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Mayor raises $25,000 for re-relection

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



CHICOPEE Although Mayor Michael Bissonnette called his fund-raiser on Thursday evening "a kind of a prelude" to a formal re-election announcement sometime in April, the event proved to be quite a success: about 200 people attended and contributed $25,000 for Bissonnette's campaign.

Supporters, city officials and State Representative Joseph Wagner (D- Chicopee) and James Welch (D- West Springfield) attended the cocktail event at the Hu Ke Lau.

Although nomination papers don't have to be filed until July, so far Bissonnette said he has not heard of anyone thinking about giving him a run for the seat, although that doesn't mean there wont' be a race.

"I don't own the office," he said. "It's a democracy."

Bissonnette said that with his recent prostate cancer surgery he had considered postponing the event, but his committee said they would organize it and all he would have to do is attend.

He has not yet appointed a campaign manager and said his re-election committee will have an organizational meeting either later this month or in April.

The decision to run for a second term was "much harder personally than professionally," he added. Beside his health, he said he has put his law practice on hold and that the longer he is away from it, the more difficult it will be to re-start it.

He said that he enjoys the job, although he admits he didn't fully understand the depth of the position's complexities until he was in office.

He said he was "thrilled" at the turnout, but is even more thrilled when 100 people attend one of his town meetings.