Per Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.), Chapter 468 of the Acts of 2008, the CAFO Screening Committee shall consist of seven (7) members, including one (1) appointment each from the School Committee, City Council and State Secretary of Administration and Finance. The mayor shall appoint four (4) other members to the Committee, two (2) of whom shall be experts in municipal management.
Mayor Sarno reached out yesterday to Matthew Gorzkowicz, Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, City Council President Jesse Lederman, and School Committee Vice Chairwoman LaTonia Naylor, and informed them that per M.G.L., they get to appoint a member to the Committee.
The four mayoral appointees, who are all Springfield residents, are:
- Margaret ‘Pedge’ Lynch – retired City of Springfield Board of Assessor
- William ‘Billy’ Christofori – Springfield Park Commissioner and retired Chief Financial Officer, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department
- Jose Claudio – Chief Operating Officer, New North Citizens Council
- Haskell Kennedy – Springfield Retirement Board member and retired Director of Diversity and Employee Relations, State of Connecticut
The screening committee shall recommend to the mayor the names of not less than two (2), or more than five (5) candidates whom it believes to be best suited to perform the duties of the CAFO. Mayor Sarno will select one (1) of the candidates recommended by the screening committee to serve as the new CAFO. If he finds that no such candidate to be qualified for the office, he shall direct the screening committee to reopen the search.
During this transition, Mayor Sarno has selected, per M.G.L. Chapter 468 of the Acts of 2008, the well-respected City Comptroller Patrick Burns, who brings a wealth of financial acumen, to be the acting CAFO. He will work closely with Deputy CAFO Lindsay Hackett, which will assure our strong and prudent financial discipline continues. Additionally, Mayor Sarno has named Deputy Comptroller Joanne Raleigh to serve as acting Comptroller.
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to thank my appointments to the CAFO screening committee for agreeing to serve our on this very important committee. These dedicated individuals and public servants bring a wealth of administration, finance and management experience and knowledge, and will without a doubt work diligently with the appointments from the City Council, School Committee and Secretary of A&F Matt Gorzkowicz as we work together to select our City’s new CAFO. Until such time, I have the full confidence in acting-CAFO Patrick Burns abilities to do the job. I also have the utmost confidence in Joanne Raleigh abilities as she steps up as acting Comptroller”.