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Chicopee Retirement Board approves multiple retirements, memberships, refunds and transfers
Summary
At its April 29 meeting the Chicopee Retirement Board approved several superannuation retirement requests, admitted multiple new members, and authorized refunds and transfers; the board also approved several pension calculations and noted PERAC disability approvals.
The Chicopee Retirement Board on April 29, 2026, unanimously approved a slate of administrative actions including multiple superannuation retirements, new membership admissions into the system, refunds, transfers to other systems, and several pension-calculation approvals.
The board recorded retirement requests and approved them in a single motion (mover: Paul Mailhott; second: Tiana Steffenhagen). Notable requests included Doreen Batchelor, Cook Manager in the Chicopee Public Schools, who wishes to retire June 30, 2026, with 37 years and 7 months of creditable service; Holly Cote, Captain in the Police Department, who wishes to retire May 2, 2026, with 29 years of service; and Mark Hammon, Patrolman, who wishes to retire May 1, 2026, with 32 years and 3 months of service. The minutes list additional retirees and record the board vote as "ALL IN FAVOR."
The board also approved applications for membership into the retirement system for multiple employees across departments (examples in the minutes include Mashael Alsufi, Reese Clark, Brennan Fields and Jake Flaucher). The board approved refund requests from former employees (examples: Edward Baez; Madeline J. O'Connor) and authorized transfers of members' accounts to other systems (examples: Jennifer A. Burnette; Katherine J. Joyner) after reviewing statutory requirements; each set of actions was adopted by unanimous vote.
The minutes record approved superannuation pension calculations for several recent retirees and the annual pension amounts as prepared for board approval: Natividad Gayle (Paraprofessional, Chicopee Public Schools), yearly pension $5,911.32; Kathy Cote (Paraprofessional, Chicopee Public Schools), yearly pension $4,568.52; Candido Lopes (Custodian, Chicopee Public Schools), yearly pension $41,047.56; Deborah Pietras (Customer Service Supervisor, Electric Light Department), yearly pension $78,758.76; Elizabeth Thomas (Paraprofessional, Chicopee Public Schools), yearly pension $8,369.28. The motion to approve these calculations was made by Debra Boronski and seconded by Tiana Steffenhagen; the minutes record unanimous approval.
The board also noted receipt of PERAC's approval of an ordinary disability retirement allowance for Christopher Malooly (Police Department) and PERAC's approval of an accidental disability retirement allowance calculation for Robert McQueen (Fire Department). The minutes do not provide additional detail about the PERAC determinations.
The board approved these administrative items as routine business; the minutes show each motion passed with "ALL IN FAVOR."
