Two years of service focused heavily on financial overhaul
By Melissa Fales
Reporter
WARE – In the two years that Town Manager Mary T. Tzambazakis has been at the helm before tendering her resignation last week, she has made many changes. While not all of her decisions have been popular, she has certainly left her mark on the town and made some positive changes for Ware’s future.
Tzambazakis took over at Town Hall on the heels of the town’s first Town Manager Steven C. Boudreau whose contract was not renewed at the end of June 2009. Tzambazakis, the former chief financial officer for the city of Springfield, was hired first as an interim town manager with a three-month contract beginning July 1, 2009, only to have her interim contract extended for an additional three months. Ultimately she was offered the job on a permanent basis in December 2009.
One of Tzambazakis’s most controversial issues was a lingering legal battle with ABC&D Recycling over a special permit and a zoning dispute. After spending thousands in court costs, the town ultimately lost the case in Hampshire Superior Court at the end of 2010. Although the battle became somewhat personal at times, with Tzambazakis singled out as the target for pointed political messages displayed on the company’s sign at its 198 East St. location, to a great extent, Tzambazakis inherited the problem. The town and ABC&D first butted heads in 2008 when the Board of Health denied owner Richard C. Riley’s application to allow Municipal Solid Waste at the site.
Another inherited problem for Tzambazakis was the Casino Theater, directly across from Town Hall on Main Street. The issues with the Casino first surfaced under Boudreau’s tenure when the first buckle in the exterior wall was discovered. Previous owners Western Mass Theaters already owed the town approximately $10,000 in back taxes when Tzambazakis was hired and the garish safety fence that surrounded the historic building, blocking much of Veterans Park and the parking lot behind it had already been up for several months.
When Western Mass Theaters sold the Casino to Fred T. McLennan, Tzambazakis first tried to work with him, then began bringing him to court in an effort to raze the building or make it sound, claiming that the building was already a public safety hazard and deteriorating rapidly. Tzambazakis took flak from some who thought she should do more to help save the building. “The town should not be using public money for private property,” said Tzambazakis on more than one occasion. Others lamented the court costs involved, not to mention the cost of demolishing the structure. The town will hold a lien on the now vacant property at 121 Main St. Whether or not the town ever recoups its money to demolish the Casino, for some residents, Tzambazkis’ legacy will always be tied to the loss of the formerly grand structure on Main Street.
Tzambazakis’ financial background paid off when she found several sources of revenue the town had been missing out on. She discovered that hundreds of building permits had never been fully processed, causing the town to miss out on additional tax revenue. She also determined that when the town’s sealer of weights and measures left in 2003 and an outside contractor was hired for the job, the town never collected the fees from the businesses for the service.
Other changes Tzambazkis imposed included establishing personnel policies for department heads where none had existed. She created an Insurance Advisory Committee that worked to successfully negotiate better rates for the town and has put a Capital Planning Committee in place to help the town plan for its future capital expenses.
Perhaps one of Tzambazakis’s biggest accomplishments is the placement of several key town employees. After declining to renew former Municipal Finance Director Paul Nowicki’s contract at the end of June 2010, Tzambazakis reorganized the town’s financial administration structure and eventually hired Leigh Deveneau-Martinelli as a Treasurer/Collector. Two months after long-time DPW Superintendent Gilbert St.George-Sorel retired in Sept. 2010, Tzambazakis hired Thom Martens for the job, citing his experience with water and wastewater treatment plants as being a particularly good fit for Ware.
In terms of her lasting impact on Ware, the town will certainly benefit from Tzambazakis’ insistence on hiring a town planner. From the start, Tzambazakis touted the need for a town planner to update the town’s master plan, coordinate the work of various boards and consider some long-term goals. On town meeting floor, Tzambazakis fought for the money to hire a town planner as mandated by the Charter. Voters approved the expenditure in May of 2010 and Tzambazakis began interviews but didn’t hire anyone. “I’m not going to hire somebody just to hire somebody,” she said. “I’m going to hire the right person for the job.” When long-time Executive Director of Community Development Paul E. Hills retired in June 2011, Tzambazakis was able to creatively combine parts of the community development position with that of a town planner in order to save the town money while being able to hire a well-qualified candidate. Karen Cullen took over in July 2011. “This puts the town in a good position to move forward,” said Tzambazakis at the time.
- Tell us what you think the next town manager should bring to the table for skill sets and vision at our online “reader forum” or “Facebook” pages, found at www.warenewsonline.com
