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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.”
— Mencius, Chinese philosopher
www.thewestfieldnews.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 276
75 cents
Council defers DPW appointment vote By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD -The City Council tabled a motion to appoint Dave Billips as the Department of Public Works Superintendent on the argument that the Board of Public Works is the appointing authority for that position. The council’s Personnel Action Committee placed Billips’ nomination on the floor Thursday night, which resulted in a discussion of the City Council’s authority to appoint Billips, who is also the superintendent of the Water Resource Department. The issued boiled down to whether the Billips appointment falls solely with the BPW or if it falls under City Council purview as an emergency action. Billips was initially hired by the city in 2003 as the director of the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant and later appointed by the
CHRISTOPHER M. CREAN
RALPH FIGY
Water Commission as the Water Resource Department superintendent. In August Billips was named by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik as the interim superintendent of the Department of Public Works following the retirement of former superintendent Jim Mulvenna. Knapik also hired a consulting firm to access the city’s departments performing a number of public works function to determine if consolidation of those depart-
ments would benefit the city. A report from that municipal management consultant is expected in the near future. PAC Chairman Ralph Figy said that Billips’ nomination as acting superintendent was submitted to the City Council to give Billips the legal authority to act in the DPW capacity. “This appointment is needed for legal reasons, to allow him to sign documents,” Figy said. Ward 6 Councilor
JAMES R. ADAMS
MARY L. O’CONNELL
DAVID FLAHERTY
Christopher Crean said the “it’s quite a bit for Dave to add to his responsibilities” by taking on the role of the DPW superintendent duties in addition to his current Water Resource Department functions. “My compliments to Dave and his staff for being very efficient.” That sentiment was shared by other council members, but aside from admiration for Billips performance, a legal question was raised. At-large Councilor David
A. Flaherty and Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell raised the issue of the council’s authority to appoint anyone to the DPW post. “The Board of Public Works the sole appointing authority,” Flaherty said. “We have no role in appointing a superintendent or any employee of the Public Works Department.” “Superintendents are off limits to the City Council. I found this out at the last minute,” Flaherty said.
Dave Billips “The matter before the City Council is that we don’t have the appointing authority,” O’Connell said. “I suggest that we amend this motion and provide Mr. Billips with a vote of confidence.” Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe said that while the mayor may make a temporary appointment, “I don’t think was have jurisdiction in this.” “We may be voting very See Vote, Page 3
Storm may snarl trip for Thanksgiving travelers By FRANK ELTMAN Associated Press MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A nor’easter was expected to develop along the East Coast just as millions of travelers head to their Thanksgiving destinations, bringing mostly rain close to the coast, but heavier snow further inland. The exact track and severity of the storm had meteorologists on alert. “A small deviation in the track could change things dramatically,” said Jeff Masters, chief meteorologist for Weather Underground. The storm, forecast to dump rain along the coast and snow inland, could cause delays along busy Northeast highways and had the possibility of upsetting travel plans at airports throughout the region. Precipitation was forecast to sweep in from the south Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and exit the region on Thursday morning. “I would pack your patience,” said Robert Sinclair of AAA New York. “Unfortunately, the storm is scheduled to hit right in the middle of getaway day.”
Masters said coastal cities are likely to mostly receive rain, although meteorologists were keeping a close eye on the rain/ snow line. As of Monday, the highest amount of snow was expected to fall in northeastern Pennsylvania, the Catskills of upstate New York and into Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Up to 10 inches was possible in some places, forecasters said. Officials at the three major airports in the New York City area — Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty — were “monitoring weather forecasts carefully,” and were ready to take action if needed, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airports. All the major U.S. airlines were closely monitoring the situation but have not yet canceled flights or made any other changes. American Airlines was allowing passengers flying to some Northeast cities on Wednesday to move their flight, for free, to Tuesday or Thursday. Delta Air Lines had a similar waiver for See Storm, Page 8
Voc-Tech students hold Thanksgiving food drive
Russell woman trapped overnight in her car By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A Russell woman whose car left the roadway of Granville Road Thursday evening was trapped in her car overnight until the crash was reported Friday morning. City police report that an employee of the Springfield Water Department called at 6:46 a.m. Friday to report a car had crashed near the front gate to the filtration facility on Granville Road. Officer Christopher Coach was the first emergency responder to arrive and reports that the 2013 Nissan Altima had crossed the roadway and struck a utility pole before coming to rest on the verge of the road. Coach reports the woman said that she believes she had fallen asleep while driving eastbound and complained of an injured ankle or leg. A Fire Department ambulance arrived seven minutes later and the 25-year-old woman was removed from her vehicle. She was transported to Noble Hospital where she was reported to have been treated and released. Lt. Lawrence Valliere, commander of the department’s Traffic and Safety Bureau, said that the operator told firefighters that the crash had occurred about 11 p.m. Thursday. The road was closed to traffic for a short time while the car was removed.
In this Oct. 7 file photo, United Independent Party’s Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Evan Falchuk has a microphone attached at WBZ-TV studios in Boston, for a televised debate amongst all five candidates. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Students at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School (WVTHS) know that some of their peers and their families struggle this time of year. “We have our own food pantry in our school in the teacher’s cafeteria,” said WVTHS Principal Stefan Czaporowski. “Fifty percent of our kids receive free or reduced lunch and we have some families that are in need.” Czaporowski said that the drive is usually driven by staff donations, but this year, the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Club is leading the charge. “They decided to run a competition of the whole school, based on technical programs,” he said. “We ended up raising about 2,500 food See Food Drive, Page 3
New state parties struggle for toehold
Defendants in crowbar beating get jail time
By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — When Massachusetts voters cast ballots on Election Day, they not only picked winners and losers in a host of key races, they also gave a big boost to those seeking an alternative to the state’s two top political parties. By the time polls closed, the number of parties with official status in the state had doubled. The Green-Rainbow Party and the United Independent Party now join the Democratic and Republican parties as those with official status, meaning they can hold primaries and field candidates under their party banners.
NORTHAMPTON (AP) — A woman who was pregnant when she lured a Huntington man out of his home by saying she was having car trouble so two friends could beat and rob him has been sentenced to a year in jail. Nicole Bouley, and one of the men who used a crowbar to beat Joseph Florence on Jan. 11, were sentenced yesterday in Hampshire Superior Court. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that Andrew Przybyla, was sentenced to up to nine years in prison. Louis Catjakis pleaded guilty yesterday to related charges and will be sentenced in January. Bouley was four months pregnant when she asked the 62-year-old Florence for help. Florence was beaten with a crowbar, handcuffed and had a pellet gun held to his head. He suffered a broken arm and other injuries.
See Parties, Page 3
Noble Medical Group and The Noble Health Network | NobleHealthNetwork.com
Expanding to Meet the Needs of Our Community
Noble Primary Care
Arthur King, MD
Elizaveta House, NP
Ira Nathanson, MD
Gary Jacobson, DO
Ramachandran Kuppuswamy, MD
Laura Gioiella, MD
Noble Medical Group is pleased to welcome nine new Physicians and Practitioners, formerly of Hampden County Physician Associates.
Viktoria Madden, PA-C
Serving patients from the following location:
Serving patients from the following location:
800 College Hwy. Southwick, MA (413) 569-2257
57 Union Street, Westfield, MA (413) 572-6050 Michelle Barnett, MD Roger Beneitone, MD