Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle made the right decision this week to slow down her restructuring of municipal government when she halted the hiring of a new chief of staff and called for an independent investigation to determine if her planned changes had created a “hostile work environment.”
We agree with LaChapelle’s goal of seeking efficiencies by consolidating the duties of some employees. There appear to be good reasons for creating a chief of staff position to supervise day-to-day operation of the city and act as a liaison between the mayor, City Council, municipal departments and state officials.
However, we are concerned that LaChapelle moved too quickly in creating that job and overstepped her authority by not following the rules specified in the city charter. To her credit, LaChapelle, who took office in January, as well as City Council President Joseph McCoy, sought legal advice from John Fitz-Gibbon, the city’s lawyer.
Fitz-Gibbon ruled this week that while the mayor has the authority to appoint a chief of staff, the position first must be created by ordinance or formal administrative action. Both involve the City Council and a public hearing.
“It is my opinion that the Charter demands this kind of public airing, particularly for a position of such responsibility and authority such as described in the Notice of the Position Vacancy that was posted on February 20th,” Fitz-Gibbon wrote Monday.
Former mayor Michael Tautznik, who served between 1996 and 2014, this month criticized the City Council for failing to react to LaChapelle’s disregard of the charter, and he claimed that damaged trust in government and led to poor morale.
“The actions taken and not taken by those who represent us are affecting the operations of our government in profound ways and creating a hostile work environment at City Hall,” Tautznik charged. “The City Council’s failure to foster and promote public dialogue about these questionable actions is instilling a lack of trust in our government processes and causing undue damage to the morale and effectiveness of the men and women who work in the community we love and support.”
LaChapelle responded by telling the City Council on Wednesday, “This is a serious statement that cannot and will not be taken lightly. I have instructed our personnel director, under protocols, to begin an independent investigation around this statement … The process will also include an appointment of an independent investigator.”
Hitting the pause button also allows city officials to assess Fitz-Gibbon’s opinion that the creation of other municipal jobs in the past ran afoul of the city charter. LaChapelle, McCoy, Finance Director Melissa Zawadzki and Personnel Director Monica Kane issued a joint statement Wednesday acknowledging that a comprehensive review is needed.
“Several opportunities to clarify employment practices and classifications across our municipal government have been identified,” LaChapelle told the City Council. “The legal advisory well outlines areas that give both the mayor’s office and City Council avenues to update and clarify past practices that reflect the always intended equity and fairness in the city’s employment practices.”
We hope that city officials proceed quickly to clarify the proper procedure for creating high-profile municipal jobs such as the mayor’s chief of staff. We believe it is important to involve the City Council and give the public a chance to ask questions so there is a clear understanding of why the job is needed and the responsibilities of the position.
We also urge LaChapelle to be transparent by releasing the results of the investigation about whether morale has been damaged in City Hall. It is important that municipal employees and residents not lose trust in LaChapelle during her first few months in office. Easthampton needs a unifying, effective leader as it faces issues including whether to become a sanctuary city and a debt-exclusion override vote May 22 on a new $109 million school.
“We’re not going to make the same mistake twice on relying on past actions to interpret our charter,” LaChapelle said Wednesday. We trust that the mayor will be true to her word.