EASTHAMPTON — The process of hiring a new chief of staff for Mayor Nicole LaChapelle is moving ahead, even though the city solicitor has yet to weigh in on whether the position is permitted by the city charter.
Both the mayor and City Council President Joseph McCoy have asked City Solicitor John Fitz-Gibbon for an opinion, which he had not released as of Thursday.
“I asked if I had the authority to create the position,” LaChapelle told the council on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Licensing Board lost its clerk in LaChapelle’s restructuring of city departments, which Chairwoman Kelly Richey said has distressed the board.
Former mayor Michael Tautznik said LaChapelle did not follow the city charter when creating the chief of staff position. Under a section in the charter for organization of city agencies, restructuring can be done by an ordinance or administrative code. Both involve processes with the City Council and a public hearing.
LaChapelle has said she is following the charter and can create a chief of staff job.
The chief of staff, who would serve as acting mayor in LaChapelle’s short-term absence, is just one of the changes in a department restructuring to make city business more efficient, she said. Another change includes forming a collections division and creating the role of a junior engineer.
“In my view, effective government requires a constant examination of city policies, protocols and practices, as we owe this city nothing less than our absolute best preparations for the future security and economic prosperity of Easthampton,” LaChapelle said, explaining her vision for the city’s government.
She said her other initiatives include engaging citizens to fill open board seats and seeking a Community Compact grant to modernize and increase access to budget documents and operational information. She also hosts a weekly mayoral update on television every Thursday through Easthampton Media.
“I created a chief of staff position to ensure my vision and related initiatives happen by providing project detail and assistance to departments, given the school consolidation project, search for a new superintendent, the introduction of cannabis-related industries, and development of complex properties in Easthampton,” LaChapelle said.
The chief of staff job posting closed on Wednesday and LaChapelle said there have been several applicants. She said the pay would be “commensurate with experience.” She plans to start reviewing applicants before the city solicitor releases his opinion.
Meanwhile, Richey, of the Licensing Board, told the council Wednesday that the volunteer board has been “crippled” by LaChapelle’s restructuring of city employees.
The changes included the removal of the board’s clerk, who Richey said was instrumental in the licensing process and vital to the functioning of the board.
“She assisted in the reviewing of applications for correctness, prepared all of the issuing licensing paperwork and acted as a liaison between the ABCC and the board,” Richey said of the clerk, referring to the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. “This clerk was removed without any discussion with us.”
LaChapelle apologized to the board and said she was not aware of the concerns. She said clerical work for the board is being done by Administrative Assistant Jennifer Day.
When it comes to who will do the clerical work in the future, LaChapelle said it depends on funding.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.