City Council - Appointment Committee

Appointment Committee Meeting Minutes: February 25, 2021 Councilor Rothschild called the meeting to order at 4:08 pm. Members Present: Councilor Lindsey Rothschild, Councilor Erica Flood, Councilor James P. Kwiecinski (JP) Also in Attendance: Matthew Waugh, Councilor Homar Gomez, Louise Jacobs Approval of Minutes: Motion (Councilor Kwiecinski) to approve minutes from 01/28/2021. Second (Councilor Flood). Unanimously Approved . Public Speak Time: No comments from the public. Continuing Business: Mayoral Appointments: Discussion of Candidates for appointment: Name Board/Committee Term Expires Louise Jacobs Council on Aging Dec. 31, 2022 Matthew Waugh Zoning Board of Appeals Dec. 31, 2023 Discussion with candidate: Matthew Waugh Recently served on ECA, wanted to continue serving the city but in a new capacity because there are people on a waiting list to serve on the ECA committee. Business owner and interested in business. Mayor helped him choose a new Board to serve on. This is a new area for him to explore. Motion: Motion (Councilor Kwiecinski) to recommend to appointment M Waugh to Zoning Board of Appeals with term expiring Dec. 31, 2023. Second (Councilor Rothschild). Unanimously Approved. March 3rd is next Full City Council Meeting. Discussion with candidate: Louise Jacobs See letter attached (below) answering questions posed by the committee ahead of time. Motion to reccommend appointment to the Council on Aging with term ending Dec. 31, 2022 (Councilor Flood) Second (Councilor Kwiecinski) Unanimously Approved. March 3rd is next Full City Council Meeting. Discussion about proposal to amend Council Rule 11H – Role of the Appointments Committee (to establish process & communication), main focus of tonight’s discussion was on mayoral appointment process as discussed with Councilor Rothschild in a separate meeting prior to today. Mayor states the charter does not require an application, resume or cover letter at this time. Sometimes they are collected but not all the time. Mayor does not want to create barriers to service so thus the lack of focus on this piece of information. Sometimes the folks at city hall will complete an application on behalf of an applicant – over the phone for example, sometimes an email is sent in with basic background information provided and an interest in serving mentioned. Mayor committed to passing on unredacted candidate info on to committee for us to review when an application is received. (Councilor Kwiecinski) prefers that there is some sort of formal application or letter or resume embedded in the process. Mayor should take on this responsibility before sending candidates to committee. Councilor Flood agree with this sentiment and voiced that a consistent process should be followed for all candidates in order for the process to be considered fair and equitable by the public. Consensus was reached that Committee will require the Mayor makes certain an application, resume or letter of interest is collected by Mayor’s office when a candidate reaches out and voices an interest in serving on a committee.  Next Meeting Scheduled : Monday, March 11, 2021 @ 3:30pm Motion to adjourn (Councilor Kwiecinski)) Second (Councilor Flood) 4:30pm Respectfully Submitted, Councilor Erica Ann Flood Clerk to the Appointment Committee Attachment: Letter of Interest Council on Aging committee August, 2020 Dear Mayor Chapelle I am writing to apply for the vacancy on the Council of Aging. As a senior residing in Easthampton, I have lived experience of many of the local barriers and difficulties holding back seniors from participating in the life of our community. While the CoA currently provides restricted recreation for a small selection of seniors, and limited transportation for basic survival errands, I believe it could do much more, even within current budget, to widen its horizons, welcome diverse members, and enable interested seniors to access the cultural events, institutions, and wealth of innovation and growing vibrancy that attracts people of all ages to Easthampton. I would like to encourage, and contribute to, the development of more diverse and empowering provision to meet the changing needs of a wider section of Easthampton's growing community of seniors. Thank you, Louise Jacob