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Date: 1/19/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Having claimed the fifth councilor-at-large seat in the 2021 town election, Jaime Smith looks forward to her journey as a new member of the West Springfield Town Council.
“It was great. Everyone was welcoming,” Smith said of the council’s first meeting on Jan. 3.
As Smith joins seven incumbents, along with fellow newcomer Michael LaFlamme, she expressed her excitement to work alongside the councilors, mayor and the residents, to “better the city of West Springfield.”
She said “it’s hard to say” what her top priorities on the council will be. She added that councilors recently received a copy of subcommittee assignments and agendas, which she has been reviewing in preparation for their upcoming meeting on Jan. 18.
“Once I get involved with folks, I will then formulate priorities,” she said.
In addition to reviewing the council agendas and assignments, Smith has been paying close attention to previous meetings as they’ve aired on the town’s official Facebook page.
“I can tune in and see how they’re run; [and] see what I can expect,” she said.
She anticipates the council’s biggest challenge will be finding consensus, given the wide range of opinions among councilors, but she said she is looking forward to these friendly debates. Conversation and discussion is crucial, she said.
Since being elected to the council with 1,908 votes, Smith said, “I have been more focused” on town issues.
Right now, what the future holds is “hard to tell,” she said, but she is eager to get started and ready for any challenge.
Smith represents change on the council in one obvious way – she will be the only woman on the council this term, and the first female councilor in West Springfield since 2017. She said that wasn’t a factor in her decision to run for what has been an all-male board for the past couple years, nor does she expect it to be a factor in the coming term.
“It’s not gender-driven,” said Smith. “It’s a fact, but it hasn’t crossed my mind.”
Prior to the Town Council meeting on Jan. 3, Smith was inaugurated during a swearing-in ceremony. Like all councilors, she will serve a two-year term.