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Holyoke City Council votes to enter executive session to discuss threatened litigation and release of minutes
Summary
At 6:06 p.m. the Holyoke City Council voted to move into executive session to discuss a potential wage-act litigation, multiple matters tied to threatened cannabis litigation and whether to release portions of prior executive-session minutes.
The Holyoke City Council voted to enter an executive session at 6:06 p.m. to discuss threatened litigation relating to a potential wage-act issue and multiple matters tied to threatened cannabis litigation, and to consider the partial or full release of related executive-session minutes.
The council chair told members the agenda items included: (1) a potential wage-act issue described as threatened litigation; (2) partial or full release of executive-session minutes from meetings on June 11, 2024 and Sept. 4, 2024 that contain discussions of threatened cannabis litigation; (3) consideration of minutes from a Finance Committee executive session held Dec. 9, 2024 that were withheld in full as of April 15, 2025; and (4) consideration of minutes from an executive session on April 15, 2025. The chair said discussing those items in an open meeting could “have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the City of Holyoke.”
A motion to enter executive session was made and seconded; the council then conducted a roll-call vote. The roll call shows affirmative votes from Anderson Burgos; Bartley; Gibner; Greaney; Jourdain; McGraw Smith; Murphy Omboletti; Ocasio; Ezeiro Rivera; Sullivan; and Bacon. Jenny Rivera was recorded as not present. The motion to enter executive session carried on the roll call and the council left the public portion of the meeting.
The agenda and roll-call statements indicate attorney–client privileged material and ongoing threatened litigation are the principal reasons for the closed session, and that the council will consider whether to release portions of earlier executive-session minutes that contain related discussions. The transcript notes that some minutes were partially released on April 15, 2025 while others remained withheld in their entirety as of that date.
Because the matters are described as threatened litigation and as attorney–client privileged, the details discussed in the executive session were not included in the public transcript and will not be reported until the council lifts privilege or makes a release determination for specific minutes.
The council convened the executive session after the public roll call and before further public business; the transcript does not record any further public action on the items named before the closed session convened.
