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Date: 10/22/2015
HOLYOKE – The Holyoke mayoral debate on Oct. 15 was a contrast of styles and messages.
Business owner Francis O’ Connell tended to be critical of incumbent Mayor Alex Morse, while Morse spoke about accomplishments and fended off O’Connell’s statements.
Conducted before about 100 people at Holyoke High School, the debate was sponsored by the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. Melvin Sanchez of WSPR, Jim Kinney of The Republican and this writer asked the candidates questions, before then asking questions of each other.
In his opening statement challenger Francis O’ Connell said he is running because “the city is in trouble.” He cited a 31 percent rate of poverty among Holyoke residents and accused Morse of missing School Committee meetings and making missteps that have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
He added, “There is nothing that can’t be fixed in Holyoke by what is right with Holyoke.”
Incumbent Morse stressed in his statement the city has needed a leader with vision and that two terms is not enough to accomplish what must be done. He cited the recent announcements of condominium development at 380 Dwight Street as an example of the forward movement in the city.
“With our hard work over the past four years we’ve made Holyoke a place where businesses wan to be,” Morse said.
“People are investing in Holyoke at a level haven’t seen in decades,” Morse said.
When O’Connell was asked his marketing plan to businesses, who would be targeted and how much it would cost, he said he would form a committee of local business executives to assist him in further business development. He cited Holyoke strengths, such as inexpensive electricity and access to rail.
Morse then noted O’Connell hadn’t answered the question specifically and said that while O’Connell wants to “move the city in a new direction he doesn’t have new ideas.”
He said there is now $150 million in business investment in the city.
Morse was asked about the resignation of former City Solicitor Heather Egan and what lessons he learned.
Morse called the Egan situation “difficult” and said in a community with 2,000 municipal employees human resource issues are bound to arise.
He added he didn’t have time to dwell on such issues and would rather remain positive. He said he “never promised to be perfect and I think we’ve learned a lot the last four years.”
O’Connell said he would use his business experience and consult with an expert before taking such action. He added that Morse did not mention that he fired additional employees that cost the city $400,000 in pay and legal fees.
When asked about improving the schools, O’Connell was asked what he would do. O’Connell called the schools going into receivership a “travesty.”
He added, “Education is something this mayor ran on two elections in a row and virtually did nothing to forestall this takeover.”
He said he would have followed through on his promise.
Morse said the city needs to use receivership as an opportunity to “increase outcomes for all students.”
He added the graduation rate when he took office was 49 percent and it has risen to 60 percent due to the works of the city’s teachers, School Department and superintendent.
When asked if anyone has assessed the tangible economic impact of the city’s efforts to grow a creative economy, Morse said there have been an expansion of the tax base and a creation of jobs. Artists who have been working in the city for years now see themselves as small business owners, he added.
He cited efforts such as Gateway City Arts, the redevelopment of the Cubit building and the possible relocation of the Holyoke Community College’s Culinary Arts Department as examples of the creative economy.
“The facts are the facts and the record is the record and the facts are simple,” O’Connell said in leading off his reply – something he continued through the evening. Citing the city’s unemployment and poverty rate, he said that while he supported the arts, he was a “realist.” He said he asked people in “the lower wards” while campaigning what the creative economy has meant to them. The reply he received is the creative economy hasn’t given them a job.
O’Connell said that what the city needs instead is the returns of manufacturing in downtown Holyoke.
O’Connell received the next question involving his alleged comments about Development Specialist Tessa Murphy-Romboletti in the Planning and Economic Development.
O’Connell attributed the remarks to a “disgruntled former paid staffer of my campaign and I have no further comment on that.” He did add that of his employees at O’Connell Care at Home 90 percent of them are women and 24 of his 27 administrative staffers are women.
Commenting on such issues as the alleged remarks is “a distraction” and a “disservice to the people of Holyoke.”
Morse said, “I learned in the last four years that ‘no comment’ doesn’t cut it.” He said in the mayor’s office he doesn’t have the “luxury” of a marketing firm writing a response for him.
When asked to grade himself over the last four years as mayor, Morse said to laughter from the audience, “I’ll go out on a limb and give myself an ‘A’. Fran will give me a ‘F.’”
“Over the last four years we’ve made a lot of progress,” he added. “I just can’t get my head around the fact that Mr. O’Connell can’t acknowledged anything positive in Holyoke happening today."
O’Connell replied how Morse missed 43 percent of School Committee meetings, paid Egan $45,000, had a budget deficit and saw the schools go into receivership – facts that Morse can’t avoid.
“The facts are the facts and I do have a plan to move Holyoke in a new direction,” O’Connell said. One member of the audience called out, “What is it?” before the applause from supporters.
O’Connell was then asked about how he would run his office as mayor, what changes he would make and what would be would be his day to day responsibilities.
O’Connell said he would remodel the mayor’s office to improve “the flow,” and cited the renovation of the library as an example. He would evaluate the staff that is currently there in the same way he would evaluate the staff in his business and wouldn’t make changes until that evaluation was done.
Morse said as a rejoinder he has spent more time on considering his decisions “than the paint on the walls.” He then commended the dedication of city employees and would continue trying to get the best people for city position to help keep moving the city forward.