August 5, 2009 - Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced today the names of recent appointments to City Boards and Commissions.
Claudo Concepcion and Brian Santaniello have been appointed to the City’s Park Commission. Concepcion has served as President of the Springfield Chapter of AARP. He is the current President of the Sixteen Acres Civic Association and is a member of the Church of the Acres Board of Deacons. Concepcion is on the Board of Directors of the Mass Senior Action Council and has served as treasurer of the Springfield Chapter. Santaniello is a lifelong City resident. Santaniello served as the former Deputy Sealer of Weights and Measures, has 30 years experience in the financial services industry, is a former 24 year Springfield City Council and served as the City’s former Election Administrator. Santaniello is a graduate of Classical High School and American International College. The Parks Department provides recreation programming, maintenance and horticultural services for the City’s 2,400 acres of park land.
Springfield’s City Clerk, Attorney Wayman Lee, has been appointed to serve as the Mayor’s designee to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority’s Advisory Board. Attorney Lee has served as Springfield’s City Clerk since January 2006. Prior to his City Clerk appointment, Lee served as an Associate City Solicitor and Chief of Legal Services since February 1988. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority is the largest regional transit authority in Massachusetts and is comprised of an Advisory Board made up of 24 member communities throughout the pioneer valley.
Brian Wallace has been appointed to the City’s Conservation Commission. Wallace is a graduate of Springfield College and had served previously on the Springfield Planning Board. The Conservation Commission protects water resources including public and private water supplies, ground water, fisheries, endangered species, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and aesthetics. The Conservation Commission holds hearings on development and other activities that may affect these natural resources for granting or withholding permission for these activities.
Benjamin Murphy has been named to serve as an alternate on the City’s Historic Commission. Murphy is a 2002 graduate of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. The Historic Commission is the City agency responsible for the preservation and promotion of Springfield’s historic assets.
Denise M. Kelcey has been named to serve as a member of the City’s License Commission. Kelcey is employed by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department as a Head Administrative Clerk. She was previously employed as an Administrative Aide to former State Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees (1995-2006), and as an Administrative Clerk for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (1993-1995). Kelcey has served on the Sixteen Acres Civic Association’s Board of Directors and as a Member of the Springfield Republican City Committee.
Mayor Sarno has also announced the reappointment of William E. Leonard, Daniel Rodriguez and Carmen E. Serrano-Gerena to the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. The three-member Board of Commissioners are responsible for establishing the policies and procedures for efficient water and sewer operations.
Dr. Sarah McAdoo and Juan Gerena have been appointed to co-chair the Mayor’s advisory council to coordinate a city-wide effort to significantly reduce the high rate of teen pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) amongst young people in Springfield. The Advisory Council is composed of the Mayor’s Office, the Springfield Department of Health and Human Services and the Springfield Public Schools.
Mayor Sarno stated that “every city board and commission plays a vital role in city government and he deeply appreciates the time these individuals volunteer to continue moving our City forward.”