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Date: 10/18/2022
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY – On Oct. 13, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey visited cities in Hampshire County to learn more about the local business leaders in the area.
Healey joined other city officials and state legislators across a day-long trail of tours that included a downtown Northampton business walk, a University of Massachusetts (UMass) Transportation Center tour, a visit with UMass Amherst’s women’s basketball team, an Amherst meet and greet, and a North Quabbin meet and greet.
The candidate’s first stop of the day was Northampton’s India House on 45 State St., where Healey learned about the history of the restaurant and how outdoor dining benefitted them throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
From there, Healey joined Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, state Sen. Jo Comerford, state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, Auditor nominee and state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, and local representatives of the Downtown Northampton Association and Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a tour of three other small businesses in the city. Other stops included 25 Central Clothing Store on 162 Main St., Strada Shoes on 108 Main St., and Jo Smith Art on 9 Market St.
In an interview with the media, Healey emphasized that she would not leave Northampton and the rest of Western Massachusetts behind if she were elected governor. She emphasized the fact that she has ties with Western Mass. since her days campaigning for attorney general in 2013.
“I’ve always had a real fondness for Western Massachusetts,” said Healey. “And also an appreciation that Western Massachusetts has not felt that it has been as invested in or prioritized as much as greater Boston, for example. I’m committed to dealing with that and addressing that.”
For Healey, prioritizing Western Massachusetts more often means building on some of the investments made already, as well as encouraging more Western Massachusetts representation on statewide boards and committees.
“It means delivering specific investments in education, in job training, in vocational programs with economic development,” said Healey. “These things are very exciting to me. It’s a region that requires a specialized focus.”
Healey added that there are a few “shovel-ready” projects that could benefit education and businesses in Western Mass., and cited the large grant provided to Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School for their culinary program as an example of a worthy investment.
“I think we need to continue with those kinds of investments in workforce and job training in education,” said Healey.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Sciarra expressed excitement in having Healey visit Northampton to learn about what the city represents from an artistic and small business standpoint.
“It’s exciting to be able to spend a little bit of time with her downtown to highlight some of our small businesses, our artists and some of the exciting things we’ve done around outdoor dining,” said Sciarra.
The mayor added that she hopes to have a close and collaborative relationship with Healey if she is elected. She said that she would be especially excited to work with Kim Driscoll, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Sciarra told Reminder Publishing that she admires what Driscoll has done as mayor of Salem.
“To have a mayor in the lieutenant governor position I think is really exciting,” said Sciarra. “Someone who understands the municipal side is something I’m really looking forward to; just being able to have really in-depth conversations on that level.”