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Date: 11/16/2022
CHICOPEE – Air Force veteran, educator and Democratic nominee Shirley Arriaga expected her bid for the 8th Hampden District state representative seat to be an arduous challenge.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy, this was not going to be handed to me, and I was okay with that. I was ready for that fight, I was ready for that challenge, and I can say we were up for that challenge,” said Arriaga.
On election day Nov. 8, Arriaga celebrated a historic milestone as she secured the state representative position by defeating independent candidate Sean Goonan. Arriaga becomes the first women and the first Latina to serve the 8th Hampden District, replacing state Rep. and Second Assistant Majority Leader Joseph Wagner after 32 years of service.
Arriaga
Arriaga earned 8,112 votes, or 64 percent of the total vote, compared to Goonan’s 4,412 ballots. During the Sept. 6 primary, Arriaga defeated Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe by a 63.5 percent margin.
By securing the 8th Hampden District, Arriaga will be serving in her first elected position. She was narrowly defeated in her bid for an at-large City Council seat during the 2021 election. Prior to running, Arriaga received her bachelor’s degree from Elms College and her Master of Law degree from Western New England University. She also served as Congressman Richard Neal’s veteran services director after her career as a loadmaster in the 337th Airlift Squadron out of Westover Air Reserve Base.
Arriaga started off election morning by voting alongside her 8-year-old daughter Winter at Valley View Court. After casting her ballot, she reflected on the taxing efforts that she, her family and her campaign team put behind the election bid.
“Ten months of hard work. I am confident it will pay off. I feel very confident I have my community standing behind me. I understand the issues, I am relatable and I’m here to get it done, not only for the 8th Hampden District, but the commonwealth as well,” said Arriaga.
Arriaga also highlighted key legislative initiatives she will addressing when taking office. She cited issues with education, transportation and energy that are impacting Massachusetts and Chicopee residents alike.
“We have a lot of issues across the board in the commonwealth. Education, transportation, energy, we need to address those issues and work together with local, state and federal partners to come up with solutions to help our constituents here,” said Arriaga.
Arriaga focused in on concerns around rising energy costs.
“At least 60 percent of an increase in energy costs, that means a lot of families are going to be feeling that this year … We need to ensure that we’re there for them,” said Arriaga.
For education, Arriaga aspires to secure additional funding to help close the achievement gap caused by the coronavirus pandemic, expand career pathways for high school students and provide additional support for school staffs.
“The [coronavirus] pandemic exacerbated the cracks in our education system and community overall. If anything, the coronavirus pandemic simply shined a light on a system that was already in jeopardy. Education is the key to absolutely everything, and our children deserve the very best,” said Arriaga.
Throughout her campaign, Arriaga received significant support from local and state officials, including state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, state Rep. Jacob Oliveira, state Rep. Orlando Ramos, Democratic gubernational electee Maura Healey and Wagner himself. She expressed gratitude for the support Wagner and her future collaborators offered toward her campaign.
“They are very supportive, and they have a team mentality. That’s exactly what we need. We are a team, whether you are in Chicopee, Springfield or Boston. We are all working towards the same goal, and that is to benefit the commonwealth,” said Arriaga.
Arriaga continued, “It reminds me of my good old days in the military, one team, one fight, one mission.”
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.
Arriaga, Wagner and campaign supporters assembled at Frontera Grill during an election night gathering. Shortly after the votes were calculated, Arriaga and Wagner entered the venue to a rousing roar of cheers.
Wagner expressed his pride in Arriaga after she secured the seat.
“You worked so hard. I am so proud of you, I think you have a high ceiling and doing it the right way … Respect [the state representative seat], I know you will,” said Wagner.
Arriaga thanked her family, her campaign team and Chicopee voters for supporting her candidacy.
“This could’ve gone any other way, but the fact that my community, my hometown that I fought and defended for 10 years decided I was the person to continue the leadership leader Wagner had for us … This is an honor beyond words,” said Arriaga.
Arriaga also hopes her historic campaign bid inspires others to chase their dreams.
“I am hopeful I will be leading an example for other young girls … I am here to help [Chicopee], and I hope my story helps others,” Arriaga.
Looking forward to January, Arriaga stressed that she’s ready to work hard, learn and represent her hometown community.
“I am ready and eager to learn and work hard. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m excited to do so because this is home … It’s time to get to work,” 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 described 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.
When considering his legislative agenda, Goonan said that supporting small businesses via grants represented a central goal. He also shared that he wanted to advocate for the expansion of workforce development programs.
Lowering taxes, remedying the Slate Road Conservation Area debate and working on community development projects were a few other legislative goals for Goonan.
In the aftermath of the election results, Goonan thanked his supporters.
“I’d like to thank all of the people who supported me in this race and everyone who voted for me. Wasn’t the results I was looking for, but I had the odds stacked against me,” said Goonan.
Goonan shared that he “knocked on thousands of doors” and distributed thousands of flyers. He also shared his beliefs that the some in the public were not ready to break the “political status quo.”
“Many people were enthusiastic to see an independent running and appreciated my ideas, but I could tell that others were interested in seeing my platform but not ready to leave the political status quo,” said Goonan.
Looking ahead, Goonan envisions himself continuing to represent his political platform.
“Regardless, I’m going to continue to advocate for ideas to help improve the community and state,” said Goonan.