The move of the Town Council's lone Democrat from one vice chairmanship to the other and a swap of downtown and recreation liaisons are the main changes in the Town Council's 2011 committee assignments.

Councilman Dave Haas, the Council's lone Democrat will retain the same committee assignments for 2011, finance policy and public works, but will swap the vice chairman's post on the budget panel for the vice chairman's job on the public works committee. Councilman Sam Della Fera, trades the vice chairmanship of the code review committee for the finance post. Della Fera has been a member of the budget panel for the past year.

Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins takes Della Fera's post as code review vice chairwoman, after serving as vice chair on public works.

Council committee vice chairs preside over meetings of the committees in absence of the chairs and present committee reports at full Council meetings in the absence of committee chairs. 

Councilman Mark Ciarrocca will trade the post of Council liaison to the Recreation Commission for liaison to the Downtown Westfield Corporation board, trading places with Councilman Frank Arena, who has sat on the downtown agency's board for two years. 

Ciarrocca will retain his role as acting mayor for 2011 and Councilwoman Joann Neylan will retain the post of alternate acting mayor. Ciarrocca's role includes presiding over Town Council meetings in the absence of Mayor Andy Skibitsky and performing the mayor's duties in the absence of the mayor. Neylan holds the town's top spot in the absence of both Skibitsky and Ciarrocca. Neylan has presided over one Council meeting in 2010 and handled such mayoral duties as officially welcoming the Crown Princess of Serbia to town and presiding over the 2010 Easter Egg Hunt. Neylan also presided over a Council meeting in 2009, her first as acting mayor.

Here are the committee and liaison posts for each Council member for 2011.

Mayor Andy Skibitsky

• Liaison to the Union County League of Municipalities
• Liaison to the Second Senior Citizens Housing Corporation

First Ward Councilman Frank Arena

• Chairman of the Public Works Committee
• Member of the Code Review and Town Property Committee
• Liaison to the Recreation Commission

First Ward Councilman Sam Della Fera

• Vice Chairman of the Finance Policy Committee
• Member of the Code Review and Town Property Committee
• Liaison to the Board of Health

Second Ward Councilwoman Joann Neylan

• Alternate Acting Mayor
• Chairwoman of the Public Safety, Transportation and Parking Committee
• Liaison to the Chamber of Commerce
• Liaison to the Municipal Alliance/PANDA

Second Ward Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins

• Vice Chairwoman of the Code Review and Town Property Committee
• Member of the Public Works Committee
• Liaison to the Historic Preservation Committee
• Liaison to the Communications Advisory Board

Third Ward Councilman Mark Ciarrocca

• Acting Mayor
• Chairman of the Finance Policy Committee
• Member of the Public Safety, Transportation and Parking Committee
• Member of the Downtown Westfield Corporation Board of Directors
• Liaison to the Board of Education

Third Ward Councilman Dave Haas

• Vice Chairman of the Public Works Committee
• Member of the Finance Policy Committee
• Liaison to the Tree Preservation Commission

Fourth Ward Councilman Jim Foerst

• Chairman of the Code Review and Town Property Committee
• Member of the Public Safety, Transportation and Parking Committee
• Member of the Planning Board

Fourth Ward Councilman Keith Loughlin

• Vice Chairman of the Public Safety, Transportation and Parking Committee
• Member of the Public Works Committee
• Member of the Westfield Memorial Library Board of Trustees