Gibson will not run for reelection

Date: 4/12/2011

April 13, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Edward Gibson had never run for any public office before he threw his hat in the ring in 2000, joining seven other hopefuls vying for the seat as the first-ever mayor of West Springfield

"I thought that one person could make a difference and I thought I could do a good job as mayor and try to run the city as much as possible like a business," Gibson told Reminder Publications of his decision to run.

On April 6, Gibson announced that, after more than a decade in office, he would not seek a sixth term.

It's been a delight to serve these past 11 years," an emotional Gibson said during the press conference announcing his decision not to run. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Gibson said he wanted to make the announcement well ahead of May 2, the date nomination papers come out in West Springfield, in order to give individuals interested in running for mayor ample time to prepare.

He said a 2010 lawsuit brought against him and members of the School Committee by former School Superintendent Suzanne Marotta was not a factor in his decision.

"Because you are the mayor of a city, frequently the papers will be served to you on a suit against the town and you are named in the suit," Gibson said. "Being in this position you are always in the position of being subject to lawsuits."

He cited the 24/7 pace of a mayor's job as the major factor in his decision to step down at the end of this term.

"From day one until now, you never know what's going to happen, when you're going to be called into duty in an emergency situation," Gibson said. "You have to attend night meetings for boards and committees. You have demands from internal departments to attend ceremonies and dinners, from outside groups to attend ceremonies and dinners.

"At this time of year I'm out four of the five weeknights and also on the weekends," he continued, adding that the job has caused him to miss countless family gatherings and get-togethers with friends over the years.

It's been a job this former hardware store owner and Aetna IT financial specialist said he approached "with passion." As the first person to take on the duties of mayor, Gibson said he looked forward to the opportunity to leave his mark on city government.

"You did get to shape [the mayor's role] for the future. No one could say so-and-so did it this way or that way," Gibson said. "You got to do things for the first time and hopefully, I set a good precedent."

Among those things Gibson said he particularly enjoyed doing was helping the new city government "figure out" what duties were the purview of the mayor and what belonged to the Town Council.

"I also got to set up some new boards," he added. "There was never a License Commission before, the Board of Selectmen handled that, or a Finance Department. [West Springfield] had a chief financial officer for the first time [and] we set up a Human Resources Department for the first time."

Moving West Springfield from a Board of Selectmen and representative Town Meeting form of government to a Town Council and Mayoral form of government was, he said, a very challenging job.

"It was much bigger than I expected," Gibson admitted. "I had some idea, but it was an eye-opener getting in and finding out what you are responsible for."

Among some of his proudest achievements are overcoming a methane gas problem that was delaying completion of the Middle School project, developing a structurally balanced budget for the city, moving the city's infrastructure toward more "green" practices, improving the city's school system and public safety, and participating in the project to build a new high school.

He praised the work of his department heads in making all of these achievements a reality. "I couldn't have done it without them," he said.

In his final nine months in office, Gibson said he's planning to concentrate on some of the things he feels are unfinished.

"Usually at this time I start concentrating on campaigning. This means I can concentrate on my duties," Gibson said. "I've warned my department heads there are things I still want to accomplish before I'm done."

He said he had no immediate plans for his next career and that he would start thinking about a new job "in a couple of months."

Gibson called his tenure as mayor "a privilege" and hoped his constituents felt he's improved the community and quality of life during his term.

"When I got into this line of work, the only thing I asked was that I could look back and say that West Springfield was a better place than when I started," Gibson said. "That I could look back and say I was successful."