NORTHAMPTON — Nearly two months after Belchertown leaders penned a fiery letter about management concerns at the Hampshire Council of Governments, the agency’s executive committee is reviewing the contract and performance of its executive director, Todd M. Ford.
Meanwhile, one member of the executive committee resigned Dec. 8, effective immediately.
Michael Sarsynski, re-elected in April to represent Hadley in a three-year term with the council, said Monday that between his work on other community boards, his full-time job and newly married life, serving on the council’s board “became too much.”
Sarsynksi was known for asking tough questions about the HCOG’s direction during his intermittent 20-year tenure.
“Many times I was the odd man out and it became — it wasn’t any fun any more for me,” he said of his resignation.
The council is a 15-town consortium, representing mostly rural towns in Hampshire County, that pools regional resources to provide services to its members. Fees vary from town to town, based on population and services.
Sarsynski said he has high hopes the agency can overcome financial struggles and remain viable.
“There’s been some disappointments, but maybe the retail side can pull them through,” he said. “I’ve got affection for the COG and I took this decision — not lightly.”
Hadley Town Clerk Jessica Spanknebel said Monday the vacancy will be filled temporarily with an appointment from that town’s Select Board. She said a new representative will be chosen during town elections in the spring.
As HCOG’s executive committee prepares to review Ford’s performance, Belchertown town leaders said Monday that issues they raised this fall have not yet been addressed.
In an October letter, Belchertown Select Board Chairman George “Archie” Archible and Town Administrator Gary Brougham took the COG’s leadership to task for what they say are high turnover rates within the organization.
They also criticized the COG — under Ford’s management — for misrepresenting cost savings and for mishandling the residential electricity program application rejected by the state in an unprecedented decision. The letter came after two employees resigned from the organization. In the letter, town leaders said they would consider withdrawing their membership in 2017 “unless appropriate change is implemented.”
Brougham said there will likely be a meeting between the two parties early next year. “We’ll give them the opportunity to convince us they are the real deal,” he said.
Brougham said Monday there’s “no one being held accountable” for the failed municipal aggregation program, which he said cost member towns about $1 million and months of unfulfilled promises.
Ford declined to comment Monday, deferring to a guest column that previously ran in the Gazette. The column described the agency’s work as “entrepreneurial government,” and Ford wrote that the HCOG was unfairly targeted.
He wrote that it succeeds in its mission to “save communities money, keep purchases in the local economy, enhance local sustainability and provide a collective voice for shared issues and concerns.”
Ford noted that between fiscal year 2014 and 2016 the HCOG’s electricity supply arm, Hampshire Power, “saved our customers $7.9 million when our rates are compared to the default rates offered by the utilities.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.