Velis promises common sense approach in SenateDate: 5/27/2020 WESTFIELD - After a convincing victory in the May 19 Special State Election, state Rep. and state Sen.-elect John Velis said he hopes to bring a common-sense, non-partisan approach to the Senate.
Velis, a Democrat from Westfield, defeated Southwick Republican John Cain by a roughly 2 to 1 margin in their bid to fill the vacant Second Hampden and Hampshire District seat in the Senate that was left empty by Westfield Mayor Don Humason. The victory flipped the seat from Republican to Democrat for the first time in a quarter of a century.
While recognizing the significance of the victory from that standpoint, Velis said his focus has been and will remain on the interests of his constituents, not party lines.
“In all of my doorknocking through all of the cities and towns in the district, what I heard from folks, from progressive constituents in Easthampton to conservatives in Southwick, is a disgust for the current state of politics,” he said. “My message is that I bring a different approach. My concern has been less with partisan nonsense; it has been about solving problems and bringing common sense to politics. This gang warfare mentality in today’s politics - and that’s what it is - is the biggest disservice the people we serve and represent.
“I think in many respects my approach is unique in today’s political landscape. I think that message resonated with people. It’s a seat that has been Republican for so many years and the last time a Democrat had that seat, Agawam wasn’t part of the district, so now it is more conservative than it was.”
He added he felt the disconnect between elected officials and residents “has never been wider” and he aimed to bridge that gap through an open-minded approach to legislation.
“I firmly believe that everybody, Republican or Democrat, is capable of good ideas,” he said. “I have no problem crossing party lines if I feel it is in the best interest of the people I was elected to represent. We are at a proverbial crossroads as Americans and we run the risk of imploding from within if we do not find common ground and continue to treat each other as the enemy.”
The election and campaigns were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic including the rescheduling of the election from its original March 30 date. Polling places were also altered in some instances and early and absentee voting were encouraged. Velis said for his part, the COVID-19 situation and resultant emergency orders and restrictions required a shift in campaign strategy and focus.
“I really transferred from John Velis, state Senate candidate, to a 24/7 focus on constituents. So many people are in pain right now - whether it is people dealing with issues like unemployment or small businesses that are unsure if they are able reopen. If any state representative or senator tells you it hasn’t been the toughest and busiest time for them, then their experience is vastly different than mine,” he said. “I pulled away from the campaign in many ways. I would be a pretty crappy public servant if I spent more time as a candidate than a public servant.”
Velis also admitted social distancing took him out of his element as the campaign trail shifted from boots on the ground to electronic means.
“I am a quintessential retail politicker. If I have a choice of personal contact versus a phone call or a social media strategy, I choose the former every time. That lack of personal connection really hurt me and made it difficult with my kind of message,” he said. “It’s very challenging and very difficult to make that message over the phone. Losing that personal aspect was an absolute killer.”
Addressing the needs of the district, Velis said a “close second” to people’s concerns about political discord was the perceived inequities of Western Massachusetts versus the rest of the state.
“What I heard was that people here are sick and tired of getting the short end of the stick. There is discouragement across the spectrum,” he said. “I think they saw when I was at their door that I am not a shrinking violet and I am going to advocate for them and I am going to ensure that we have our fair share.”
With coronavirus taking a heavy toll on public health and the economy, Velis said he generally agreed with Gov. Charlie Baker’s approach to reopening the commonwealth and said the majority of aid should go to locally owned businesses when attempting to restart the economy.
“First off, I wholeheartedly agree with the approach of letting the data guide our next steps. Preservation of human life is paramount,” he said. “When dealing with the decimating effect on our economy, I want to draw a clear line between helping out Main Street as opposed to Wall Street. When we talk about how we are going to help different sectors of the economy, we need to go into mom and pop brick and mortar shops. That’s where the aid needs to go. There is a common denominator among small business owners of ‘I am not going to survive this if I don’t get some help here.’”
Velis did criticize Baker’s slow rollout of the reopening plan and said some orders contain unnecessary ambiguity.
“On some levels there could have been more clarity,” he said.
Pointing to recent “very difficult conversations” with Humason and Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, Velis also acknowledged the pressing need to offer necessary guidance to cities and towns as well as local school districts with regard to budgeting with revenue shortfalls trickling down and causing concern for local aid.
“It’s a complex situation where local leaders are looking to us to give guidance but that actually ‘trickles up’ because we at the state level are looking to the federal government,” he said. “At the state level, we hope to get more clarity during the next federal package, but it is frustrating when we hear that probably won’t be until June. We are looking at a moving target and we are truly standing by with bated breath. The sooner we can move on this, the better.”
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