Ed Jarvis Affirmed To Greenfield Public Safety Commission

By KENNEDY GRIFFIN

(Greenfield, MA) At Wednesday’s Greenfield City Council meeting, two appointments to the Public Safety Commission were up for a vote to affirm their positions: Ed Jarvis and Karen Wessinger.

Ed Jarvis was affirmed to the Commission. He brings thirty years of experience in public safety having been a firefighter, shift captain, fire prevention captain, and Deputy Fire Chief in Greenfield.

While a formal vote is not required to affirm a Mayoral appointment, it would take a vote of at least nine to reject the appointment and Wessinger’s appointment was rejected in a three to nine vote.

There was some concern voiced by councilors like Marianne Bullock about “biased appointments” and the composition of the Public Safety Commission potentially lacking diversity.

When the council asked the Mayor about her selection process and why some applicants did not get appointed, Mayor Wedegartner said it was important that “members know how to work in a committee” and can deliberate and assert their interests but also have the ability to accept the will of the committee.