Pittsfield Council Reaches Compromise On Vice President Debate
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Move over councilors, let the clerks handle this.
After what totaled more than two hours of debate over a two-week period, the City Council ultimately figured out how the next council will choose a vice president. And it came from a suggestion to the councilors from outgoing City Clerk Linda Tyer and incoming City Clerk Jody Phillips.
"I love the compromise I think it is right where it needs to be," said Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo.
The question arose two weeks ago when outgoing Ward 5 Councilor Jonathan Lothrop petitioned to change the City Council's rules to change the vice president position that elected by a vote of the entire council. Lothrop said the city charter calls for the position to be elected but the rules didn't reflect that.
"The new charter talks about the election of both the president and the vice president after the inauguration ceremony," Lothrop said.
However, his initial bid to change was halted by a charter objection from current President Melissa Mazzeo. She said she wanted to keep the position as one appointed by the president and that any such change should be vetted through the council's subcommittee, which she said there wasn't enough time for before inauguration.
"I strongly felt we were about ready to take a vote on this issue and I can't say enough that I feel this isn't something that should be voted on right now. This is something that should go to ordinance and rules," Mazzeo said.
After more than an hour of debate and multiple amendments, Lothrop's push was seconds away from a vote when Mazzeo invoked the objection. That meeting was the last one of the year so it appeared the next council would adhere to the rules that said the vice president is appointed. But, then Councilors Lothrop, Barry Clairmont, and John Krol petitioned for a special council meeting.
"The urgency for me tonight is so we don't have a conflict with our rules on inauguration. In my mind, this is tidying up the business of the council," Lothrop said.
On Tuesday, another hour of debate rehashing many of the same arguments each side laid out in the first meeting led to a failed vote to call the question, and two amendments — one failed and one passed. Ultimately, the decision wasn't exactly what either side wanted.
In a 9-1 vote, with Churchill Cotton absent and Mazzeo voting against it, the council adopted the wording from Phillips and Tyer that calls for the president to put forth a vice president candidate and the council will vote to confirm the candidate to the seat.
"I don't see anything wrong with making this compromise," Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Simonelli, who opposed Lothrop's amendment to make the position elected, said. "It is a compromise where everybody wins... I think good government compromises."
Krol said he felt the clerks' version was a "fallback version" if the council couldn't come to terms on Lothrop's amendment. And the clerks versions were a good compromise, and received the support of some of the councilors in opposition to Lothrops, so he put his support behind it.
The entire debate became somewhat more heated because of the timing. Lothrop realized just before the last meeting as a council that the rules weren't changed. The new council takes over on Jan. 4 during the inauguration ceremony and the councilors said they didn't want to have a debate over the vice president then.
"Inauguration day is a day of celebration and not a day for a council floor fight ...The outgoing council has the responsibility to fix this," Clairmont said. "The charter does say elect and says elect the president and the vice president."
Others, like Mazzeo, Simonelli, Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi and Vice President Christopher Connell, thought it was too late in the year to bring up such a change. Those opponents said the council wouldn't debate on inauguration but instead operate the way council has always has when it comes to vice president. The question could have then be vetted by the council's subcommittee and put in place for the next inauguration.
"I don't think anybody wants to start the next term with controversy," Simonelli said.
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