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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 84 NO. 201
“The secret to life
is meaningless unless you discover it yourself.” — W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015
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Technical issues snare two potential candidates By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Two potential candidates for municipal election this fall attempted to submit nomination papers before the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday, but those nomination documents failed to satisfy voting requirements and both candidates were disqualified. Harold Alan Phelps attempted to submit nomination documents to qualify for the mayoral race. Phelps would have been the third mayoral candidate, joining Brian P. Sullivan and Michael L. Roeder, and forcing a preliminary election on September 22. City Clerk Karen Fanion released a statement to the Westfield News stating that Phelps was unable to give proof of residency to qualify as a city resident. Phelps “attempted to submit his papers, but he did not have an ID that showed his current address, so his papers could not be notarized, also he did not amend his papers to show his new, current address, therefore, we could not accept his papers.,” Fanion said in the statement. “And even if he did have the proper ID he only had 49 signatures.” Candidates are required to submit a nomination petition with the signatures of 50 registered voters and are encouraged to submit a minimum of 60 signatures in case any of the signatures are rejected as was the case when former City Councilor At-large David Bannish failed to qualify for the ballot because signatures were rejected and his documents were not certified. If Phelps documents had been certified it would have triggered a city-wide preliminary election, at an estimated cost of $35,000, to cull the number of candidates to two for the November General Election. The ballot will now pit Sullivan, who submitted his nomination documents on June 26, and Roeder, who submitted his papers on Aug. 5, in the November 3, 2015 General Election. Jason A. Lavallee is the other potential candidate whose nomination papers could not be certified Tuesday. Fanion said a friend brought the documents to City Hall, but that Lavallee had failed to sign that document and was out of state on business Tuesday, so he was unable to satisfy that requirement and his nomination was not certified. Lavallee was seeking the Ward 1 seat on the Municipal Light Board and would have faced the incumbent, Kevin M. Kelleher in November. The other five ward MLB members, Ray Rivera of Ward 2; Jane C. Wensley of Ward 3; Francis L. Liptak of Ward 4; Thomas P. Flaherty, Sr., of Ward 5; and Robert J. Sacco of Ward 6 are all unopposed. One potential candidate who drew papers for election to one of the three seats available on the School Committee, Kaitlin L. Hurd, did not submit those documents for certification, meaning that the three incumbents, Diane M. Mayhew, Kevin J. Sullivan, and Ramon Diaz Jr., will be unopposed in November. The only issue which still has to be resolved is what post David A. Flaherty will seek since he submitted nomination documents for both a City Council At-large seat and the Ward 6 seat being vacated by
Beth Greenblatt of Beacon Integrated Solutions and Attorney Daniel McKellick, at right, discuss net metering credits with the Southwick Board of Selectmen and Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart this week. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)
Board signs agreement for net metering credits By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen signed an agreement with Nexamp this week to purchase net metering credits. The town and Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Department are entering the agreement to collectively purchase up to 50-percent of net metering credits from a solar photovoltaic project. Beth S. Greenblatt, managing director of Beacon Integrated Solutions, met with the board this week to talk about the project and what Nexamp offered the town and schools. Town Counsel Daniel M. McKellick also weighed-in on the agreement.
Greenblatt offered a regulatory update and said net metering is the process of measuring the difference between the electricity generated by the solar photovoltaic array and delivered to EverSource Energy, and the electricity consumed by the customer. Virtual Net Metering is a financial transaction whereby solar energy delivered to EverSource Energy is monetized and credited to a series of end-user accounts. Greenblatt said state law currently requires investor-owned utilities to buy renewable energy generation until the total installed capacity of net metered systems reaches fivepercent of peak demand for public sector projects and four-percent of peak demand for
See Agreement, Page 7
Southampton delays last call measures
Use caution when recording conversations in Massachusetts By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Shaun Hitchcock had no idea he was committing a crime when he recorded a traffic stop in January, but it turned out to be the beginning of a seven-month, $3,000 nightmare for the city resident. Hitchcock, 26, received three months probation in Westfield District Court last week when he accepted a plea bargain after being charged with illegal wiretapping. Wiretapping? Wiretapping is defined as: “A form of electronic eavesdropping accomplished by seizing or overhearing communications by means of a concealed recording or listening device connected to the transmission line,” according to thefreedictionary.com. This definition doesn’t begin to explain what happened in Hitchcock’s case. In the middle of a snowstorm at 5 a.m. on January 9, Hitchcock was pulled over for driving too fast for the road conditions. Hitchcock said in an interview Tuesday that he had carefully switched lanes as he was driving north on N. Elm Street when he was
private sector projects. EverSource has available capacity of 21 megawatts in the public sector, and 20.7 megawatts in the private sector. The Investment Tax Credit provides a 30 percent federal tax credit for solar systems installed by Dec. 31, 2016, after which it drops to 10 percent. “So we’re going to see a flurry of solar arrays next year,” said Greenblatt. Nexamp is developing and constructing three solar photovoltaic arrays in EverSource Energy’s service territory in Hadley, Hatfield and Whately, all of which are Community
Shaun Hitchcock holds the cell phone he used to record a traffic stop in January. (Christine Charnosky) pulled over by Westfield Police Officer Frank Soleimani. “I didn’t look up any laws,” Hitchcock said. “I decided to record the traffic stop in case he got out of control or in case he wrote a ticket for something I didn’t do. I couldn’t afford points on my license.” Hitchcock, who served in the United States Army for five years, said he placed his cell phone in the cupholder of his vehicle because he felt it was in his best interest to document the stop. Soleimani gave Hitchcock a warning
By CHRIS LINDAHL @cmlindahl Daily Hampshire Gazette SOUTHAMPTON — After hearing overwhelming opposition from restaurant owners about a measure that would clarify when alcohol may be served, the Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to table the proposal. The board will reconsider clarifying the last-call time after a committee, made up of residents and liquor license-holders, issues recommendations on the issue. The regulations were proposed in an effort to clarify confusion about when restaurants and bars may serve alcohol. Though a license specifies the hours during which an establishment may serve alcohol, town officials and police are unclear whether 1 a.m. is for last call, or when the establishment must close for business. Restaurant owners and residents were vocal in their firm opposition to the proposed regulations as written, which would set last call at no later than 12:30 a.m. and require that all alcoholic beverages be consumed by 12:45 a.m. Under the proposal, tables and bars would be cleared of glasses and bottles
See Recording, Page 7
See Last Call, Page 7
See Candidates, Page 7
By STEPHEN SINGER Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The mild summer so far has allowed New Englanders to often turn off their air conditioners, helping cut costs with reduced demand for electricity. An abundance of natural gas and more efficient power plants have helped reduce the wholesale price of energy, a respite from soaring heating costs in the winter, said ISO-New England, the region’s grid operator. “In New England, we have a tale of two seasons,” said Matthew White, chief economist at ISO-New England. The average wholesale price in June was 1.96 cents per kilowatt hour, down
by nearly 50 percent since June 2014, he said. The decline continued in July, dropping by more than 27 percent year over year, ISO said Tuesday. Costs are falling for some ratepayers, but it’s uneven among New England states and the lower prices are in effect for only a few months. The U.S. Energy Department said retail prices in New England were higher in June and July than in the same months last year. Connecticut regulators approved a nearly 20 percent cut, or an average $31 a month, for residential customers of Eversource from July 1 to Dec. 31. The price for customers of Central Maine Power dropped by more than 13 percent beginning last March 1 and
extends through the end of the year. Maine Public Utilities Commission Chairman Mark Vannoy cautioned that the trend may not continue due to strong demand for natural gas in New England and the limited capacity to deliver it. In Massachusetts, a reduction of more than 20 percent kicked in May 1, but rates climbed more than 30 percent last November, said David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid. Vermont did not deregulate its power markets and it avoids price spikes and cost-cutting, said Public Service Commissioner Christopher Recchia. “We’re pretty stable here,” he said. See Costs, Page 7
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Mild summer cuts air conditioning, lowers electricity costs