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Date: 10/26/2023
CHICOPEE — With the municipal election closing in, Chicopee mayoral candidates are reflecting on their campaigns and sharing some final thoughts before voters head to the polls on Nov. 7.
Mayor John Vieau began by thanking his “great committee” for assistance throughout his campaign.
“We’ve been able to raise [an] ample amount of funds [for] what I call a thorough campaign,” he said. “My campaign is focused on being positive. I’m just surrounded by great people who care and they’re passionate about Chicopee like I am.”
He went on to say that his campaign is based on merit, accomplishment and he and his team will continue to do that until the end of the election.
Ward 3 City Councilor and mayoral candidate Delmarina López said, “This campaign season has been very exciting. This journey, the campaign trail has [made me able to meet] more residents than ever. I’ve had a great team of volunteers standing behind me, the residents have stood behind me.”
López said she and her team have knocked on thousands of doors, hosted stand outs and coffee hours, and will continue to do so.
She described the campaign process as an “amazing” and “eye opening” experience, as she walked through the streets and saw the “disarray” some streets are in.
López said residents have shared with her that they feel as though their voices have not been heard by the current administration. “It’s been humbling to be honest because I do this work as a city councilor and now, I’m running for mayor because I want people to feel like they have a voice in their local government. I want people to not only feel like they’re a part of the community but that they’re a part of the decision making.”
Since announcing her candidacy, López has been pushing the narrative that schools are being defunded and crime is on the rise.
In June, López claimed that Vieau had cut funding for schools.
“Mayor Vieau has defunded schools. He was aware of the discrepancies surrounding per capita spending as it was brought up during budgetary discussions last year,” she said.
At that time, Vieau said the schools had received more funding than they have ever received in the history of the department. “They have $11 million in their rollover account which is unheard of,” he shared.
Former interim Superindendent Alvin Morton told the School Committee in June that the fiscal year 2024 foundation budget funded $17,122 per student. In FY23, this number was $15,675 and in FY22, $14,280. In total, the foundation budget was $123 million and represented a $9.7 million increase over the prior fiscal year; the city’s contribution increased by $1.7 million.
Vieau said, “Our schools are fully funded. I don’t even know where this is coming from ... We’re coming off of COVID-19 where the school district received millions of [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] dollars in addition to a savings account that they’ve been able to build up that has $11 million [for school use only].”
He added that the school budget had 94 new positions included in it.
Vieau also noted that there seems to be a misunderstanding that he controls the school budget, but he is only one vote on the School Committee that approves the district budget, before ultimately going to the City Council for approval.
He acknowledged the “struggle” in hiring teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff, but said this is not uncommon.
With a new superintendent, Dr. Marcus Ware, and assistant superintendents Jenn Bellvilee and Carol Kruser, Vieau said there is a “new dynamic” within the district and increased morale as the schools head in a new direction.
Regarding López’s claim on increased crime, she does not believe the issue has been addressed.
In June, she said, “Regarding crime and public safety, it is no secret that crime has increased in our community,” López said. “Also, we are neglecting traffic safety concerns. The mayor and his administration have not taken immediate actions to mediate the increase in pedestrian fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents on our roads. Myself, and other councilors, have been met with resistance from the mayor on our proposals to increase pedestrian safety.”
When asked about this again in a recent interview with Reminder Publishing, López said that while crime is up across the country, the uptick in Chicopee is particularly in pedestrian deaths and motor vehicle accidents. “Although that’s not usually what we think about when we think of crime, it’s what we have to think about here in Chicopee when we think of crime because it is a form of crime and it is an impediment on our public safety,” López said. “People want quality of life … They want to be able to walk across our street and not fear being killed on our streets and that’s a public safety matter.”
Therefore, López said more officers need to be hired and paid better, which all ties together and goes hand in hand.
According to available MassDOT data, 1,441 total crashes have occurred in 2023 so far, including 26 pedestrian-related incidents. 2022 saw 1,805 crashes with 27 involving pedestrians, compared to 1,733 and 20, respectively, in 2021. 2019 represented the highest recent number of total crashes and those involving pedestrians with 2,062 crashes and 42 pedestrian incidents. Those numbers decreased in 2020 to 1,579 and 30, respectively.
In 2023, five fatal crashes have occurred in Chicopee, including one involving a pedestrian. In 2022, there were 12 fatal injury crashes, five of those fatalities being pedestrians. This was an increase from 2021, when there were eight fatal crashes, and one was a pedestrian. Chicopee experienced five fatal crashes in 2020, and in 2019, there were eight fatal crashes, including two that killed pedestrians.
Vieau said Chicopee has a “well-trained” and “state-of-the art” Police Department.
He shared he is proud of what the officers do under the leadership of Police Chief Patrick Major.
“They are doing everything in their power to keep Chicopee safe and that’s something I support … I make sure they have the tools they need,” Vieau said.
He went on to say that he believes building positive relationships with law enforcement, elected officials and first responders is “critical” to the success of the community and is also something he is proud of.
While there are isolated incidents that happen occasionally, once again, Vieau said this is not uncommon.
López said, “I will continue to stand up for our teachers and our [paraprofessionals] and our community and our officers. We want [a] good quality of life, we want a good education, and we want to feel safe.”
Vieau said the most important thing he wants people to know before they cast their votes is that he is passionate about what is going on in Chicopee.
“I’m really proud of the way the city has handled the COVID-19 pandemic that came with uncertainty, charting through unchartered waters and really collectively working together to make sure our older adults were protected and then the whole process of really bringing the community back together during this time of new normal,” he said.
Vieau said there are many large, multi-million-dollar projects that they will be managing as a city over the next few years and he would like to see some of those come to fruition, such as reactivating the central library on the City Hall campus and phase two of the City Hall improvement project.
Vieau noted that he has an open-door policy and will meet with anyone.
“Ultimately, we’re not done, and I’m hoping to earn the trust of voters and look forward to hopefully serving this city for two more years,” he said.
Vieau has received endorsements from Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, former Sheriff Michael Ashe, state Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) and state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow), to name a few.
López said, “I think it’s important for voters to know that their voice matters. In local elections, their voice is extremely important.”
She added that the city typically has a “rather low” voter turnout for municipal elections but is hopeful that changes this year and every year thereafter.
“Local elections dictate what’s happening in your own backyard, essentially,” she said.
López reiterated she is running to be the mayor because the city needs a leader that will put the city back on track and lead. “Our voters deserve a voice in our city government, and they deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” she said.
López went on to say that she believes she has the public and private sector experience and the capacity to lead the city, along with the willingness to represent in a way that puts residents first.
“The priority is residents, and I don’t think the current administration has been true to that,” she shared.
López has been endorsed by the Union for Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459, along with Ward 6 City Councilor Derek Dobosz.
Chicopee City Clerk Keith Rattell predicts there will be around a 27% voter turnout. He shared that he would have guessed a little lower, however, with a ballot question, he thinks that increases the turnout a little bit.
There will be one non-binding question on the election ballot asking voters if they support a change in the length of the mayor’s term from two to four years.
The question is designed to gain the public’s perspective on the issue and the outcome would not result in any changes on their own. The proposed change, if eventually approved, would be effective at the next mayoral term beginning January 2026.
Additionally, six candidates are vying for four councilor at-large seats including incumbents Robert Zygarowski, Frank Laflamme and Gerald Roy, current Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe, current Ward 1 School Committee member Timothy Wagner and Sean Goonan. Longtime Councilor at-Large James Tillotson is not running for reelection.
Abigail Arriaga and James E. Tanhauser Jr. are running to represent Ward 1 on the City Council while Lucjan Galecki and Susan Goff are running for Ward 3 and incumbent Mary Beth Pniak-Costello and challenger John Paquette Jr. are vying for the Ward 9 seat.
Incumbent Ward 2 City Councilor Shane Brooks is running unopposed and current Ward 6 School Committee member Samuel Shumsky is running unopposed for City Council Ward 6 to replace Derek Dobosz who is not seeking reelection. Incumbent City Councilors George Balakier, Frederick Krampits, William Courchesne and Gary LaBrie are all running unopposed for reelection to their seats in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8, respectively.
No contested races will be on the ballot for School Committee.
Susan Szetela-Lopes is seeking reelection for an at-large seat.
Deanna Rousseau, McAuliffe’s wife, is running unopposed for the School Committee Ward 1 seat being vacated by Wagner, while Carlton Sonny R. Brooks Jr. is running unopposed for School Committee Ward 6 seat left open by Shumsky’s departure.
Incumbent School Committee member David Barsalou, Jason Dout, Sandra Peret, Grace Schofield, Donald Lamothe, Douglas Girouard and Ronald Bernard are all unopposed in their reelection bids in Wards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9, respectively.
Incumbents Brian Suchy and Victor Anop are running for the Board of Assessors. Rattell said there are always three assessors, however, the terms are staggered. The person with the most votes will serve a four-year term and the person with fewer votes will serve a two-year term. The third assessor is Laura McCarthy, whose term is not up yet.
Rattell is running unopposed for another four-year term as clerk.
The city election will take place on Nov. 7, 1 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 28. Early in-person voting will take place at the City Hall auditorium Oct. 28 to Nov. 3.
Managing Editor Chris Maza contributed to this report.