Pittsfield Appoints In-House Solicitor, COA DirectorBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:00PM / Friday, December 13, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The City Council appointed two leadership positions on Tuesday, bringing legal services in-house and a new face to the senior center.
Following Stephen Pagnotta's retirement, the city has hired Devon Grierson as the in-house City Solicitor for legal matters. Jennifer Reynolds was also appointed as the director of the Council on Aging/Senior Center.
Both will begin work in early January.
"I am proud to say that we are going to have an in-house, full-time city solicitor," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.
For the past several years, the city has been under a contract with Donovan O'Connor & Dodig LLP for city solicitor services. Over the summer, it was revealed that City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta intends to retire at the end of the year and the firm has communicated that nobody is willing to take his position.
In July, the Personnel Review Board supported a reclassification from Grade M-9 with a salary ranging from $98,171 to $127,623 annually to Grade M-10 with a salary ranging from $107,983 to $140,377 annually.
Marchetti told the board that the city needed to take a dual approach, advertising for an in-house solicitor and putting out an RFP to engage another law firm. He was also doubtful about interest from other law firms.
"I don't think we're going to find a law firm in Berkshire County who is going to want to take the position and quite frankly, I don't think that I as mayor want a city solicitor stationed in Boston that is only here when needed," he said.
Months later, Grierson answered the call. Now the city will not be contracting out for legal services.
Prior to this, Grierson worked as the first associate city solicitor of Springfield, similarly providing legal guidance to all city departments, boards, and commissions, supervising the legal services division of the law department, and drafting and approving the form of all contracts issued by the city.
He earned a Bachelor's in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and then graduated from the Western New England University School of Law.
Reynolds has worked as the senior center director for the town of Bernardston, and Amherst's senior services office manager. This year, she was recognized with the Massachusetts Council on Aging Innovation of the Year Award, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute Top Innovator in Digital Inclusion Award, and the National Council on Aging Program of Excellence Award.
In other news, the council accepted several grants, including $18,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation for boat ramp monitors.
Zebra mussels were detected in both city lakes this year. Boat monitors check incoming vessels for the invasive species before entering the waterbody.
Other accepted grants: $40,000 was accepted from the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance and Massachusetts Office on Disability for the FY25 Municipal ADA Improvement Grant; $15,000 was accepted from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for initiatives in Pittsfield's Upstreet Cultural District spearheaded by the Office of Cultural Development; $64,763.75 was accepted from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security for the FY25 Violence Against Women Act STOP Grant.
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