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Date: 5/26/2021
HOLYOKE – In an impromptu media conference, acting Mayor Terrance Murphy discussed the city’s reopening plans and addressed speculation that he would be seeking election to the city’s highest office in November.
Murphy, who was nominated to serve as acting mayor by the City Council following the departure of former mayor Alex Morse, first addressed the campaign speculation. He emphasized that he would not be seeking office. The rumors began after it was noticed that Murphy registered his campaign with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. However, he said that he was told he had to register with the office and held no money in that account.
“I took this position several weeks ago with several goals. Number one: to make sure I put the City of Holyoke in its best position to go forward with whoever the new mayor might be in November...That is my mission, that is my goal, that is where my energy is going,” he said.
Murphy said he was “mandated” to file such paperwork, but had “zero money in my account” and didn’t want any money in his account. While he thanked those who encouraged him, he said his only goal was to put Holyoke in the best position possible. “I’m 73-years-old, I’m healthy, I want to stay healthy. Six weeks on the job, it’s a tough job and I’m trying to turn this city for the better. I want to unite us, and I want to do it so whoever gets in here in November is in a position to be successful, that’s my only goal, that’s what I’m going to work for for the next six months,” he said.
Murphy, who said he did not have a political agenda, said he believed people would be more willing to work with him if they knew he was not a candidate. He then went on to discuss the city’s reopening plan, stating that city services would resume once again on June 1 with City Hall once again reopening to the public. He said when the building reopened, there would be masks required inside the building, a registration process and someone to take information for contact tracing just in case. The senior center, he said, was hoping for a June 7 opening, but was working to put a registration process in place to ensure there was a limited number of people in the center at one time.
The last item Murphy addressed was a drag racing problem in the city. He said he had spoken with Mayor William Reichelt of West Springfield to ensure that the cities work together for the safety and well being of their residents. “It’s not just one or two cars, it’s 30, 50 cars. So it’s a major issue safety-wise. I’ve also heard, those same drivers, as they come off the drag racing, dominate the roadways and go through red lights and all the other things,” he said.
When asked if he would be seeking reelection as the city’s Ward Two councilor, Murphy said he would not be and felt like his time as an elected official was coming to an end. He said he was elected to the position in January of 2019 and thought he would only serve one year at that time. When the next election cycle came around he said no one had taken out papers for the position, so he stayed on as the councilor.
“Now I’ve served for three years, never thought I’d be in this position. This is a very challenging position. It probably always is, but I think I’ve come in at a time when it’s even more challenging,” he said. “We’ve had people leaving the Law Department, the Personnel Department, the Treasury Department and I’m sure many others.”
He continued, “Not that I’m not going to be concerned about Holyoke, because I always will be, and not that I’m not going to give time for Holyoke because I always will, but I think my time in an elected position is going to come to an end.”