PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council's Ordinance and Rules Committee remains torn on the concept of requiring those who serve on boards and commissions to be city residents. 

 

In May, resident David Pill filed a petition calling for such a regulation. The subcommittee took it up for the third time on Tuesday night and opted to send it to the full council with a positive recommendation in a split vote.

 

However, even those in favor of approving such an ordinance believes there is still more work to be done.

 

"There is a lot of merit to this, it is just finding where we need to be. What is going to be the overall way to do this?" said subcommittee Chairwoman Melissa Mazzeo. 

 

Mazzeo was joined by Ward 5 Councilor Donna Todd Rivers and Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo in approving the order. Councilor at Large Peter White and Ward 6 Councilor John Krol opposed it — looking to file the petition instead. For River, she believes there are plenty of people qualified to serve on boards and commissions who live in Pittsfield — even boards and commissions which have specific requirements such as the Animal Control Commission, which requires a veterinarian. 

 

"Every one of the requirements, there is at least one professional living in the city of Pittsfield with those requirements," Rivers said. 

 

She added that people who live elsewhere are still allowed to voice their opinions on matters that impact them. Those who have a vested interested but don't live in the city still have the ability to talk to the councilor or mayor, or file petitions so they aren't excluded. At the same time, Rivers said there are many Pittsfield residents who would like to be involved but are never asked. 

 

Pill said that is one of the reason he filed the petition — because there are people who have expertise. But, even more importantly to Pill, he believes decisions that impact the city's residents should be made by city residents who are impacted. He said no other town offers out-of-town residents a seat in legislating their towns. 

 

"At the end of the day that as valuable the contributions may be, there are other people who can make valuable contributions and they haven't been asked," Pill said. 

 

Lou Costi is a former city councilor who has since moved to Cheshire. Yet, the developer owns nine properties and sits on the Community Development Board — a role overseeing land use. 

 

"I'm very committed to the city. I can offer a lot," Costi told the subcommittee.  "There are a lot of very capable people outside of the city who can be a big help in the city."

 

Krista Wroldson Miller was appointed to the Animal Control Commission when she lived in the city but she has since purchased a house in Windsor. Her children still attend school here, her law practice is based in Pittsfield, and she continues to take the 30-minute drive to attend those meetings. She says it doesn't matter where the board members lay their heads at night, just that they care and are committed to the city.

 

It is people like Miller and Costi that White doesn't want to exclude. 

 

"I think we have great people form surrounding communities that do have a stake here and do care about what is going on here. I don't think we should be excluding people who want to give back to Pittsfield," White said.

 

White says every appointment already comes to the City Council for approval, so the councilors have the ability now to deny a non-Pittsfield resident a seat. Mazzeo said that's never happened in the past. Every approval has been made with little discussion. 

 

"When push comes to shove and they are sitting in the audience, we don't say no," she said. 

 

That conversation is one the subcommittee has already debated in the past. The group has made multiple attempts at reaching a compromise but denied them all. That includes Krol calling for the residency requirement only for boards and commissions with permit granting authority. The board also did not reach conclusions on whether specifically required position — such as the veterinarian or the doctor on the Board of Health — should be included. Mazzeo says those positions should be filled by out-of-town residents only if there are no local residents coming forward.

 

"We should be able to find people to fill every little niche," Mazzeo said. 

 

At this point, the group is just spinning its wheels, Caccamo said, and the ordinance needs to go to the full council next. 

 

"We can't get anywhere as far as amendments, agreements," Caccamo said, calling the debate a "rabbit hole" in which the subcommittee will never reach a conclusion. "At this point, due to the time its been here, I think we've done as much as we can."

 

The 3-2 vote sends the ordinance, which will encompass all board and commissions and all members, to the full city council. The only exemptions would be for the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority and the School Building Needs Commissions. 

 

White said he opposed doing that because the question should remain at the subcommittee level until fully vetted. Krol opposed the positive recommendation because he doesn't support it across the board because of the value out of towners can provide to many commissions. 

 

"I think going the full route is far too far," Krol said. "I think we should be opening our arms to all."