Chicopee City Council approves $173,000 to try to fix its human resources department

This one is mostly not AI, but I'm keeping this same gaudy format for consistency. Written/generated based on a transcript created with automatic speech recognition software from a video recording of the November 7 Chicopee City Council Meeting. The author does not know the voice of any city officials and it's kind of a game to him to report on the city council without this information. 

 That transcript is available here: https://skynet-times.blogspot.com/2024/11/transcript-of-chicopee-city-council_13.html

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Chicopee City Council approves funding for economic development director position

By Jonathan Gerhardson on November 14, 2024. 

During their Nov. 7 meeting, the Chicopee City Council approved the transfer of $73,000 to the mayor’s salary account for a new Chief Human Resources Officer. The position was previously filled by Stephen Zajchowski, who was hired in the summer of 2023, following a scandal in which it was revealed that the city had been paying insurance premiums for employees who had died or resigned [MassLive].

Zajchowski was terminated earlier this month following two investigations conducted for the city by Mary-Lou Rup, Senior Counsel at Bulkley Richardson.

"The findings and recommendation of the second investigation necessitated a change in leadership. I can’t go into any further details due to the fact they are personnel issues," said Council President Frank Laflamme.

Rup could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Skynet Times was unable to identify a point of contact for Zajchowski, and noticed a LinkedIn page associated with him appeared to have recently been deleted, but was still indexed in search results. 

Councilor Timothy Wagner expressed gratitude towards the mayor’s office for bringing the position forward, stating that it used to be a part of the city’s structure and is essential for progress.

In addition to the $73,000 for the new hire, the City Council approved a transfer of $100,000 to cover costs associated with hiring an interim director, as well as a consultant to advise Mayor John Vieau, who is currently serving as the interim director. 

"We’re not sure exactly how long it will take to fill the position but we want to make sure we get it right and do it correctly and have the consultant determine what is needed for that department. And once we get the consultant’s report, the request to fill the position would go out," said the mayor's chief of staff Michael Pise.

Resident Lisa Bienvenu expressed concerns about the city's hiring practices, and urged the need for better vetting of appointments by the council, pointing to the recent settlement the city had reached in a lawsuit brought against the Chicopee Housing Authority by the Department of Justice [justice.gov].

"Is it City Hall or is it HR? I’m not convinced which one it is," said Bienvenu. 

 In October the city agreed to pay $460,000 to settle claims that the Chicopee Housing Authority and its Executive Director, Monica Blazic, violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The lawsuit, filed in 2021 after a tenant with end stage renal disease was denied a transfer to a first floor or elevator accessible unit to accommodate her in-home dialysis treatments for end-stage renal disease, was later amended to include additional claims that Blazic had engaged in a pattern of discrimination on the basis of race and disability status. 

According to the consent order "the Chicopee Housing Authority and Monica Blazic deny this allegation and maintain that there has been no admissible evidence to date to support any such claim," but have agreed in the consent order that Blazic will work no more than two days per week for the authority and that the city will not employ her after Dec. 31. 

Allegations Blazic engaging in racial discrimination date back as early as 2002 [casetext], when she was Housing Assistance Program Director for the city of New Haven, CT.