GREENFIELD — At-Large Councilor Penny Ricketts has been chosen as City Council president for the next year.
The council held a special virtual meeting on Monday to reorganize. Ricketts received seven votes, while outgoing President Ashli Stempel-Rae received six. City Council reorganizes each January.
“I’m so honored to be the first person of color to be council president,” Ricketts said. “I’m looking forward to a positive year with all councilors who now have some experience.”
Ricketts said she’s impressed with the council — there are councilors who have one to five years of experience, as well as former mayor and now At-Large Councilor Christine Forgey and Precinct 2 Councilor Dan Guin, who sat on the first council when the city switched to a mayoral form of government.
“I’m excited to lead and learn from every single councilor,” Ricketts said. “I just want to continue serving Greenfield as I have been over the years. It’s true, ‘You get out of it what you put into it.’”
Precinct 6 Councilor Sheila Gilmour, who ran for mayor in 2019, will serve as vice president for the next year. She received seven votes, one more than Guin, who was also nominated.
“It’s going to be a new challenge,” Gilmour said. “I’ll work with Penny, and I think my main focus will be to make sure as a council we are set up for success. Hopefully, we’ll be coming out of the pandemic, but there will be a lot of moving parts.”
Gilmour said City Council will have to be flexible and compassionate as that happens. She said she would like to see all councilors “band together to get through it all.”
Stempel-Rae will go back to her position as an at-large councilor, and Precinct 7 Councilor Otis Wheeler — who was nominated for vice president again this year but declined the nomination — will serve his precinct.
Precinct 3 Councilor Virginia “Ginny” DeSorgher was re-elected as City Council treasurer.
City Council will meet virtually for the first time under its new leadership on Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.