CHICOPEE – The Chicopee City Council hosted their first meeting of the new year to discuss finances, board reappointments, license renewals and more. The meeting opened with public input, where Councilor Joel McAuliffe spoke on the recent scandal against fellow Councilor Lucjan Galecki.

“The events of the last few weeks are an absolute embarrassment to our city. They’ve left a stain on this body and have painted ourselves and our residents in a negative light, not only on a local but on a national scale,” said McAuliffe.

The Jan. 5 meeting was the first City Council gathering since Galecki’s Facebook comments on sexual assault. Prior to the meeting, about 15 Chicopee residents gathered outside of City Hall to protest Galecki and demand for his resignation from the Council.

The organizer of the protest, Jeanette Rivera, said the action had two goals: to see the resignation of Galecki and then see the city add a recall procedure to the City  Charters.

Rivera noted she and others understand that amending the charter is a slow process.

Motorists passing by honked their horns in approval of the protest.

Galecki has said previously on Facebook and in a statement to Reminder Publishing that he has no plans to resign. Rivera said, “It doesn’t surprise me. It disappoints me.”

McAuliffe praised these protestors and demanded that the City Council take all possible action against Galecki.

“We can no longer wait. We must act now,” he said.

McAuliffe said that he has filed a detailed order to create a Charter Review Commission, which has been embraced by many of his colleagues on the Council.

“We must be an open and welcoming community with elected officials who we can be proud of and who represent all of us,” said McAuliffe to end his public input.

The council then moved on to Mayor’s Orders. A sum of $2,436.06 was approved to help purchase 5,000 new parking tickets for the Chicopee Police Department. According to the council, the last time tickets were purchased was in 2014.

Councilor George Balakier spoke on KLM Auto Repair Inc. and asked that they be called in before the License Committee to discuss the number of vehicles for sale on their property. Balakier said he wants the city to take a look and make sure the number of vehicles doesn’t exceed the allowed amount for safety reasons.

The council then voted to reappoint Ernest J. Mathieu and Janet M. Ely as Board of Health Commissioners.

Councilor Derek Dobosz spoke on making sure all city committees publish their agendas prior to the start of any meetings.

“With the pandemic it’s just not possible for people to go to City Hall and get these agendas,” he said.

Dobosz emphasized how posting agendas is important for transparency.

The meeting then moved on to routine license renewals.

To end the City Council meeting, councilors were given the opportunity for closing remarks. Many councilors praised the new COVID-19 testing site at Chicopee Comprehensive High School.

President Shane Brooks notified residents that City Council meetings will be relocating to Chicopee Comp to help improve the quality of public streaming and to allow council members to meet in-person in a space that is large and adequate for social distancing.

When given the opportunity to speak, Galecki was brief.

“Better days are coming. Thank you,” he said.

Brooks’s closing remarks were aimed at Chicopee residents and their concerns about Galecki.
“Please, I implore the residents of Chicopee to reach out to us if you have questions about how city government functions. There are not resident experts on Facebook about how city government functions. If there’s questions regarding the charter, reach out,” he said.

Many residents have expressed on Facebook forums that they hoped Brooks will force Galecki’s resignation, but according to Brooks, this is not something he can do.

“As a City Council President I get to do two things, three really: I get to run the meetings, I get to sign payroll every two weeks… and I get to make committee assignments,” said Brooks. “We hear you, we want to help our residents be involved, but please don’t believe everything on social media.”

Should a resident wish to view the entirety of the City Council Meeting, they can view it on the Chicopee TV Facebook Page.

Additional reporting was done by G. Michael Dobbs