By CHRIS COLLINS
(Greenfield, MA) — A Greenfield city councilor has accused a mayoral appointee of making “bigoted” statements.
Greenfield City Council Vice-President Otis Wheeler made the allegations during Wednesday night’s discussion of a number of board appointments and re-appointments put forth by Mayor Roxann Wedegartner.
“I will be abstaining from this vote because one of these individuals has made bigoted statements, both publicly and privately in the past, so I don’t feel comfortable voting to affirm that person,” Wheeler said, adding that his action should not be construed as a negative statement against the other appointees.
Wheeler declined to name the individual in question. The mayoral appointees named on the published agenda were Emily Ballard & Wendy Goodman, Human Rights Commission, Toheeb Bakare, Youth Commission; Linda Smith, Council on Aging; David Levandusky, Wanda Pyfrom & Eva Carrier: Board of Registrars, and Walter Boyd, Zoning Board of Appeals.
All appointees were unanimously affirmed by the council’s Appointments and Ordinances subcommittee.
Councilors had considered voting on the candidates individually, but instead decided to take them as a group, which is more consistent with past practices regarding mayoral appointees. All were approved, because it takes nine council votes to block mayoral appointments.
Among the councilors voting no were Sheila Gilmour and Norman Hirschfeld. Councilors Tim Dolan and Phil Elmer joined Wheeler in abstaining.