CHICOPEE – The City Council accepted the appointments of Frank Boron as building commissioner and Barbara Galindo as registrar of voters during their July 5 meeting.

Previously, Boron served in the city as an assistant building commissioner. Boron operated throughout this year as the acting building commissioner, providing insights throughout the city’s dealings with building code negligence at the SilverBrick Mills apartments located in the Cabotville Mill complex.

Ward 9 City Councilor Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello acknowledged Boron’s lengthy tenure of service in Chicopee.

“I just want to congratulate Mr. Boron on the new position. He’s been doing it for a while, so we appreciate his experience,” said Pniak-Costello. Boron’s appointment did not require a vote for approval.

Mayor John Vieau’s Chief of Staff Michael Pise discussed Galindo’s appointment during the Mayor’s Orders. He explained that Galindo’s appointment as registrar of voters comes after Janina Surdyka served in the position for 30 years.

Pise considered Galindo a “very conscientious and hardworking” candidate.

“Barbara [Galindo] has been with our registrar of voters division for quite some time…She’s very familiar with the operations and how the registrar’s office works. She meets the correct requirements to run that office and help us through our elections and registration of voters,” said Pise.

City Councilor At-Large James Tillotson discussed the council’s appointment of Galindo. While the council requires some appointments to undergo human resources subcommittee meetings for extensive interviews, Tillotson said that Galindo possesses the proper qualifications for immediate appointment.

“She’s been there a long time as an assistant. She knows the ins and outs of the office…Anybody whose been in that office knows she’s a very pleasant lady and easy to work with,” said Tillotson.

Pniak-Costello considered Galindo “a pleasure” to work with.

“In working with the registrar of voters for the last couple months, it’s been a pleasure. Her people skills are outstanding, and she certainly knows the job…We are very fortunate to have Barbara [Galindo] as a member of our team,” said Pniak-Costello.

The council accepted Boron’s appointment and voted unanimously to approve Galindo’s appointment.

COVID-19 Update

Pise also updated the council about the city’s COVID-19 rates. Pise said the city features 71 open COVID-19 cases, which represents a decrease from prior weeks. Due to the popularity of at-home tests, Pise mentioned it’s difficult to know if the confirmed case number is “reliable.”

The city maintains a 66 percent vaccination rate for all eligible individuals, 89 percent rate for senior citizens and 38 percent rate for children ages 5 through 11. Pise shared that the city is still distributing at-home test kits at City Hall for all citizens in need of testing materials.

The City Council will meet again on Aug. 2.