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Date: 9/21/2021
NORTHAMPTON – On Sept. 14, Northampton Neighbors hosted a public forum with mayoral candidates Shanna Fishel, Roy Martin, Gina-Louise Sciarra and Marc Warner ahead of the Preliminary Election on Sept. 28.
During the forum the candidates were asked a set of questions and given an equal amount of time to respond.
Candidates were asked to give their opinion on the redesign of Main Street, and which design they supported.
Sciarra began the responses to this question by saying she thought the redesign of Main Street is an opportunity for some new ideas and should prioritize retaining parking for people with mobility issues.
“I am most in favor of Option 3 although I will say this is an important opportunity and we should be brave and bold with this money. I think if we take into account how much technology is changing, can use that space for people and prioritize the parking for people with mobility issues we can really change how we approach downtown,” she said.
Warner said he was in favor of having the design group for the project investigate the design proposed by the Main Street for Everyone group, an update to Option 3, which the city chose.
“I hope the city does this and I also hope Tool Design will get the city’s authorization to go look at the Main Street for Everyone proposal because I think there are some features of that that would be attractive and make the downtown a special place,” he said.
Fishel said they were also in favor of the Main Street for Everyone proposal and said the current design misses out on potential climate-friendly features.
“I voted for Option 3 when it came across the public forum and I do support more towards Main Street for Everyone because I think it is more accessible in terms of walking, crossing the streets and having green canopies. I think we are missing an opportunity to make a climate rich downtown,” they said.
Martin rounded out this round of responses by saying he was not in favor of changing Main Street if it meant making walking from the parking spots to the garage difficult for seniors.
“I am not in favor of changing Main Street, there are senior citizens that do not want to park at the parking garage or parking lots and walk uptown. What senior citizen is going to carry a whole bunch of stuff they bought on Main Street down to the parking garage? None that I know of, they all said they would go out to the shopping malls,” he said.
The candidates were also asked how they would respond to issues that citizens speak out against, including the recent paving project in Warfield Place that saw its cherry trees removed.
Warner started the responses to this question by stating in some cases you have to listen to the community, but you also have to listen to the experts and do what is best for the city.
“There may have been some questions about the warrants that pushed Warfield Place to the top of the list given that it was a surprise to so many people. You have to listen to the community, but you also have to yield to your experts and make a convincing case to those neighbors,” he said.
Fishel responded next and said it is the mayor’s job to listen to the differing opinions of the city, especially when the residents are vocal about their disagreement with a city plan.
“I am saddened by the destruction of the cherry trees, and I think using the police to bulldoze the trees was an example of a waste in our city planning. If there is such a dissent of the majority of the population, the mayor needs to listen and be a conduit between differing opinions in the city,” they said.
Martin said a way to solve various issues in the city is by filling the vacancies across many of the city’s departments, boards and committees.
“We have to make sure all our boards are full, and people are in there. The city must work on putting itself together, right now this city is kind of torn apart. Every department we have is short people, including the Police Department,” he said.
To address issues such as the paving project on Warfield Place, Sciarra said she would have started the dialogue with residents earlier to work with them to come to a solution if possible.
“If I had been in the mayor’s office at the time, I would have worked harder earlier in the process to lead a dialogue, hear from all sides and explore options. I believe in community input and finding consensus but sometimes the mayor must make a decision. For community discussions that generate passion and feelings I think it is important for the city to work with the neighbors,” she said.
During the forum, each candidate was also asked to give their thoughts about the Department of Community Care and how it would respond to a late-night domestic violence call.
Martin started this round of answers by saying the police should respond to domestic violence calls and that he is in favor of a slow approach with the new city department.
“For something like domestic violence, you definitely want to send police. I say we give it a shot but not give them millions of dollars to hire a whole bunch of people to lay them off two years later if it did not work out. Let’s take this one step at a time, nothing works if you just pour money into it,” he said.
By already having a good dispatch department, Sciarra said the department is set up for success, but she said she would be hesitant to send a civilian responder into a domestic violence call without backup.
“We have an incredible dispatch department already so that is a real strength that we start with. Our dispatch is professional, ready and will work with the implementation to figure out how that will work with other departments. Domestic violence calls are some of the most dangerous calls and I would never want to put a Community Care response person into a dangerous situation,” she said.
Warner said he was all in favor of the department and that it will provide a valuable service to the city.
“The Department of Community Care is a good idea; this is a service that will be valuable to Northampton, and I think the staff will work effectively with the police and understand the type of calls that come in and how to handle it. They will also provide outreach services and I think that is valuable,” he said.
Fishel closed out this round of answers by saying the department has the opportunity to serve as a model for the rest of the state and must account for the needs of marginalized people, especially when responding to domestic violence calls.
“As a social worker, this is an area I would consider myself very well informed of the ins and outs. We have an opportunity to be the model city in Massachusetts and New England. When we are talking about domestic violence, the issue will escalate if you send a cop to resolve it when it involves a marginalized group,” they said. “If we are a true progressive city, we must hold values for the maximum benefits of the disenfranchised folks.”
Voters will have the opportunity to narrow down the field of candidates to two during the Preliminary Election on Sept. 28.