Holyoke trustees name Dowd as sole health-insurance consultant; Alera Group urges clearer process

Jenny McKay, a senior vice president at Alera Group, told the Holyoke City Council Finance Committee on June 10 that her firm felt “quietly pushed aside” after Maureen Ross O’Connell’s retirement and asked the city to clarify how it selects a broker or consultant for the city’s health benefits.

The communication, formally received by the committee, focused on how the newly formed Health Benefit Trust chose Dowd Insurance as its consultant and whether competing firms had been given a fair chance to present proposals. McKay said she had met with city staff about services Alera Group would provide and that her firm had previously been part of the broker arrangement through acquisitions of Ross, Weber & Grinnell.

Why it matters: The trust now manages the city’s self‑funded health plan. Decisions about a broker affect plan administration, budget-setting and claims management; committee members said taxpayers deserve a transparent process, especially for an annual consulting arrangement the committee discussed as roughly a $300,000‑a‑year engagement.

What speakers said and asked

• Jenny McKay, senior vice president, Alera Group: McKay said her firm was preparing to bring Alera’s national resources to Holyoke but “before I…