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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 187
(Photo by Amy Porter)
Blandford announces criminal investigation against former tax collector By AMY PORTER Correspondent BLANDFORD – The town’s Finance Committee gave a special presentation to members of the community at Tuesday’s Board of Selectman meeting on the findings of a review of the town’s finances that began in 2011. The review, conducted primarily by an outside consultant, found that former tax collector and Blandford resident LeeAnn Thompson, along with her husband Kevin Thompson, had misappropriated an estimated $276,000 in residents’ tax payments. It also found that Thompson had personal real estate taxes, excise taxes and water bills paid for by other people’s taxes. The town is pursuing both civil and criminal charges against the couple in an active investigation by the Attorney General’s office. Blandford Finance Committee chair Linda Smith said at the start of the meeting that the findings were nine years in the making, and were the result of a lack of oversight, and the attitude “that our officers will do their job.” She also said town officials missed warnings in financial reviews that pointed to increasingly alarming discrepancies during the years of 2003 to 2011, when Thompson served as the elected tax collector and had her own bank account. The investigation started after Thompson’s departure in May of 2011, and the town’s new tax collector, Brenda Marra, requested a turnover audit. Thompson has since moved away. Town officials hired Westfield resident Josephine Sarnelli, a CPA specializing in forensic accounting, to do the audit. Sarnelli, who picked up the presentation
At Tuesday’s meeting, Blandford introduced Angeline Ellison as the new town administrator. (Photo by Amy Porter)
from Smith, told the residents at the meeting, “Your problem is not unique.” She also said she has invested a great deal of time in the town since 2011, when she immediately started to notice certain irregularities in the financial statements. “I had an uncomfortable feeling,” Sarnelli said. Among her early findings was a significant shortfall in the bank account versus the collections recorded on the computer, no bank reconciliations to be found, and no bank statements for the years of 2009-2010. She said there were also long delays between processing payments and depositing checks, which forced the treasurer to resort to short-term borrowing. At the time, Sarnelli recommended that the town close the tax collec-
Westfield resident and forensic accountant Josephine Sarnelli is helping the town of Blandford “to dig out from under an avalanche” of financial mismanagement, according to town officials. (Photo by Amy Porter)
tor bank account, and provide a clear separation of duties between the collector and treasurer, the latter who she said should have been “doing the money keeping.” Blandford also underwent a financial management review by the Department of Revenue (DOR) in August of 2011 that made twenty specific recommendations, and admonished the town for poor financial practices and a lack of oversight. Among the recommendations were to convert the collector and treasurer from elected to appointed positions, and to hire a town administrator. At the meeting on Tuesday, Adam Dolby, chairman of the Board of Selectman, announced that the
can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends.” — PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER
75 cents
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016 Linda Smith, chair, and members of the Blandford Finance Committee (on right) gave a special presentation at Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting.
“About the time we
Westfield Police Cadets earn awards, experience By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–The Westfield Police Cadets finished another grueling week of training at a regional academy in Hartford, taking home several awards, learning valuable policing skills and learning an even more valuable life lesson–how to properly make a bed. The 16 cadets trained with Northeast Regional Law Enforcement Education Association (NERLEEA) at the Cadet Police Academy on the University of Hartford campus in Connecticut. The training, which lasted from July 24 to July 30, is part of the Westfield Police Cadet Program for people aged 14 to 21 who have an interest in law enforcement. It is headed by Westfield K-9 officer Christopher Coach, detective Richard Mazza and auxiliary officer Jon Kelley. The group was a part of 400 total cadets and 90 police officers that gathered from around the New England area to give the cadets a chance to see what it’s really like to be a uniformed officer. Police departments involved included local and state departments from Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. The cadets spent the week practicing drills, scenarios and learning policing information in the classroom, while also experiencing a paramilitary-style bootcamp that police go through when they are first hired. This meant waking up early, several periods of physical training a day and what one cadet said was the hardest task–making a bed. “Making beds with hospital corners was definitely the hardest part of the experience,” Mike Durkee, 16, from Westfield, said. It was Durkee’s first year at the Police Cadet Academy and he said that it was a lot of fun, but challenging. He recounted being yelled at by several drill instructors at a time–similar to what you see in military movies about bootcamp–and this to him was a frustrating but exciting experience. He also said that the cadets were able to see a SWAT demonstration–including a flashbang detonation–a bounce house, a DJ every night and gladiator battles with padded See Cadets, Page 3
See Blandford, Page 3
Rollover accident in Westfield sends 2 to hospital By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–A rollover accident last night sent two to the hospital. The accident happened on North West Road across from Camp Shepard around 7:48 p.m. It was a single-
vehicle crash and both occupants were transported to Baystate Medical Center via Westfield Fire ambulances. The current condition of the two is not known. Police said that the crash is still under investigation. As more information comes available, The Westfield News will continue to update.
Back row left to right: Officer Chris Coach, Officer Jon Kelley, Leighan Toomey, Angie Kolek, Nick Brandoli, Destin Craven, Mike Durkee, Morgan Dixon, Lexi Bradley, Luis Rogers, Miguel Vasquez, Teddy Woods, Officer Rick Mazza Front row left to right: Nate Schreffler, Garrett Southworth, Reiley Ledoux, Zachary David Adam and Brian Rachmaciej.
Technical Academy celebrates news of FAA-certification of Aviation program
(L-R) WPS Administrator of Student Interventions Chris Rogers, WTA General Advisory Chairman Ed Watson, WPS Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell, AMT "Flying TIgers" Instructor Galen Wilson, Assistant Instructor Krysten Renihan and Aviation Advisory Board Chair Ken Dromgold celebrating FAA-certification approval on Tuesday at Barnes. (Photo by Amy Porter)
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By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Officials of Westfield Public Schools and the Westfield Technical Academy gathered at the Hangar at Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport Tuesday to celebrate the news that the Aviation Maintenance Technology program has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification approval. WPS Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said that the program has passed the written curriculum and hands-on inspections. “They told us that we accomplished the impossible,” Czaporowski said, gleaming.
AMT instructor Galen Wilson, who flew into the meeting with Ken Dromgold in his L3 WWII Army/Air Corps Aeronica, said that the program makes WTA the first FAA-certified high school in New England, and only the third in the country. “All certification objectives have been met, with zero limiting factors,” Wilson said. The determination follows the all-day inspection on August 3 during which 136 demonstrations were evaluated. Wilson said the curriculum which the school had written and the syllabus they created have also been reviewed. “We got through them all. When they departed, they said, ‘we see no problem
Governor Baker signs a bill that affects local government By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Gov. Charlie Baker met with several officials of state and local government at the State House in Boston in order to sign a rather important bill. The Municipal Modernization Bill was signed in an effort to further improve the relationship between the state and the municipal government. As the bill is centered on updating specific laws and giving local government more independence, it certainly affected small towns like Southwick. The Town of Southwick will now have more of an opportunity to benefit from a bill passed like this one. See Local, Page 3
with the curriculum, syllabus, program, equipment or tooling,”Wilson added. Westfield’s city advancement officer Joe Mitchell, who also serves on the Aviation Advisory Committee, repeated the FAA’s quote of “You’ve accomplished the impossible,” with several people suggesting that it become a school motto. “Never before have I worked with a group of individuals that were this productive. Once they set a goal, they executed it flawlessly,” Mitchell said. He said the whole program progressed from the back of a napkin to FAA-certification in two and a half years. See Aviation, Page 3