Councilor LaBarge said in a recent telephone interview that he believes he has been discriminated against with regards to his removal from appointment to the city’s Ordinance Committee. According to LaBarge, newly sworn in City Council President Jim Dostal told him that he decided against his appointment to the important committee because of a hearing impairment. LaBarge suffers hearing and vision impairments due to injuries he sustained during a pitched battle at sea during World War II. As a result of those injuries, LaBarge is a highly decorated disabled American war veteran.
Long time allies, LaBarge said that about six weeks prior to the January 7, 2008 inauguration, Dostal informed him that he would serve along side At-large councilor Michael Bardsley and Ward Four councilor David Narkewicz on the Ordinance Committee in the upcoming term. This presumed that Dostal had the necessary votes to become council president, and he did.
However, LaBarge continued, a couple of weeks later, after the December 6, 2007 meeting where an amendment was brought forth to amend the citizen initiated Best Practices proposal, LaBarge said that he disagreed with this amendment and believed that Narkewicz had acted inappropriately. During that meeting Narkewicz did not defend the Resolution that he had negotiated in good faith with Michael Bardsley and city resident Fran Volkmann. During their drive home from that meeting LaBarge said that he told Dostal that he didn’t think that he could ever vote for Narkewicz to become chairperson of the Ordinance Committee, which would have likely resulted in Bardsley remaining in this position. LaBarge said that he also told Dostal that he disagreed with Dostal’s vote in favor of the amendment that removed language that prohibited existing board members from serving on the Best Practices Committee.
Time went by. The day before the inauguration, on Sunday January 6, 2008, Dostal visited LaBarge at his home in Leeds. The purpose of the visit was to inform LaBarge that Dostal had changed his mind and that he would not be appointing LaBarge to the Ordinance Committee after all. According to LaBarge, the reason he was given was because he could not hear very well. LaBarge said that Dostal told him that he was not appointing him to the Ordinance Committee, "for his own good because he has a hearing problem."
City Council members sworn in January 8, 2008
On Monday, January 8, 2008, the council was sworn in during the city’s inauguration and later that day LaBarge voted for Michael Bardsley to retain his seat as City Council president. Bardsley lost that vote 6-3.
Freshly back from the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Annual Meeting and Trade Show that was held at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel, a show that Dostal attended with Councilor Narkewicz, Dostal returned my call on Saturday, January 12, 2008. When asked whether he told LaBarge that he would not appoint him to the Ordinance Committee because he couldn’t hear, Dostal replied, "Not in so many words. I told him that he didn’t hear things that people said and that I didn’t want him to embarrass himself." Dostal added that sometimes LaBarge’s answers to questions are, "completely irrelevant," and that he denied LaBarge admittance to the Ordinance Committee, "in the best interests of the city." He further added that he felt badly if he had hurt LaBarge’s feelings and that he didn’t sleep for two nights prior to informing LaBarge of his decision. Dostal has appointed LaBarge to the city’s Finance Committee and Board of Public Works.
LaBarge said he feels that this is unfair treatment and that he is considering filing a formal complaint with the appropriate authorities. LaBarge has 300 days from the date of the alleged act of discrimination to file a complaint with the office of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination located at 436 Dwight Street in Springfield. As well LaBarge is considering contacting the city’s Committee on Disabilities and its Human Rights Commission.
Listen in to the Community Radio Hour tonight at 8 PM at 103.3 FM as I join Mary Serreze and Paolo Mastrangelo in discussing this and other community developments.
