additional funds would help the state catch up on payments owed to snow removal contractors. Frank DePaola said the state has blown through its annual snow and ice budget for state highways, spending $129 million. The total annual budget was $107 million, including a $50 million deficit allowance, which also has been exhausted. DePaola, until recently the state’s highway director and now interim general manager of the Massachusetts Bay
SUE PHILLIPS
DAN ALLIE
Court: Police chief within rights to deny gun license
High school seniors gathered in the Woodward Center on the campus of Westfield State University Tuesday as part of financial literacy event ‘Credit for Life.’ The three-hour event included hands-on interactive sessions on handling and creating financial choices in the real world. The event was sponsored by the Volunteers in Public Schools of Westfield and supports the Westfield Credit for Life program. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
BOSTON (AP) — The state House has approved a spending bill that includes an additional $50 million to cover the costs of snow and ice removal during a recent crippling blast of winter weather that dumped more than 8 feet of snow in places. The measure, filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, totals more than $350 million. It includes $190 million to cover unanticipated increases in state employee health care costs and $44 million for a program that provides shelter for homeless families.
JEFF KROK
Transportation Authority, said some snow removal vendors have not been paid since mid-February. “We are out of cash to pay them,” he said. John Jenkins, chairman of the Department of Transportation board of directors, said the state had an obligation to pay contractors who have done a “magnificent job” clearing snow during the spate of severe winter storms this year. “Let’s get them paid,” said Jenkins. “It’s just unfair.”
By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — The chief of police in Worcester was within his rights to deny a gun license to a man charged with domestic violence, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday. In a unanimous ruling, the seven-member Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court also found that the state’s “suitable person” standard used to deny the license is constitutional. The case dates back to 2005, when the Worcester police chief used the “suitable person” standard to deny Raymond Holden a license to carry. The chief suspended Holden’s license two days after he was arraigned for allegedly assaulting his wife. The chief defended the suspension on the grounds that Holden was not suitable to carry firearms based on Holden’s arraignment on the assault and battery complaint. Holden’s wife signed a statement saying that after arguing at a restaurant Holden drove to their daughter’s home, punched her in the face, pulled her out of the car, threw her to the pavement and drove away. The complaint against Holden was dismissed two weeks later at the request of Holden’s wife, but the police chief continued to deny Holden a gun license. Holden argued that the denial of the gun license violated his Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution. In part, Holden argued the law allowing the police chief to deny him a license is unconstitutional because at the time it didn’t allow for a hearing before the chief, and didn’t let him confront and cross-examine witnesses in district court. He also argued that the “suitable person” standard is unconstitutional because it is subjective, vague and allowed the chief to permanently disqualify him from getting the license. Lower courts had sided with Holden, but the Superior Court ruled in favor of the police chief. The SJC sided with the Superior Court and rejected Holden’s argument. See Police Chief, Page 3