Published in the August 7, 2018 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Wayne Tarr is the new Municipal Gas & Light Commissioner and will fill the vacant slot created when Commissioner William Boodry resigned last May. Tarr was appointed by a slim 6-5 vote at a joint meeting of the Municipal Gas & Light Commission and the Town Council last night.
Vacancies on certain elected town boards that occur between elections are filled by a joint meeting of the remaining members of the board with the vacancy and the Town Council.
Tarr, a Jackson Lane resident, was a member of the Board of Selectman for nine years and has also served as a member of the Board of Public Works. He has been a member of the Finance Committee for the past three years. He is employed as General Manager of Massachusetts Ready Mix in Littleton.
His appointment to serve on the Municipal Gas & Light Commission will run until the spring 2019 Town Election. Tarr ran unsuccessfully for the Light Commission in last April’s election. Tarr said today that as a result of last night’s appointment he will be resigning from the Finance Committee.
A total of nine applicants applied for the vacant position, but in the end, it appeared to come down to a choice between Tarr and Philip Courcy, a retired National Grid engineer who lives on Pine Hill Circle. Tarr had the majority of the Town Council votes, while Courcy was the choice of most of the Light Commissioners.
Town Council Chairman Peter May called upon Light Commission chair Jennifer Kallay to discuss the commission’s preference.
Kallay said that at the commission’s last meeting they reviewed the applications in light of what they would be doing over the next eight months and what skills would be needed. She noted that the commission expects to begin work on a long-term strategic plan for the utility including capital investments in energy generation and distribution infrastructure. That task, she said, would involve technical skills that are not fully represented on the current commission.
As a result, Kallay said, the commission voted 3-1 to recommend Courcy, with Tarr receiving the other vote.
May then called for discussion by Town Council members, starting with Julie Smith-Galvin, who serves as liaison between the Town Council and the Municipal Gas & Light Department. She said that she supported the commission’s majority choice of Courcy.
Councilor Ann Santos said that while she was impressed by Courcy’s qualifications, she was approached by Tarr before anyone else’s name was submitted and had pledged her support to him. She said that her support was based on her knowledge of Tarr’s past service to the town and her belief that such service would make him a good Light Commissioner.
Councilor Edward Dombroski said that he would also be supporting Tarr. Dombroski served with Tarr on the FinCom and said cited Tarr’s institutional knowledge of the town and his approach to problem-solving — qualities that he felt would benefit the Light Commission.
May also indicated that he would support Tarr based on his experience and knowledge of the town.
Councilor Mehreen Butt said that based on past practice it was her understanding that the Town Council generally deferred to the recommendation of the other board. Butt said that she was disappointed that councilors weren’t following that practice especially in light of the needs that Kallay had laid out in her remarks.
But Councilor Paul DiNocco said that it was not always true that deference was given to the choice of the board with the vacancy. At times, he noted, a candidate who previously ran unsuccessfully for the position was chosen. DiNocco said that he too was approached by Tarr early in the process and had agreed to support him.
Smith-Galvin said that she was “disappointed that people would make up their minds on a candidate before seeing all of the applicants.” She observed that the Town Council received the nine applications three weeks ago, but it sounded to her like members of the Town Council had made up their minds long before that.
To not accept the Light Commission’s recommendation was “irresponsible,” Smith-Galvin said.
Santos took some exception to Smith-Galvin’s comments, saying that she did review all the resumes and found them very impressive. But she argued that Tarr belonged in that group based on his having run for the office and what he could bring to the table. She added that she had given her word and would not go back on it.
Light Commissioner Kevin Haggerty served with Tarr in the past on the Board of Selectmen. He noted that often when appointments are made there is a unanimous consensus among the remaining members of the board with the vacancy. That was not the case this time, he stressed. He also echoed DiNocco’s point that there is precedent for appointing a candidate who showed his interest by running previously for the position as Tarr had done.
Town Councilor Tony Longo said that Tarr had earned his vote by running in the last election.
Ultimately, Santos made the motion to appoint Tarr to fill the vacancy. Town Councilors Santos, Longo, May, DiNocco, and Dombroski voted in favor of the motion, as did Light Commissioner Haggerty.
Voting “No” were Light Commissioners Kallay, Kenneth Chase and Jack Warchol. Town Councilors Smith-Galvin and Butt also voted “No.”
