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Date: 12/23/2019
CHICOPEE – In what may be one of his final public appearances as mayor of Chicopee, Richard Kos expressed thanks for the cooperation he received from the city council and others in helping him accomplish a long list of projects.
Kos was honored at the December breakfast meeting of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 18. He received two standing ovations from the audience.
Kos’ tenure as mayor will end Jan. 5.
He was quick with praise for the city council and expressed pride in their relationship.
"I made it a priority to have a good relationship with the city council,” he noted. He added, “I couldn’t have done all of this without the city council.”
Kos stated that during his second administration a new senior center was completed as well as the conversion of the former Chicopee High School into a new middle school.
He noted that he had also been active in moving the demolition of the Uniroyal complex, the development of the Cabotville complex into apartments and addressing placing homeless families into hotels in the city.
Other accomplishments included the construction of an assisted living center next to the senior center, replacing street lights with money-saving LED bulbs, starting the development of municipal broadband services and replacing water meters.
During his second administration, Kos said the city saw business expansion with the construction of Tru, the new hotel on Memorial Drive, as well as the opening of the Mercedes Benz dealership. He said new small businesses have also made the city their home.
He also explained that his administration “funded education more than ever before.”
Kos shared that with his father’s passing in 1996 he “wanted to do something in his honor.” He ran for mayor in 1997 and served until 2003. He then ran again in 2014.
Kos will be continuing his law practice at Egan, Flannigan & Cohen in Springfield.
Thanking his wife and staff, Kos said, “I believe we have succeeded in making a better Chicopee.”