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Date: 5/18/2021
NORTHAMPTON – With the mayoral election fast approaching, Northampton resident Rosechana Gordon announced that she will be running for the position.
Gordon said she wanted to run for mayor because of her belief in the Northampton community.
“I am running for mayor because I believe in the city of Northampton. I have been a member of the community for over 30 years, and I have worked in various capacities throughout our city. We have an extraordinary group of citizens here that make up this special city we call home. I feel like I am representative of the community at large,” she said.
Gordon said her experience as a social worker, consultant trainer, and life coach with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services will help her if she is elected.
“I worked for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services at the state level in all different capacities. I began when I was 21 and I worked frontline social work, I worked trainings for all the Massachusetts state social workers, I worked in my community, so I know the citizens of Northampton. I am also an organizational developer with a background in multicultural organization development, student development, people-personnel services, and social justice,” she said.
While she said she has no direct municipal experience, Gordon said she was a part of several boards at the state level.
“I have always been in politics, but I have not run for office before. I served on the governor’s Safe School Task Force, I was part of and attended many meetings from the Office of Disabilities and I volunteered for our senior center here in town,” she said.
If elected, Gordon said one of her biggest goals is to guide the city and take on the challenges of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Right now, we have a AAA rating as a city, so my goal would be to maintain that. The first thing I would be looking at is the challenges of the aftereffects of this unprecedented public health crisis in COVID-19 and how to move our city forward,” she said.
With other city leadership, Gordon said she wants to tackle the issues most important to Northampton residents.
“Along with other leaders and the City Council we will look at creative ways to deliver services while rebuilding the economy, looking at ways to tackle climate change and fighting inequality. These are some of the things on the minds of Northampton citizens,” she said.
One challenge Gordon said she is excited to take on is uniting residents on different sides of the political spectrum.
“I run as an independent as far as my political standing and I have a personal goal to bring people of my own community from polarized sides together and to lead. I find there is wisdom from both sides of the political parties. Our city is very polarized, and I look at that as a great challenge and something I am excited to do,” she said.
In her free time, Gordon said she likes to sing, play basketball and go to the arcade.
“I am a singer by trade, I also like to shoot hoops, and play video games with my love at the arcade,” she said.