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Date: 1/15/2024
HOLYOKE — State Rep. Patricia Duffy (D-Holyoke) sat down with Holyoke Media to reflect on her 2023 working with Holyoke, as well as her goals for 2024.
Duffy said overall 2023 was a good year even with some challenges faced along the way.
“There were definitely some moments of frustration and concern, but overall, it went really well,” Duffy said.
Duffy added that for her latest session at the state house, while she is not serving in a leadership role on any committees, she has been actively involved on committees as well as in hearings, discussions and has been happy to provide input to committees through her role.
“Even as we speak we are starting to combine bills together so the last seven months [in the session] will be more weighted towards legislation being passed on the floor,” Duffy said.
One of the accomplishments made in the past year that Duffy was proud of was the state’s Fair Share tax going into effect and creating $1 billion in fiscal aid.
“The voters said this should be spent on education and transportation and this year we split it 50/50 and we put some aside to save,” Duffy said.
Duffy added with this funding more transportation projects can move forward and with the funding the education, public school children now get free meals during the school day.
Duffy said it was a long-term goal of hers to bring more programs such as Farm to Schools that utilize freshly grown local produce for school meals as a way to encourage and have healthier eating for students.
For the upcoming year, Duffy said one of the bills she has been helping work on to get passed was the Cherish Act. The goal of the act is to commit to higher education and the resources to insure a strong and healthy public higher education system.
“It’s about reformulating and prioritizing public higher education, in the same way that we have finally done with the student opportunity act,” Duffy said. This also includes continuing to try and fight to make college more affordable for all.
Duffy also felt her commitment to investing in equitably funding across the state was something she was going to continue on course with and added there has been a lot of great work done in the statehouse from Western Mass. representatives.
Criminal justice reform has also been a focus of Duffy.
“We’ve done really good work decriminalizing cannabis, getting rid of mandatory sentences for nonviolent crimes, but we need to make sure it gets implemented,” Duffy said. “The other thing we need to push is data and making sure the resources are put towards looking at recidivism, where do we not see it, where do we see recidivism.”
Duffy added in conversation with the Sheriff’s Office, a big point to remember with the incarcerated is the vast majority will be released at some point and must reenter society.
“They’ve served their time, let’s give them every opportunity and resource and tool that they need in order to be productive citizens. There are good programs in the jail at this time,” Duffy said. “It’s important to make sure that those places are supported.”
When asked about her relationship with Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Duffy said it has been a pleasure.
“I think they really do listen. Maura Healey comes from the civil rights background, and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll was the mayor of a gateway city in Salem, so she gets it when we talk about cities that have moved to infrastructure investments or where the economy has changed, or there is a higher population of poor people, and we need to support them and make sure there are opportunities for them. What a dynamic duo,” Duffy said.
Duffy also reiterated her stance that she is “100%” in favor of giving back local control of the school district to Holyoke and exiting state receivership. She added with the city being so aligned on now being the time to regain control, it shows the city is ready.
According to Duffy, infrastructure funding is a big focus of hers for Holyoke as well as there are plenty of projects that could benefit from improved infrastructure.
“We have to update our sewer system, keep the water pipes going, but also our infrastructure as like the buildings of this beautiful downtown. Create or expand on incentives where people are actually going and preserving these buildings and have the time and the space and the money to work with these buildings because right now, it’s cheaper and you get more incentives to tear things down,” Duffy said. “It’s what makes us unique and special so let’s keep that going.”