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Date: 4/19/2022
CHICOPEE – Author, carpenter’s helper for BRJ Builders and former City Council At-Large candidate Sean Goonan announced his candidacy for the 8th Hampden District state representative position on April 12.
Goonan is the fourth candidate to announce his bid for the seat in the wake of state Rep. Joe Wagner’s decision to retire in February.
Wagner served in the position over the last 31 years, ultimately becoming the statehouse’s second assistant majority leader. Goonan joins Ward 2 City Councilor Shane Brooks, 2021 City Council At-Large candidate Shirley Arriaga and Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe as candidates for the position.
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 describes 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 in his press release.
Goonan’s Perspective
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Goonan discussed his candidacy and motivations to run for office. “Initially, I wasn’t planning on running for state representative, but once state Rep. Wagner decided not to run, I saw the opportunity to give it a shot,” said Goonan.
As an advocate within Chicopee during his City Council bids, Goonan believes his ideas in government are applicable on a local and state level. “I believe that I have a lot of ideas that are applicable at the state level as well, not just at the city level...My ideas are all about improving the community,” said Goonan.
Goonan highlighted his versatile, working-class background as his source for understanding different perspectives throughout the city. “It’s rare for politicians to have that kind of background…my life and work experiences allow me to have a wide variety of perspectives to bring to the table,” said Goonan.
When considering his legislative goals, Goonan stressed that supporting small businesses via grants serves a central goal. He also shared that he would advocate for the expansion of workforce development programs.
“We need to refocus our workforce development…starting an apprenticeship program and encouraging people to have more entrepreneurial aspirations is something that gets looked over,” said Goonan.
Goonan also discussed his support for land conservation, including the highly debated Slate Road Conservation area. The state representative candidate said he’s a “huge supporter” of preventing development on the land, which is partially owned by Westover Metropolitan Development Corporation (WMDC).
“If I were to be elected, I might be able to help remedy the situation and either work with WMDC to get the land back in the state or city’s hands and designated as conservation land,” said Goonan. Lowering taxes and working on community development projects also serve as legislative goals for Goonan.
Readers can learn more about Sean Goonan and his candidacy at https://thefoundationpress.com/ma-state-representative-campaign/.