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Date: 11/3/2022
CHICOPEE – Democratic nominee Shirley Arriaga and Independent candidate Sean Goonan will face off in the election of a new 8th Hampden District state representative on Nov. 8. Both candidates are vying to fill the position after state Rep. and Second Assistant Majority Leader Joseph Wagner announced his retirement in February after three decades of service.
Arriaga
Arriaga, an educator at Chicopee High School and an Air Force veteran, earned the role of staff sergeant while serving as a loadmaster in the 337th Airlift Squadron out of Westover Air Reserve Base starting in 2010. During her time in the military, Arriaga worked in the Women in Aviation Initiative before becoming Congressman Richard Neal’s veteran services director. She also ran for an at-large seat on the City Council in 2021.
Arriaga received her bachelor’s degree from Elms College and her Master of Law from Western New England University.
Arriaga defeated Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe in the Sept. 6 primary, ultimately securing 63 percent of the vote. If elected to office, Arriaga would become the first woman and first person of Latin American descent to secure the 8th Hampden District state representative seat.
McAuliffe expressed his support for Arriaga’s campaign in the aftermath of the primary results.
“I promise to work alongside Shirley, she has my full support in this race, and I hope all of you go out and elect her as our next state representative,” said McAuliffe during a primary night gathering.
During her campaign, Arriaga also earned endorsements from several political leaders, including Neal, state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, state Rep. Orlando Ramos, Attorney General and Democratic gubernational candidate Maura Healey, former Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos and Wagner himself.
Reflecting on his endorsement, Wagner initially planned to stay uninvolved with the race until he learned of Arriaga’s campaign efforts.
“Going into this, I thought I would just stay on the sidelines … When announcement papers became available, I said, ‘I hope the people who give this thought and decide to run, run campaigns worthy of consideration by Chicopee voters.’ I think Shirley has been really exemplary in that regard,” said Wagner.
Wagner praised Arriaga’s skillset and how it could potentially transition into the state representative role.
“She leads with integrity; her work ethic is second to none. She has knocked on the door of every voter in this district – most of them more than one time, and that’s not an easy thing to do. That takes commitment. She’s passionate about the issues of today,” said Wagner.
Looking ahead to the Nov. 8 election, Arriaga shared her excitement for potentially representing a voice of political change in Chicopee.
“Chicopee has changed and it’s increasingly diverse as the years go by. To be able to represent that diversity that we currently have here is great. I think that’s what we need. We need elected officials who are representative of their community,” said Arriaga.
For her political platform, Arriaga touted her desire to support education, small businesses and local transportation. She advocated for educational entities to receive additional funding to curb deficits and the lingering impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Arriaga also said she continues actively campaigning in the aftermath of the primary.
“We are not going to stop. We are not going to slow down. We are going to keep at it and secure this seat,” said Arriaga.
Goonan
As a lifelong Chicopee resident, Goonan graduated from Chicopee High School in 2011. He majored in economics while attending George Washington University for three years, but ultimately left the school to pursue farming. Goonan has run his own farm part time over the last seven years while also pursuing a career in carpentry. He also served as a substitute teacher and wrote the book “The Foundation for Exploration.”
Goonan previously ran for the City Council at-large positions in 2019 and 2021. As a working-class politician, Goonan describes himself as an independent who operates outside the traditional political system.
“I don’t adhere to any political party, and I feel that the two current mainstream parties have failed the American citizenry for too long. I believe that the entrenched political establishment needs to be disrupted and shaken up, and new ideas brought to the forefront,” said Goonan.
Goonan shared that he became inspired to run after learning about Wagner’s retirement.
“Initially, I wasn’t planning on running for state representative, but once state Rep. Wagner decided not to run, I saw the opportunity to give it a shot,” said Goonan.
When considering his legislative goals, Goonan stressed that supporting small businesses via grants represents a central goal. He also shared that he would advocate for the expansion of workforce development programs.
“We need to refocus our workforce development … starting an apprenticeship program and encouraging people to have more entrepreneurial aspirations is something that gets looked over,” said Goonan.
Goonan also discussed his support for land conservation, including the highly debated Slate Road Conservation Area. The state representative candidate said he’s a “huge supporter” of preventing development on the land, which is partially owned by Westover Metropolitan Development Corporation (WMDC).
“If I were to be elected, I might be able to help remedy the situation and either work with WMDC to get the land back in the state or city’s hands and designated as conservation land,” said Goonan.
Lowering taxes and working on community development projects are a few other legislative goals for Goonan.
In promoting his candidacy, Goonan said he is more “in tune” with Chicopee residents and their concerns.
“I feel that I’m the best choice for the 8th Hampden District because I believe I am more in tune with residents’ concerns for their government and I’ll enact legislation and provide funding that will more directly improve people’s lives, while keeping a closer eye on spending,” said Goonan.
The Nov. 8 election will also include the 1st Hampden and Hampshire state Senate race between state Rep. Jacob Oliveira and Bill Johnson, the gubernational election between Healey and Republican candidate Geoff Diehl and the lieutenant governor race featuring Democratic candidate Kim Driscoll and Republican candidate Leah Cole Allen.