Bissonnette to launch re-election campaign Jan. 29

Date: 1/27/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE Looking at a third term, Mayor Michael Bissonnette will conduct his first re-election event on Jan. 29 at the Willimansett Heights Improvement League Hall at 118 Mount Vernon St.

Although so far no one has announced to run for mayor other than the incumbent, Bissonnette said he is prepared to run a "full-scale campaign" regardless if he has an opponent or not.

"I want people to understand I don't take the trust in me for granted," he told Reminder Publications.

He said that in his first two terms he has stabilized the city's financing, but now the task is "restoring the city's spirit."

Bissonnette has planned a long list of public works projects that were been planned during his first three years in office. The reason they have not been implemented is due to the lack of state and federal funds that would allow the city "to get shovels in the ground."

While in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration last week, Bissonnette lobbied both Gov. Deval Patrick and federal officials to get the up-coming federal stimulus to the state and municipalities. He is hoping that at least part of the list of projects can be funded with federal dollars.

"It's clearly a challenge to get the funds down to the local level to get people working again," he said.

He believes that "people are coming to a new realism that government is an economic force.[a] first step to leverage private funds."

He introduced Patrick at the reception hosted by the governor.

Speaking of the impending cuts in local aid, Bissonnette noted the effect of making a 10 percent budget cut at this time "is like a 20 percent cut."

If the local aid was cut by as much as 10 percent a statement from Patrick's office released on Friday indicated it would be less than that Bissonnette said he would have to find $7 million to eliminate from the city's budget. Using personnel as an example, he said the average municipal wage is $50,000. At that level about 350 people would face layoffs.

Bissonnette will be working with the governor to propose legislation that would allow the city to freeze payments to its pension system for the next two years. This move would not affect the city's pension, but would free up about $7 million that could make up for diminished state aid in the next fiscal year.

"It's easy to govern in boom times," he said. "It's a challenge to be creative enough to get us through the tough times. And I'm always up for a challenge."