HOLYOKE — At a Special Election Tuesday, January 28, City voters will be asked if they want to continue the practice of electing the City Treasurer or approve a City Charter change to make the position appointed, rather than elected.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In-person and absentee voting options are available. The City Clerk’s Office has information on how to request an absentee ballot and can identify the location of residents’ polling places.
Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia, City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, and City Treasurer Rory Casey will hold a press conference addressing the initiative on Thursday, January 9, at 12:30 at Holyoke Media at 1 Court Plaza.
Garcia has worked with the City Council and State Legislature for two years to bring this matter to a vote. The Mayor supports changing the City Charter to make the Treasurer’s post appointed. He said the goal is to improve the city’s financial health and administrative efficiency, which benefits all residents.
“State officials and outside auditors have been urging us to make this change for many years,” Garcia said.
The Mayor pointed to a 2007 evaluation of the existing practice that was conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services. With an elected Treasurer, the assessment concluded, “The mayor does not function as a fully empowered, central authority who can demand that jobs get done … This lack of authority severely limits the ability of the mayor to impose sound financial management practices.”
“All of Holyoke’s department heads should be held accountable to the Mayor and City Council,” Garcia said. “Under the existing system, there is no requirement that the Treasurer be accountable. Just as bad — if not worse — there is no requirement that an elected Treasurer possess any sort of credentials.”
A 2015 analysis conducted by the Division of Local Services addresses that point, noting that the appointment of the treasurer “allows the City to establish minimum job qualifications, conduct an extensive interview process, and complete background checks of potential candidates. With access to a broader pool of candidates, the city can attract a person with the strongest credentials and most relevant professional experience.
When the former Holyoke City Treasurer resigned on July 14, 2022, Garcia began working with the City Council to “navigate the steps necessary to change the Charter to make the position of City Treasurer appointed instead of elected. The public has heard me talk a lot about the need to modernize our municipal administrative operations to strengthen internal controls, polices, and procedures for how we manage our finances in order for us to better mitigate liability, reduce harm to local resources, protect local assets, and better comply with financial standards and regulations. A critical part of this strategy includes changing the position of Treasurer from elected to appointed. To do this, it will require a Charter change which is dependent on a citywide vote of the people.”
“This charter change represents a vote for good governance,” said City Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti. “It ensures that our financial leadership is based on qualifications and professionalism, which are essential for managing Holyoke’s future. This was one of the first orders I filed during my first term on the Council, and I’m hopeful that we can take this important step forward as a city.”