Tensions are high between veterans groups and the VSO. And it's affecting Memorial Day plans.

FALL RIVER — A stewing kerfuffle between local veteran groups and the city’s veterans agent — over who should be planning certain events — came to a head during a recent City Council meeting, and now it looks like the two sides will be hosting separate events on Memorial Day weekend.

Micaila Britto, the city’s first female VSO, recently notified the Fall River War Veterans Council that she would be organizing the traditional Fall River Memorial Day Parade, a task that the War Veterans Council has spearheaded for years.

While the War Veterans Council put together the parade, it was still funded by the Fall River Veterans Service Office; however, both state and local rules dictate that VSO is responsible for Memorial Day parades.

“That function we’re not involved in any longer. They decided they want to take control of that, it kind of threw us for a curve,” said Robert J. Guinen, commander of the Fall River Veterans War Council.

Guinen’s remarks came after a Wednesday afternoon meeting, set up by the administration, with about a dozen veterans and their supporters, Britto, Coogan and City Administrator Seth Aitken.

The Fall River War Veterans Council, the umbrella organization for a host of smaller veterans groups, still will be organizing a number of events that it traditionally oversees like the event on the Battleship, laying of the wreaths and the event that honors Gold Star families.

It will also enlist the help of the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, a group that has participated in a number of city veteran-related events in the past few years, particularly the "rolling" parades that took place during the pandemic.

While the city will still provide support for the War Veterans Council's sponsored events, “We’re not 100 percent happy with it,” said Guinen of the VSO taking over the Memorial Day Parade. “We’re going to be supporting our veterans like we normally do. The War Veterans Council is still strong, don’t get me wrong."

‘Communication and compromise’

Britto declined an interview after the Wednesday meeting with the veterans, deferring to the administration for comment.

Coogan said that he felt the Wednesday meeting “was positive.”

“Because the two things that will resolve any problems, we have is communication and compromise. I think it was the mere fact that they sat down at the table and spoke about what they felt. It’s very important,” said Coogan. “What I heard was there was going to be compromise going forward. They have to stay talking and they have to work together.”

“We can’t lose focus, these are our veterans,” he said.

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Veterans committee proposed

During Tuesday’s council meeting, a number of veterans spoke during citizens input and in support of Coogan’s recent proposal to establish a veterans advisory council.

Coogan said when he first was elected mayor, he was working with former VSO Ray Hague to start the city’s first veteran-centered committee, but then the pandemic hit.

City Councilors were in favor of the veterans advisory committee and the discussion turned to the makeup of the body and whether it should be governed through ordinance or could it be a mayoral appointed board.

If established through ordinance, the board will be subject to open meetings law, including broadcasting the meetings. There was concern from Aitken that there could be sensitive issues regarding individual veterans that should not be public.

City Councilor Linda Pereira said an advisory board should not be discussing individual veterans' cases.

The council did refer it to the Committee on Ordinances for review.

Aitken said the mayor intends to start working on forming the committee within 10 days and it could be assembled in about a month.

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A Marine for more than six years before a service-related traumatic brain injury forced her to leave the military, Britto is constantly accompanied by her 140-pound service dog, Rabbit She is also the former veterans service officer in Raynham.

Britto wasn’t present at Tuesday’s meeting.

That didn’t prevent Pelletier from claiming that he’s received multiple complaints about her performance.

“She don’t [sic] belong in Fall River,” said Pelletier at the beginning of the meeting during citizens input.

Later, Aitken suggested to Pelletier that he didn’t have all the facts regarding some conflicts between Britto and some veterans.

“I think there is a lot of information here that goes much deeper than simply saying this person is not doing his or her job. I think change is really hard especially for veterans,” said Aitken, himself a veteran.

Aitken said he understands both sides.

Jo C. Goode may be reached at jgoode@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism and subscribe to The Herald News today!

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River veterans groups, service officer disagree on Memorial Day