LEYDEN — Newly elected Selectboard member Glenn Caffery is voicing a desire to stay vigilant regarding the long-discussed return of unaccounted-for town equipment, and wants to create a plan to ensure the town isn’t in the same situation in the future.
In putting the topic on Monday’s agenda, Caffery also requested permission to ask Town Counsel Donna MacNicol for access to minutes from an April executive session meeting with Dan Galvis, the town’s former emergency management director and former police chief, concerning the return of town-owned equipment and vehicles, as the meeting was held prior to Caffery’s election. His second request was for permission to ask MacNicol to formally request the missing equipment from Galvis. Both requests were approved by the board.
“We inherited this responsibility,” said Caffery, who was elected to the Selectboard alongside Katherine DiMatteo on June 27. “It’s not going to go away, so I want to deal with it very intentionally, very respectfully.”
Leyden received equipment through the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) Program, which transfers excess military equipment to non-military law enforcement agencies. Some items have been in Galvis’ possession. While Margaret White, the LESO Program’s state point of contact, confirmed by phone on March 29 that all of the town’s outstanding equipment has been shipped to the appropriate federal sites, Finance Committee Chair Ginger Robinson then presented to the Selectboard her concerns about town-owned LESO equipment that she said was sold in private auctions. Sale profits, she said, cannot be accounted for by the Finance Committee.
“I only have a citizen’s view of things … but as far as I understand it, there’s still missing property,” Caffery said.
A dump truck with “D.J.’s Auto Sales & Service,” the name of Galvis’ business, painted on the side was sold for $5,300 on Auctions International in 2019. According to resident Sara Seinberg (who is married to Robinson), the auction company confirmed that this vehicle was titled to Galvis, though it cannot be confirmed whether it is the same mentioned on the LESO Program’s list. Other equipment cited at Monday’s board meeting included a 1987 Humvee and a 1984 trailer.
Caffery said his motivation to stay on top of the issue was the notion that a Selectboard member’s most important responsibility is to “be good stewards of public funds and be accountable.” He said that in putting the topic on the meeting agenda, his primary aim was “mostly just to create a plan” going forward, knowing that “perhaps we won’t ever know the whole story.”
“Part of this, over the next several months, is figuring out how to handle inventory so that we’re not in this situation,” he added.
Galvis retired as police chief in October 2021 after the Selectboard reviewed racist content from emails he shared with town employees and officers between 2015 and 2016, an incident that Galvis says has misrepresented him. He then stepped down from his emergency management director position with a letter dated for April 19. No reason was provided in the handwritten note, which was shared with the Greenfield Recorder. His term as emergency management director was set to expire June 30.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.