Speaking for myself as a city councilor, in my third term, and not a plaintiff in the Holyoke needle exchange lawsuit, I would like to reply to the spiteful, belittling, and, frankly, ill-informed editorial of May 27.
The lawsuit, as you wrote, was a “legal spat” and concerned “hurt feelings” on the part of the plaintiffs. Rather, according to the Superior Court judge, it was about Massachusetts General Law.
What Judge Mason ruled is the Holyoke mayor broke that law. Specifically, the judge said that the law demands that a municipality’s legislative body – the people’s representatives – make the call on whether or not to have a needle exchange program.
Judge Mason wrote the law is clear that it’s not up to the mayor and his appointees on the Board of Health who make this determination. (You likely knew the Board of Health broke the law, too, when it initially approved needle exchange without telling the public it planned to take up the issue. It’s called the Open Meeting Law. That’s now two public departments in violate of General Law on this one matter; but who’s counting?)
For your information, the mayor can reach out to any councilor and ask said representative to file an order to begin public debate. To my knowledge, the mayor’s not done so.
But in your view from 10 miles away it’s the big, bad City Council that’s not doing its job.
In my five years on the board I’ve yet to see or hear from a Gazette reporter. Come down to Holyoke once, dear editor, and judge for yourself, in person, whether the council does its job.
But that would require you to report more and pontificate less, wouldn’t it?
David K. Bartley
Holyoke
The writer represents Ward 3 on the Holyoke City Council.