The Recorder – Greenfield City Council censures one of its own  | #citycouncil

GREENFIELD — The City Council censured Precinct 7 Councilor Jasper Lapienski Wednesday night after what councilors described as unprofessional and disrespectful behavior.

“Councilor Lapienski continues to use derogatory comments on the floor of the council and (use) his council title in publications, media and other meetings, representing his own opinion using the title, while disrespecting and attacking other councilors and city employees,” City Council Vice President Dan Guin, who represents Precinct 2, said before motioning to censure Lapienski. “This behavior is unacceptable.”

Guin’s motion, made “with the expectation this conduct will cease,” followed a discussion among councilors on expectations for committee members — an agenda item prompted by Lapienski’s request earlier this month to resign from subcommittee meetings until they returned in person. On Wednesday night, City Council President Sheila Gilmour said she would not accept his resignation and the council voted by majority to censure Lapienski, with nine votes in support and abstentions by Lapienski and Precinct 5 Councilor Marianne Bullock. Precinct 1 Councilor Katherine Golub and At-Large Councilor Christine Forgey were absent.

“I want to make it clear that the work on the City Council happens at the subcommittee level,” Gilmour said. “Vice President Guin and I have tried to work with people who have a medical reason or a family reason for why they can’t serve, but as far as I’m concerned, if a councilor is not able to serve on a subcommittee because they don’t feel like it, they are not doing their job as a city councilor. … It’s not fair if one councilor just says, ‘I’m not going to do it.’”

Lapienski called the agenda item on committee expectations a “hit piece,” and accused Guin and Gilmour of attempting to remove him from his seat since he was elected last fall.

“This is probably not going to be effective,” he added.

Other councilors who spoke on the subject echoed similar concerns to Gilmour and Guin.

“So much hard work goes into the committee meetings,” said At-Large Councilor Penny Ricketts. “I feel passionately that if someone cannot be on committees, they need to step back and not be on council. It isn’t fair. There are people out there who would like to serve on council. I would prefer someone who wants to do the entire job and not just bits and pieces.”

She said the discussion item was not a “hit piece.”

“That (resignation letter) was a hit on the entire council,” Ricketts said. “You stated these were fake meetings, and you didn’t want to come unless we were only going to be in person.”

Bullock said it was ironic that Lapienski referred to the agenda item as a hit piece, following the My Turn he wrote that was published in the Greenfield Recorder last week. She was referring to an opinion piece Lapienski wrote after the paper publicized Turners Falls photographer Anja Schütz’s “Pro-Roe” photography project, featuring models wearing white T-shirts with pro-choice phrases. Lapienski accused Bullock, who modeled wearing swimsuit bottoms and a shirt saying “Abort the Court,” of what he described as “indecently exposing” herself.

“Beyond the committee meetings that are necessary to move this work forward, I think there is a level of expectation for participating in City Council meetings, of demonstrating respect and consideration to our citizens and to the topics at hand that is necessary for this,” Bullock said. “And I want to say I appreciate my councilors who take that seriously and do the work every single month and every single day.”

At-Large Councilor Michael Terounzo added that councilors should be expected to read and respond, as warranted, to emails from constituents. In past meetings, Lapienski has spoken about his preference for phone and hand-written correspondence.

Following Guin’s motion, Terounzo added that councilors should not use their seat to “grandstand.”

“Utilizing this office to grandstand is not serving the role that we took the oath to uphold,” Terounzo said, emphasizing that the role of a councilor grandstanding is not, “by any means, the will of the council or representative of the council.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.