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Date: 10/26/2023
AGAWAM — Mayoral candidates Cecilia Calabrese and Christopher Johnson made their pitches to Agawam’s business community on Oct. 18 at the West of the River Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast. The event was hosted by Crestview Country Club.
Johnson introduced himself and his wife as lifelong residents of Agawam and alumni of local schools. A senior partner at a firm in West Springfield, he served as mayor in the 1990s, leaving after his daughter was born. He later ran for City Council, and has served as the council’s president for the past six years.
Johnson said the City Council under his leadership has conservatives and liberals, but both manage to get along.
“We have a saying, which is ‘No matter how deep the divide is during the debate, we should all be able to go out and have a coffee when it’s over with,’ and that’s what we try to do,” he said.
The government in Washington, D.C., is “broken,” Johnson said, because compromise doesn’t happen. He encouraged voters to stand up to far-right and far-left control of politics.
“All of us folks in the middle, we need to take back control of Washington,” he said.
Johnson said he pledges to make Agawam the best place in the Pioneer Valley to live, work, and raise a family. He said he is not running again for the prestige of being mayor, but because he cares deeply about the community.
The most significant challenge Agawam faces, Johnson said, is building a new high school. He said it’s inevitable that taxes will rise, but that the community needs to make the investment. He noted other towns in the area already have new high schools.
“In order to be competitive in Agawam, in that respect, we need to make an investment in education,” he said.
Calabrese introduced herself as a business owner in Agawam and a member of the City Council for 18 years. In 2017, she was elected to the board of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. She was elected president of the board in 2020. She described the position as a representative of all 351 cities and towns in the state, but also of the people.
“That’s the most important thing, the people in our communities,” she said.
Calabrese said she was born in Iowa and has lived in cities like Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Alexandria, Virginia. She said her knowledge of big city life is why she made the decision with her husband to move to Agawam.
Calabrese said it is the mayor’s job to attract businesses to town. She believes her background in sales will help her do that. Drawing businesses into Agawam will “increase that tax base and lessen the burden on our citizens,” she said.
Referring to the high school proposal, Calabrese said the town needs to find a way to lessen the tax burden on Agawam’s residents. She said she has tried to keep the tax rates for citizens and businesses competitive. She also said housing was a challenge Agawam has ahead.
“We need to have that dichotomy where our seniors can age in place, can afford to stay here in Agawam, and our young adults can actually buy a home in the community where they were raised,” she said.
The candidates are running for a two-year term as mayor to replace incumbent William Sapelli, who decided not to run for re-election after serving three terms. Voters will decide between Calabrese and Johnson in the city election Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can find out which precinct they live in and where to vote at sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA. An absentee ballot application can be found at agawam.ma.us/231/Election-Information. The deadline to register to vote is Friday, Oct. 27.