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Date: 10/30/2019
CHICOPEE – With the Nov. 5 election looming, Reminder Publishing asked members of the Facebook Chicopee Area Community Forum what questions they would like to ask mayoral candidates John Vieau and Joe Morissette.
Here are their answers.
Joe Morissette
Will both candidates vow to not take a pay raise if elected mayor even if such is offered to them?
As mayor, I will defer any discussion or action related to salary adjustment for the office until the current flawed contract for the new Chicopee police officers is reviewed and amended to provide for compensation that reflects the demands of the job.
My focus is exclusively on issues facing Chicopee, our residents and our employees. Some of the positions in the City pay less than similar roles elsewhere, leaving our community vulnerable to vacancies and loss of experienced and respected professionals. I will work to find non-salary incentives and additional opportunities for all Chicopee employees to encourage engagement and retention. We need to keep our trained police officers, our skilled fire fighters and our experienced teachers on the job. We need to fill the existing technical and labor roles which are currently open. And we want these employees to be your neighbors. It is in the best interest of Chicopee to make every effort to encourage employees to not only continue their employment with the city, but to buy homes here and enjoy the benefits of being a Chicopee resident.
It is clear that the topic of compensation is always complex and often divisive. That said, I will defer all such decision making authority to a future compensation advisory committee headed by the City Council president, using third party compensation statistics and national benchmarks. Like any other major decision impacting the city, I will not make a final decision without facts and data.
Will both candidates make it mandatory that the open checkbook for the city be current and updated weekly with employees’ salaries like other municipalities do?
From taxes, to budgets to city-wide spending, residents should be able to find answers to questions about why certain municipal officials make decisions and how they allocate funds and resources. It is critical that Chicopee helps our citizens become educated and informed about our city governance. Chicopee must upgrade our website and reporting to publicly share relevant and current data in a timely manner.
This will not only inform our residents, it will provide important information for businesses and individuals looking to relocate here. It will provide a snapshot of our spending and allocation, but it will also show people that our city is current, and illustrate the appropriate management of resources and availability of modern and efficient city services.
As mayor, I will ensure that Chicopee publicly reports on our Strategic Plan, our department operations and our spending. Any initiative or tool that is in place in the city, that increases the transparency of our city government, such as the open checkbook, must be kept up to date and accessible to our residents. I will ensure that Open Checkbook reporting is current and the sharing of detailed, timely financial information is considered a fundamental part of an educated and engaged public, and becomes part of the new standard for best practices in municipal government. Further, I will also direct my team to continue to survey for more initiatives to expand my promise of transparency.
What, other than joining the class action suit against the drug companies, will be done to address the problem of substance abuse disorder in our city? Sheriff Cocchi’s program at Stoneybrook is only available to sectioned and or incarcerated men.
The opioid crisis is not just a Chicopee issue but a national issue. National experience demonstrates that prevention initiatives positively contributed to reductions in cocaine use, underage drinking, and cigarette smoking. We need to leverage existing, evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies and programs to combat this crisis. When local leaders get educated, they take action.
As your mayor, I will work with law enforcement to shut down overt drug markets and identify street dealers to stop the problem at the source. Initially, Chicopee must reassess our current public safety and law enforcement approach to this issue. My plan to increase neighborhood patrols will help reduce neighborhood drug and substance abuse crime.
As a former police officer with experience in drug enforcement, and a school resource officer and vice principal, I know this issue is pervasive. I have been a first responder on opioid overdoses countless times. Fortunately, most of these people are still with us. Tragically, some were lost. I do not want any more families to endure this, but until we can make significant progress, they will.
I will work with community, business and faith leaders, with teachers, parents and the medical community to kick-start life saving conversations at church, in the classroom and in residents’ homes to educate the public about the importance of these actions: Safeguarding and safely disposing of outdated and unused medications and being vigilant when they or a family member is prescribed a prescription medication which may have an addictive potential, and learning the signs and symptoms of addiction.
I will ensure that our community has access to emergency Narcan and knows how to use it. Finally, I will make sure that our responders are knowledgeable about the recovery resources available.
As your Mayor I will leverage every resource in our community that I can, to fight the opioid epidemic here in Chicopee.
What are their stands on school of choice and problems with the overloaded buses?
School choice allows public education funds to follow students to the schools or services that best fit their needs, where that is public, private, charter or home school, often outside of the student’s home district.
Many home school districts rely on school choice students to supplement their funding. That is not the case here in Chicopee. Over the last 10 year our total enrollment in the Chicopee Public Schools has averaged 7,728 students per year. As your mayor, I will work with the superintendent and the school committee to advocate for concentrating Chicopee funds to be used on educating Chicopee students. Teachers in our classrooms today are required to provide modifications and accommodations that continually exhaust teachers’ resources, skills and time with other students, and impacts our school department budget. With nearly 8,000 students in our schools today, I will focus on utilizing Chicopee resources for Chicopee students, continuing to afford them every opportunity to maximize college, technical and trades career readiness. I have already begun to address the issue of overcrowded busses by speaking with our school district’s transportation manager. He has evaluated the bussing routes and adjusted the pick-up locations, to better distribute the number of riders per bus. Additional administrative steps are now in place to confirm authorized ridership, and the issue is expected to abate with the updated process currently in place.
What efforts can be put in place to curb blatant vandalism at neighborhood parks and playgrounds? Ignoring the problem is evident.
First, remember that vandalism is a crime. Vandalism of public spaces cost taxpayers money, decreases real estate values and hurts our image as a family-friendly city. Parks that suffer from recurrent vandalism are perceived as higher crime neighborhoods and generate fear and mistrust. That is why deterring vandalism is an important part of my crime prevention plan. A successful prevention effort requires public visibility an education for all. Keeping the parks clean and involvement from neighborhood groups brings local ownership, therefore increasing the public’s presence in the parks. Chicopee has beautiful public spaces, some with expensive playground equipment, but we need to be vigilant to protect and maintain them.
As your mayor I will address these concerns in our parks by directing our parks superintendent to immediately address graffiti and damage, letting people know that this is not acceptable in Chicopee. I will implement a vandalism hotline to immediately report incidents and tips in all neighborhoods. I will look for increased appropriate lighting, allowing neighbors to see areas where unacceptable behavior is taking place. The anonymous tip line will be publicized more and shared with neighbors, empowering them to become more involved, encouraging them to keep a watchful eye and report issues as they happen. Our officers will make our parks a priority in their daily patrols ensuring that they are being used and enjoyed appropriately and are safe for all. I will
ensure that damage and criminal activity in our parks is investigated and those responsible are held accountable.
Again, encouraging home ownership and economic development is an important factor for all neighborhoods. We must reduce empty storefronts and fill our homes and apartments so pride of ownership and residence is at the forefront of all neighborhood safety and security programs.
John Vieau
Will both candidates vow to not take a pay raise if elected mayor even if such is offered to them?
Generally speaking, when you think about a new job or new hire, most people look forward to being compensated fairly for the position and hope to receive incentives to motivate performance and rewards for hard work. I consider that to be the American way! Unions fight for pay raises and equitable pay every day. For the record, I am running for mayor of Chicopee because I believe in our city and I see the potential. I did not decide to enter the race because I expect a pay increase. I do believe in fair and equitable pay just like everyone else. I have made a simple promise to work hard and to do what is right.
Will both candidates make it mandatory that the open checkbook for the city be current and updated weekly with employees’ salaries like other municipalities do?
Regarding the “Mandatory Open Checkbook” This is a very good question. Many may not know about the city of Chicopee’s Open Checkbook. As President of the City Council and a candidate for mayor, I want to reassure the public that the city of Chicopee is committed to transparency and operating our government openly with honesty and integrity. The Open Checkbook provides this financial transparency to the public so everyone can see how their tax dollars are being spent. The intent is to promote accountability while emphasizing a government that works for all. Chicopee’s Open Checkbook allows easy access to the city of Chicopee’s expenditure information for the current fiscal year. The interactive website also provides a historical view of previous years. As for municipal employee salaries, they are available on a yearly basis. Like the Massachusetts State Open Checkbook, the city will definitely work on updating our website to include more up to date salary information.
What, other than joining the class action suit against the drug companies, will be done to address the problem of substance abuse disorder in our city? Sheriff Cocchi’s program at Stoneybrook is only available to sectioned and or incarcerated men.
This is such a far-reaching issue. I have seen this suffering firsthand and I’ve had many conversations with people whose lives have been touched by addiction. It is heartbreaking to see families and lives ruined by this epidemic. It is essential that this problem be addressed. The Hampden County Addiction Task Force runs through the District Attorney's and Sheriff’s Department and works as a collaboration with Chicopee Police Department and the rest of Hampden County. This ultimate goal of these collaborative resources is to focus on a county-wide approach to address drug addiction, overdose and prevention. As doctors focus on more responsible alternatives other than opioids for pain management another problem pops up with fentanyl. We will continue to work with the CPD health professionals and service providers and other members of the task force as we combat the epidemic.
What are their stands on school of choice and problems with the overloaded buses?
School of Choice actually could involve two different school department procedures. There is the school choice process of allowing students from other cities and towns into Chicopee schools and a process of allowing Chicopee students to choose to transfer from one Chicopee school to another.
Every year the school system must determine if they will participate in the State School Choice process. Chicopee determines if there are any open seats in schools to make participation even possible. An annual determination is made by the School Committee after obtaining pertinent information on openings, financial impact, impact to our curriculum and student opportunities. The mayor is only one vote on the committee.
Over the years the number of students being admitted into Chicopee Schools had roughly equaled the number of students leaving. The students take their per pupil amount with them and Chicopee was taking in $1 million and paying out $1 million. Lately, we are seeing the number of students leaving the district being greater than the number entering.
As mayor having one vote on whether the School Department participates in this program, I would want to review a number of factors including the data on any open seats, the financial impact, the impact on student services, curriculum and student opportunities. I would ask for the recommendation of our school administrators. Taking into account this information, I would make a decision on participation based upon what is best for Chicopee students.
The process of a student choosing to transfer from one Chicopee school to another depends upon the availability of space in the receiving school, the parent’s ability to provide transportation for the student, and the receiving Principal agreeing to take the student into their school. As mayor I am only one vote and member of the School Committee and would continue to support this process providing the opportunity of students in Chicopee to transfer to another city school if possible.
School busing is administered by the Director of Transportation in the School Department. All students should have a seat and be safe on our school buses. As mayor I would work with the Superintendent of Schools and the Director of Transportation to address a situation where a bus is overloaded. Students should be riding on their assigned buses and not riding buses they are not assigned. Bus drivers should know their students and not allow student onto buses they are not assigned to ride.
What efforts can be put in place to curb blatant vandalism at neighborhood parks and playgrounds? Ignoring the problem is evident.
Currently, the Parks Department is researching implementing lighting our parks and playground at night and installing cameras to curb vandalism. We encourage residents to use our parks as the best way to deter vandalism. If calls are made, Police patrols are notified to visit the parks and playgrounds to watch suspicious characters. As one councilor states, “If you see something, say something.” We need residents to cooperate with the Police and report suspicious activities in the parks. Cameras and lights have acted as deterrents. Some residents however do not want basketball courts lighted all night as that may attract individuals to the parks after dusk when the parks and playgrounds should be closed. I would work with the neighborhoods to determine what works