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Date: 3/30/2022
CHICOPEE – Former city councilor at-large candidate and Chicopee native Shirley Arriaga announced her candidacy for 8th Hampden District state representative on March 24.
The seat will be vacant after state Rep. Joseph Wagner announced he would not seek re-election. Wagner served as state representative and second assistant majority leader during his 31 years in office. Arriaga joins Ward 2 City Councilor Shane Brooks and Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe as the current candidates to replace Wagner.
Arriaga, an educator at Chicopee High School and a United States 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 Laws from Western New England University.
“I’m running for state representative for the same reason that I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force: out of a sense of duty to our country and service to our community,” said Arriaga in her press release announcement.
Arriaga continued, “I’m a veteran, a mom, and an educator at Chicopee High School. My life has been focused on passionately protecting and serving our community. I’m not a politician. While most politicians do what Boston State House leaders tell them to do, I’ll answer to the people of Chicopee alone. I love this city, and it would be my honor to continue my service as state representative.”
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Arriaga discussed her candidacy and motivations to run for office. She stressed that her viewpoint as an educator and an entrenched member of the community will provide a “fresh” perspective for the position.
“I can with 100 percent certainty tell you what’s going on in my community. I know the ins and outs of it. I see how the school system is functioning and how it can improve. I see the parents who have to struggle with transportation for work and their children … It’s real, it’s not a hypothetical, it’s not too far away. I am in it with the entire community,” said Arriaga.
The state representative candidate also highlighted her political experiences. After receiving a crash course on how government operates as Neal’s veteran services director, Arriaga explained that her City Council bid prepared her to run for the legislative position.
“I can see now very clearly that [the City Council bid] was in preparation for this campaign. I was able to get out there and talk to a really good portion of the city and here directly from them. I was knocking on doors until the day of the election … Their issues I won’t get from a report or an agenda, I can only get them directly,” said Arriaga.
If elected, Arriaga shared that supporting education, small business and transportation efforts will be critical goals. “Education is key. We need to invest more in our education system and our youth services. When we help them now, they can help us and others later on,” said Arriaga.
Arriaga continued, “Small businesses are the lifeblood of the community. We need to help them as much as we can … Chicopee is a great place to live, but we need to improve our transportation. Our transportation routes are not the best.”
Readers can learn more about Arriaga’s campaign at https://www.shirley4chicopee.com/.