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Date: 8/8/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Nominations for the November town election recently closed, and though the ballot will mostly consist of incumbents, there are three new faces seeking Town Council seats.
Elisa Olivo is one of those candidates, and the only one in a contested race, as she is one of six candidates vying for the five at-large seats on the council. As an at-large candidate, she will appear on ballots in all eight precincts.
She’s a newcomer not only to town politics but to the region, as well. Olivo has been living in the area for a little over a year, but said that’s been long enough for her to see what needs improving.
“I’m from Puerto Rico, so I’m used to always helping my family and community, and having a support system in place,” said Olivo. She’s particularly interested in directing more resources to youth, like her son, who has autisim and is a member of a racial minority group.
“I’ve been talking with the Housing Authority to try and create a center for children,” she said. “I use all the facilities in the city, from the libraries to the pool and more. We need to improve.”
All of her opponents in the race are experienced councilors — four at-large incumbents, as well as current District 4 Councilor Daniel O’Brien, who is switching to the at-large race this year. This will be Olivo’s first political race, but she has an extensive background in business and the military.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in management from Columbia University, I was a cadet in the Air Force, I worked for a bank in Puerto Rico for over 10 years, and I worked for the Department of Justice for five years,” said Olivo.
Besides focusing on a daytime activity center for kids, Olivo also wants to open a night-care facility for parents who work late hours.
“A lot of people come to the U.S. to try and make better lives for themselves and their families. But it’s very hard to do it alone and without support,” said Olivo. She wants to center her campaign on strengthening West Springfield’s sense of community and working with the disabled population.
“I try to help and be involved, but if you’re not part of the City Council, they don’t hear you. Luckily, I have support from a lot of people,” said Olivo.
She is currently working on a webpage but keeps her supporters updated via Instagram, @Elisaforwestspringfield.
The other two non-incumbents running for Town Council are candidates running unopposed for district seats. Fred Connor will be the only choice in District 4, the seat O’Brien is vacating, covering precincts 7 and 8 on the north side of town.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this and I’m currently working on getting more prepared and collected,” said Connor, who did not wish to comment further.
In District 1, covering precincts 1 and 2 in the downtown-Merrick-Memorial area, current Councilor Michael Eger opted not to run for reelection, and the only candidate is William Forfa. He did not respond to four telephone messages seeking comment for this story. Forfa had sought this seat in 2019, losing to Eger.