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Date: 10/20/2021
HOLYOKE – There were no fireworks at the At-Large City Council forum on Oct. 14 at Holyoke High School, but instead a fair amount of agreement between the candidates on many issues.
Common beliefs included that the Department of Public Works needs immediate attention in terms of funding; that schools should come back under the control of the city; that the council should show support for the police; and that cannabis has been good for the city.
Several candidates called for the lifting of the moratorium on the proposed natural gas pipeline as it represents a cleaner fuel than propane and would help attract more businesses to the city
Presented by the League of Women Voters Northampton Area and the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the participating candidates were Kevin Jourdain, Mark Chatel, Israel Rivera, Jose Maldonado Velez, Peter Tallman (incumbent), Howard Greaney Jr. (incumbent), James Leahy (incumbent), Jennifer Keitt, Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, Paola Ferrario and Joseph McGiverin (incumbent).
Jourdain had served for many years on the council as ward representative and seeks to come back as at-large councilor.
This election is guaranteed to bring at least two new faces to the at-large councilors as there are six positions on the council. Councilor Michael Sullivan is running for mayor and Councilor Rebecca Lisi, ran for mayor, but did not make the final cut in the preliminary election.
All of the candidates were asked the same questions from the moderator and Editor Dan Crowley of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. There was no opportunity for the candidates to question each other’s record or platform.
After one-minute opening statements, the candidates started answering questions with “What are the most important issues in Holyoke?”
Ferrario replied the schools remaining in receivership and the need for the city’s residents to come together to solve problems.
Greaney believes promoting the city properly, particularly the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and the city’s parks and reservoir is essential, as well as addressing the high commercial tax.
Jourdain said employment issues and keeping the city an affordable place to live are important, as well lifting the moratorium on the proposed natural gas pipeline. The city’s reputation must be improved, he added.
Keitt said improving communications between residents and government, addressing public health issues, regaining control of the schools and developing more housing are her issues.
Leahy said, “Getting City Hall back in order.” He praised Interim Mayor Terence Murphy and said Holyoke must be kept affordable for all.
Maldonado Velez noted the city needs to upgrade its infrastructure and improve technology, such as being able to apply for permits online. Describing Holyoke as a divided city, he added, “We’re all in the city together.”
McGiverin said services that would help “break the poverty cycle,” such as education, are important to him.
Murphy-Romboletti said the city has a need for a chief financial officer, a position for which she has long advocated. She added that streamlining the permitting system is important as is modernizing City Hall.
Rivera said improving the quality of life for residents from public safety to infrastructure to education and public parks is his objective.
Tallman noted that bringing businesses to Holyoke, making sure there is vocational training for those potential jobs and public safety are vital to him. He added the city has to “take care of its employees.”
Chatel said his most important concern is the tax rate that may push businesses and residents out as well as seeing the public and the police work together more.
A question about the importance of Spanish language translation to improve access to city government elicited answers from incumbents about what they have done to provide translation services, such as having a translator for council meetings, but most candidates agreed that more that should be done.
For instance, Keitt said the minutes from council meetings should be translated. Maldonado Velez said there should be translation services for council meetings for the people attending to understand what was going on and for the council to understand them. Jourdain said the ballot should be printed in both languages. Chatel said there is a need for translation services at council meeting during the public comment period.
Rivera said, “I asked this question [about translation services] in seventh grade.” He then advocated for additional translation services as the city might be accepting Afghan refugees.
Tallman called for more bilingual employees while Ferrario said the issue “is not a great thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.” She added that bringing more translation to city government is up to funding and logistics.
A question from Leahy caused a pause in the discussion. He asked if the forum was being translated for people watching it live on the internet. The answer was no.
“I really wish it was,” Leahy replied. He then noted he had started the “Hello Holyoke” forum on Facebook, which he described as the largest Facebook forum for the city and that there were posts in both English and Spanish.
Several questions were asked as a “lightening round” with the moderator asking for only yes or no answers. Nearly all of the candidates gave in to the urge to say more than just one word.
One of the questions was about whether or not the candidates supported the construction of new middle schools, a divisive issue brought up during the Morse Administration. Chatel, Ferrario, Jourdain, Greaney and Keitt noted their opposition while the others expressed support.
McGiverin said he would have been in favor if the state had assured there would have been 80 percent reimbursement on construction costs.
On a question about allowing chickens at residential properties, McGiverin, Chatel, Ferrario, Greaney and Jourdain expressed they would not support the issue.
Support for the growth of the cannabis industry in the city was expressed by most of the candidates, Greaney said he had “mixed emotions.” He supports medical cannabis, but called recreational cannabis a “gateway drug.” He said the long-term data from recreational cannabis is not in as yet.
Leahy said he was initially against it, but later changed his mind after a discussion with a cannabis business.
Rivera said he would like to see tax money generated by the sale of cannabis in the city directed to the Flats neighborhood. Maldonado Velez said he supports those people who have been negatively affected by the war on drugs.
All candidates said they would support a homeless shelter in the city. Several of the incumbents mentioned there are numerous homeless shelters already in Holyoke.
When asked which areas of city government are lacking the funding the department requires, many of the candidates said the Department of Public Works (DPW). Leahy noted the School Department and Law Department, which he said has been “decimated” by departures of lawyers, are in need of more funding.
Murphy-Romboletti said the Building Department and the Board of Health need more inspectors and there is an issue of employee retention. “We are losing great employees because we don’t pay them for what they are worth.”
Rivera noted a domino effect. Because the DPW doesn’t have the funds and it does the maintenance work in the city’s parks, the parks are suffering.
Chatel said the DPW is running a short staff and Greaney noted there are 10 open positions within the department.
Jourdain said the city must have better financial management and believes a receivership program, such as the one in Springfield, would give the city a tool to address abandoned properties.
Ferrario said that besides the DPW she believes the Planning Department is in need of qualitied employees.
To see the entire forum go to https://boxcast.tv/view/at-large-city-councilors-candidates-forum-641446?fbclid=IwAR2oQL-gtZ5cLZejVoqbCqUv-P5sSXvmNXrrJCfZAZIjp21pxLgUgya2MkI.