North Adams Councilor Presses for City Planner
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City Councilor Andrew Fitch urged his colleagues on Tuesday to press the need for a city planner on the mayor.
The councilor had voted against recommending the Compensation & Classification plan presented to the Finance Committee because he felt it didn't beef up the Community Development Office enough.
"We have had a city planner in the past, we don't have a city planner now," he said. "I'm not trying to say that the city planner is the only solution to all of our problems. However, I do believe that if we invest a little bit more in our Community Development Office that we'll be able to take on some of these large challenges that our community faces."
His request was "totally out of line," said City Councilor Wayne Wilkinson, saying the newly elected councilor didn't yet understand the difference between the mayor's and council's rules and responsibilities.
"You're trying to do the mayor's job for her," he said. "You didn't like what happened in committee from what I understand. And now you're trying to supersede the mayor by coming back to the council to supersede her ...
"You need to understand what a strong mayor form of government is. That we're not equal."
Other councilors, while not supporting Wilkinson also did not fully back Fitch's goals.
Councilor Lisa Blackmer disagreed with Wilkinson's statements that the mayor stands alone. A lot has happened in the last 20 years, she noted, and the council has become much more proactive and engaged within the city's "strong mayor" form of government.
"We have the right and the responsibility to advocate for what we think is important, whether or not that ends up happening while the mayor is trying to juggle every single need we have in the city, it is our role," she said. "If we feel strongly enough about something, we do have the right to bring that to attention."
Fitch responded that he respected, trusted and supported Mayor Jennifer Macksey, but "I live in a world in which I think it's important to ask questions, and I fully recognize that we have a strong mayor system of government, but I also think it's our responsibilities in our jobs as councilors to advocate for change."
Councilor Ashley Shade said she also recognized the need to fill positions that have gone lacking in City Hall, but not when the budget for fiscal 2025 is up by more than a million dollars. She also noted that one important role — a grant writer and coordinator — had been filled as a good first step.
"We can't just talk about adding things to the budget without talking about how we fund them," she said. "And that's where the mayor's job and that's where her team does the research and looks into doing things."
Fitch's concerns had been on the agenda and he had planned a slide presentation but the technical hookup wasn't available.
"I don't need to show this presentation because you all know what our buildings look like around town. We all know what downtown looks like. You all know the challenges in our community," he said. "I think that this is a great time to invest in our Community Development Office."
Councilor Peter Breen added that the city could also use a city engineer because the commissioner of public services was being spread thin trying to take that role along with other duties.
"There's two positions that we desperately, desperately need is a city planner and a city engineer and they work together. I envisioned that out here in the lobby, drawings and models," he said. "We have so much going on, we have close to $600 million worth of projects if we get fire station, we got the school, we got the flood chutes, we're working with Tourists and the other developments over there.
"Everyone needs help. And it has to be the city."
He suggested partnering with other organizations, such as the city has with the Hoosic River Revival and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts on grants and initiatives or instituting a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program.
The mayor responded that their concerns weren't falling on deaf ears but they weren't going to be addressed in this budget cycle. She had added on a third person in Community Development and the city had received a technical assistance grant for distressed communities that was doing some planning work.
"So we have a group of consultants that are working behind the scenes with the whole team," she said. "They've reached out to the private sector and met with some individuals about how we can rebuild economic development. And how does government play a role in that."
The mayor agreed that a planner and engineer were needed but "we're just not there yet. ... Again, in this administrative this cycle, that's not a priority."
Macksey wanted to have a team approach with the councilors and "enjoyed their suggestions" but pointedly said, "I will build out my administration as I see fit."
"I've had several conversations with a lot of private investors who want to fund a planner, but I don't want to be owned by anyone," she said. "I want us to kind of be able to fund with these types of things on our own."
Councilor Keith Bona said he thought the way Fitch had gone about expressing the issue had been transparent and concise.
"I appreciation your passion and it doesn't hurt to advocate for what you believe in. I don't want to discourage anybody if they have something that they're passionate about to bring it forward," said President Bryan Sapienza. "We do have to understand that we do have limitations with the budget, of course, and we work as a team, we're a team, we work with the mayor, we work the best we can. We may not always agree with each other but if we can, we work the best we can with each other."
In other business, the council:
• Approved the transfer of $2,300 from Tinker Fund to Public Services' for cemetery repairs and maintenance at Hill Side Cemetery by the restoration group. The fund currently has a balance of $53,000.
• Confirmed the appointments to the Historical Commission of Richard Dassatti to fill the unexpired term of Christopher Wondolowski until Jan. 2, 2025; Wayne Andreatta for a term expiring Jan. 2, 2027; Gabrielle West to fill the unexpired term of Charles Felix Jr. until Jan. 2, 2026.
• Referred a communication from Sapienza to the Traffic Commission regarding removing the school zone on Kemp Avenue for the long closed Sullivan School and that was amended to review all school zones. The commission had already recommended a school zone at McCann Technical School on Hodges Cross Road; the council at Blackmer's suggestion referred that zone and the commission's future recommendations to Public Safety so the ordinance could published once and save money.
• Postponed until next month a vote on an ordinance that would have extended a Business Zone in the West End to cover a single-family home adjacent Tourists. The resort wishes to use the building for offices but is in talks with neighbors who opposed it. The council received a legal opinion that it would not be spot zoning but must be rezoned for use as a business office, which would also allow for less restrictive uses but the city solicitor suggested he could do more research.
Bona questioned what the difference would be in a month. Eric Kerns, representing the resort, said Tourists was open to finding a way to assure their neighbors but had so far only seen rezoning as an option to use the structure.
"We're on the same side of this concept, is there a way for that to be made manifest in a way that allows us legally to utilize [the building] and protects them in the future from somebody trying to put in a Wendy's?" he said.
• Heard from the mayor about vacancies on the Board of Health, the Commission on Disabilities, the Mass MoCA Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning Board, the Tree commission, the Youth Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Commission.
Anyone interested in serving on a board is asked to fill out the application here.
Tags: appointments, community development,
