Who would run for East Longmeadow’s town council?

Date: 4/8/2016

There are many topics rambling through my brain so let’s get at it.

Would enough people run?

An East Longmeadow guy I know who seldom addresses any political opinions had an interesting observation about the charter reform issue. He is concerned there are not enough qualified people in the town to run for the seven-seat town council that would be formed if charter changes were successful at the polls.

I can see his concerns, as political involvement is generally pretty low in East Longmeadow. Look at the number of people who run for office now as well as the voter turnouts.

Too many people seem content to allow a relatively small group of people run things.

What I would hope to see, if the charter proposal passes, is a whole new group of people understanding there is a wider opportunity to serve their town and running for office.

We’ll all see what will happen on April 12 and I hope our East Longmeadow readers will all vote, regardless of their position.

Road project is vital

Historically, my little neighborhood in Springfield seldom received attention, although thanks to the 2011 tornado it has been the recipient of much government largesse.

We have a new beautiful neighborhood school, an increase in single-family homes, sidewalks and tree planting.

The main corridor through the neighborhood, Central Street, has been partially rebuilt, but much more work is needed on this busy roadway.  A long discussed plan that would alter the flow of the street and eliminate several traffic problems is now entering into the approval stages. Naturally there is controversy.

The plan would require eminent domain takings of three businesses, all of which would be relocated. City Councilor Bud Williams has led the charge against the project so far based on the idea the neighborhood hasn’t had the opportunity to discuss it.

He has said at several meetings I’ve covered the residents don’t want it. There have been petitions circulated apparently.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood 26 years. I served as neighborhood council president for five years. No one has been on my street with any petition. No one has asked me or as far as I could tell anyone in my part of the neighborhood.

The businesses all say they have no suitable place to relocate and this project could be mothballed. That would be a shame as the neighborhood could really use these improvements. I asked the head of the Department of Public Works if this project is killed when Central Street would see necessary rebuilding. His reply was at least five years in the future.

I understand businesses don’t want to move, but can anyone see the greater good that could come out of project? We’ll see.

City employees should live in the city

Speaking of Springfield, the City Council’s override of Mayor Domenic Sarno’s veto of a new ordinance regarding residency and waiver might be in legal limbo – the assertion has been made the move is counter to the city’s charter – but it sends a very strong message.

The idea is if more middle class employees of the city actually lived in the city, neighborhoods would be strengthened.

I couldn’t agree more. I hope this action starts a serious conversation about the future policy about who is hired for city jobs

Thank you George Moreau

From a reporter’s point of view, the late George Moreau, who served in elected positions in Chicopee for 30 years, was an ideal official.

I can’t pretend I knew him personally. I wasn’t a friend, but I’ve been covering the Chicopee City Council for quite some time and Moreau, who passed unexpectedly earlier this week, was one of the good guys in my book.

If I called him, he took the call. If I asked him a question, he answered it. He was always professional and friendly.

It was clear he deeply cared about his city and had the concerns of his constituents always on his mind.

And he had a sense of humor. When I once drew him aside to complain about a city councilor who just wouldn’t keep quiet in a meeting, he got the joke.

I think it was a shock to many that he wasn’t reelected, but he seemed to take that defeat in stride. Frankly I expected that he would come back to city government in a new role.

Chicopee certainly thanks him for his service.

This column is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the position of the owners or advertisers of this newspaper.

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