The on-going debate over the new traffic light at Central and Clover took an angry turn at Tuesday evening's Town Council meeting, with accusations of retaliation against residents who speak out against the light.

Maria Coluccio, who lives next to the property the light was installed on, said that she believes that her neighbors have not joined her and Adina Enclescu, who owns the property the light was installed on, out of fear of retaliation from the Council. Coluccio and Enclescu have been speaking out at the Council's televised public meetings for several months asking that the light be moved from Enclescu's property to the intersection with Clover.

Mayor Andy Skibitsky quickly rebutted Coluccio's claim.

"I do not know anyone on this council that would retaliate against anyone who came up here and spoke, I invite anyone who has anything to say to come here and speak," he said.

At previous Council meetings, Enclescu has complained that no other residents have joined the protest over the light, citing the large amount of residents who petitioned the Council when a crossing guard was removed from further down Central Avenue. The new light - installed as part of the county's traffic safety upgrades to Central Avenue - was placed in front of Enclescu's house and not at the corner at the request of Clover Street residents, according to Councilman Mark Ciarrocca.

The light - placed on the public right of way on Enclescu's property - will be pedestrian activated only and is designed to provide safe crossing for students at Jefferson School and Edison Intermediate School.

Coluccio and Enclescu have said at past meetings that the new light has caused Enclescu's property values to drop and have made it tough for Enclescu to exit her driveway. Coluccio in prior meetings said that the town did not make an effort to inform Enclescu of the light's installation, a claim that Ciarrocca has refuted, saying his children handed out flyers to every resident.

Greg Kasko, a retired police officer who has been at odds with the Town Council on police department management issues, followed Coluccio to the podium, addressing the retribution issue, saying he saw the same thing happen during the 2004 debate over the proposed downtown parking deck. Kasko is aligned with Coluccio and Enclescu on the traffic light issue.

"James Avante spoke here in opposition to the parking decks and was arrested after speaking for a traffic warrant," he said, suggesting that Councilman Jim Foerst asked for the background check on Avante.

"Not once did I, or anyone, ever request that background checks be run on individuals who came to that microphone to voice their opinion, which is their right under the laws of this country and this town," Foerst said. "For you to come to that microphone and insinuate that I sent an email requesting background checks is disgusting, this is the lowest point on my seven years on this Council."

A Dec. 8, 2005 article in The Westfield Leader states that Foerst sent an email to town employees and Council members suggesting that members of WE CARE, an advocacy organization formed to oppose the parking deck, be followed by town officials and to put limits on how much residents could address the Council. During a December 2005 Council meeting, Foerst said the email was "satirical" in nature and that he had apologized to the resident he named in the piece and to other members of the Council.

With regards to the stop light, Skibitsky said the Council will be looking at the light's placement after the light becomes operational.

"Week after week we hear from you and it is clear we are in disagreement with you and your point of view," he said. "And as I have told you we will visit this again when the light is operational."