Westerfield denied spot on ethics commission

Jun. 10—W I N D H A M — Amidst concerns about social media posts from Green Party member Michael Westerfield regarding local and federal issues, town council members did not appoint him to the ethics commission. During their meeting Tuesday, council members did not second a motion to appoint Westerfield to the ethics commission so the motion failed.

"Mike has a history of website and social media abuse and that's something we have warned people about," Windham Mayor Thomas DeVivo said on Wednesday.

DeVivo said the standards are the same, regardless of which political party the person is affiliated with. The town council voted not to appoint Republican Lawrence Kellogg to the Ethics Commission in December for a similar reason.

One concerning post by Westerfield features an NRA member and a GOP member who are holding hands, walking away from bodies on the ground. The NRA member has a gun in his hand and says, " We've accomplished so much together."

While no one mentioned the post during the town council meeting, one council member expressed concern about it on social media.

Westerfield declined to comment about the situation on Wednesday, noting that he was seeking more information.

The council's rejection of the appointment comes at a time when only two of the six slots on the commission are filled. The ethics commission does not have enough members to meet and has not met since Feb. 13, 2020. The only two members on the commission, Mathew Olkin and Timothy Mixter, have terms expiring in December 2024. Olkin, who is unaffiliated, was appointed to the commission in May while Mixter, who is a Democrat, was reappointed in May.

" Right now, just getting people to raise their hand and volunteer is very difficult," Windham Town Manager Jim Rivers said.

He said it is important that ethics commission members not have a " known, expressed bias against an individual or ideology."

Rivers said they must " appear to be neutral" or have an " open mind" regarding different issues that would be presented to them.

" I would like to see that commission get filled as soon as possible, but we have to do it with the right people," he said.

However, Rivers said there hasn't been a complaint in awhile that an ethics commission would handle, nor are there many complaints in general.

He said it can be challenging to find appropriate candidates for the ethics commission.

" It's tricky," he said.

In addition to the four vacancies on the ethics commission, there are vacancies on several other boards and Rivers said according to Town Attorney Rich Cody, the commission has a " limited role" and mostly handles monetary issues involving elected officials and town employees who are not in a bargaining unit.

If a complaint was filed against a union employee, Human Resources Director Paul Hongo would handle the process and decisions would be made based on the union's bargaining agreement.

Westerfield worked as the Willimantic Housing Authority Director for many years.

If appointed, Westerfield's term would have expired on Dec. 15, 2023.

During a tense point in the meeting, DeVivo interrupted Westerfield, who was speaking out of turn. Westerfield said he didn't realize the meeting was virtual and there was no sign indicating that at the entrance to town hall.

Follow Michelle Warren on Twitter — @mwarrentc.