Politics & Government

Shehady Studies Westfield Council

Mayor-designate Shehady starts observations in town.

Springfield Township Committeeman Ziad Shehady, the presumptive next mayor of the township, came to Wednesday night's Westfield Town Council meeting to observe the body and gain insight into other towns do business. This was the first stop on what he said will be a tour of neighboring communities.

"I think Westfield has a rich history," Shehady said in an interview following the meeting. "They have a reputation as a well run town. I wanted to observe."

Shehady, a Republican, will be taking over as Springfield's first GOP mayor in almost two decades in January. Under the township's form of government, five committee members at elected at-large and then choose one of their own to be mayor for a one year term. The Springfield mayor's office traditionally changes hands annually.

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The mayor-designate said he wants to learn how other towns set the agendas of the meetings, how the Council committees function and the relationship between part time elected officials and the full time department heads. During Wednesday's meeting, he saw an active committee process, with Councilman Mark Ciarrocca, delivering a lengthy report from the public safety, transportation and parking committee on pedestrian safety related issues. Westfield workshop meetings normally feature a report from one of the Council's four standing committees.

Shehady, a former Westfield resident, said one area he was interested in learning about was the presence of department heads at Council meetings. In Springfield, the township clerk, business administrator and township attorney traditionally attend meetings, with the chief financial officer showing up at recent meetings. In Westfield, the police and fire chiefs, along with the town engineer are regular participants. The CFO normally does not attend. Health Officer Megan Avallone, who also covers Springfield under the regional health department model, attends on an as needed basis to discuss public health issues.

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"It's hard to get a big scopre of things in one meeting," Shehady said of the various issues learned.

In addition to observing the meeting, Shehady has met privately with Skibitsky about issues. He also took time last night to have a closed door meeting with Skibitsky, Ciarrocca, Councilman Jim Foerst and Councilmen-elect Sam Della Fera and Keith Loughlin. During the meeting he took time to invite the Council to attend his swearing in ceremony in January.

Outside of observing town operations, Shehady said he is interested in exploring shared services with neighboring communities. Westfield and Springfield are already involved in the joint health department with six other communities. Shehady said he is keeping his mind open on the topic of shared services and is looking forward to discussing issues with neighboring communities.

In Westfield, Shehady said he particularly wants to discuss pool renovation issues with town officials. On Tuesday night, Springfield voters rejected a bond initiative to refurbish the township pool for the first time in 40 years. He said there was misinformation in town between the use of tax dollars and using money raised through the sale of municipal bonds.

Westfield renovated the Memorial Pool several years ago, adding new decks, relined pools and an upgraded children's area. With both pools organized as utilities, meaning they are self sustaining from membership fees and not through property taxes, Shehady wants to learn more about how Westfield handled the pool renovation project.

"We have to see what is the next step," he said about Springfield's pool issues.


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