Holyoke Councilor Kevin Jourdain hoping to replace Joseph McGiverin as council president after 26 years
Published: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 12:15 PM
Holyoke City Council president Joseph M. McGiverin, left, and Kevin A. Jourdain are poised to face off for presidency of the council.McGiverin, who has been council president for 26 straight years and on the council since 1980, wants another term. He said Dec. 22 he has commitments from at least six of the 15 councilors, meaning himself and five others.
Jourdain, a councilor since January 1994, has tried to unseat McGiverin before. He said last week he was confident of victory this time because he has eight councilors who will vote for him, including himself.
Neither would disclose which councilors they believe are committed to them.
The council will meet to vote on a president at City Hall at about 11 a.m. on Jan. 3.
That will come after the 10 a.m. inauguration ceremonies at Holyoke High School at 500 Beech St. The ceremony will feature the swearing-in of Alex B. Morse, currently the mayor-elect.
The council president is a position of visibility. In City Council Chambers, the president runs the meetings that are held the first and third Tuesday of the month.
Running a City Council meeting includes determining which councilors can speak based on the order in which they raised their hands, ensuring decorum if debate gets testy and making sure council rules are followed. That can include requiring that a vote take place on an amendment that has been offered to a motion before voting on the motion itself.
Outside City Hall, the council president represents the city’s legislative body in meetings with the mayor and other government entities, as well as gatherings of civic and other groups.
Jourdain said a change is needed because 26 years is too long for someone to be council president.
“I just think that’s time for a breath of fresh air,” Jourdain said.
The council needs more structure and among improvements he would make are ensuring better meeting minutes are kept, he said.
He also said that with Morse pledging to be a bold mayor, the City Council also should be bold.
“I’ll be out there and people will know what I do,” Jourdain said.
McGiverin said he wants another term as president because he does the role as it should be done.
“I don’t manipulate the role of the presidency to my agenda, I manipulate my role to the agenda of the City Council. I use a positive voice. Do I try to defuse controversial situations with humor? Yes.
“I do my best to make sure meetings are fair....I enjoy doing it. I enjoy very much the public role of being president of the City Council,” McGiverin said.
The incoming council will consist of nine returning members and six newcomers, with the newcomers in particular getting lobbied by Jourdain and McGiverin.
Among the duties of the City Council are to consider in the spring the mayor’s proposed budget, in which councilors can cut, but not add to, the spending plan.
All city spending requires council approval. The council also sets the property tax rate and holds public hearings and votes on zone-change and special permit requests.
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