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Date: 3/2/2022
CHICOPEE – State Rep. and Second Assistant Majority Leader Joseph Wagner announced on Feb. 15 that he will not seek re-election after serving 31 years in office.
Wagner joined the state house in 1991 and remained for decades as an advocate for improvements within Chicopee and the state. He often served as an active voice in economic development and transportation legislation, including working to establish legislation for distracted driving and helping to create the Expanded Gaming Act in 2011, according to a State House News story.
Upon his decision, Wagner garnered glowing reflections from his political peers. During a Feb. 16 press conference regarding the Food Bank of Western Mass., Mayor John Vieau, Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, state Rep. Michael Finn and other state delegates reflected upon Wagner’s lasting impacts.
“Joe’s leadership was essential. He has been a champion of our city for many, many years,” said Vieau, who credited Wagner for securing funding for several projects within the city.
Cocchi noted Wagner’s role in aiding the creation of a substance abuse treatment facility in Ludlow as one of his many achievements. “These things don’t happen without Joe…it’s saving lives every day,” said Cocchi.
Finn acknowledged Wagner as a friend and colleague throughout his tenure, while state Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Jacob Oliveira thanked Wagner for his leadership within the State House. “Leader Wagner is a mentor to all members,” said Oliveira.
Wagner’s Perspective
Reflecting on his decision and extensive career, Wagner shared that the focus of his tenure remained on achieving meaningful legislation for constituents.
“I always tried to do the work associated with the trust people have placed in me to represent them. For me, that meant trying to get things done here in Chicopee,” said Wagner in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Wagner expressed his interest in supporting local delegation with his position, sharing that he partnered with different mayors to achieve important projects. “If mayors had agendas that would improve the city and the face of the city, I would partner with them and others in local government and try to move forward priorities,” said Wagner.
The state representative highlighted several collaborations between the state and local delegation, including construction projects such as Chicopee High School, Kevin A. Dupont Memorial Middle School and the Chicopee Public Library.
“The Chicopee landscape is dotted with all the things that represent those efforts…Those are spectacular and modern buildings with architecture with each case that’s reflective of this city’s history…I’m really proud of those,” said Wagner, who discussed the importance of supporting educational infrastructure improvements with legislative reforms such as the Student Opportunity Act.
When it came to not seeking re-election, Wagner said a multitude of factors informed his decision. He said mulling another term within his personal scale weighted differently compared to prior years.
“After 31 years, I had accomplished much of what I set out to accomplish. It just seemed like for me, in consideration of many things in my life - both professionally and personally - it checked enough boxes where I just understood that now is the time to move on to some other things in my life…In terms of timing, it felt like the right time,” said Wagner.
With his final 10 months in office, Wagner stressed that he doesn’t want his time to signify a “retirement tour.” He said his decision was only made ahead of time to allow potential candidates an opportunity to start the campaigning process.
“I don’t think it would’ve been fair to potential candidates if I waited until two weeks before the filing deadline. I had to balance this being out there for 10 months, which is not something ideally I would have wanted to do, against giving people the consideration to make informed decisions about whether or not they might want to seek the office,” said Wagner.
The state rep said he will approach his final months the same way he worked during his three-decade tenure, including working to improve housing, employment and narrowing the gaps caused by the pandemic. He also acknowledged how “humbling” it’s been to receive recognition from peers and the public in the aftermath of his announcement.
“In all the time I served, I never once looked back and reflected upon that service. It’s been really humbling as others have done that…I am really humbled by the support from local officials, my colleagues and people within the community,” said Wagner.
In regard to his post-state representative career, Wagner shared that there are avenues he wants to explore, but his focus currently remains with his state representative position.
“Whatever I do, I think in the short term at least, it will have me less in the public eye, but I don’t have a definitive game plan for what that might be,” said Wagner.