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Reminder Assistant Editor WESTFIELD Unlike some of the other nail biting races and ballot questions this election year, the race to the finish was swift for Mayoral Candidate Michael Boulanger. Before the final ballot was counted Boulanger's opponent and City Councilor at-large Brent Bean II conceded. Boulanger received 4,852 votes, 1,728 more votes than Bean. "We took a shot and the voters spoke loud and clear," Bean said of his loss by such a large margin. He added that he believes voters were "looking for a fresh face" in city government. "I ran a very positive race," Bean said. "It's a very exciting time for Westfield and I'm happy to have been a part of that. But a lot of tough decisions will have to be made and hopefully Mike is up to that task. I wish him the best of luck." Just 14 hours after the polls closed Boulanger said he had already made arrangements to meet with Acting Mayor and Ward 1 City Councilor Charles Medeiros to "let him know that I'm serious about getting in there and to make the transition as smooth as possible." Boulanger said he believes that his 35 years of leadership experience as a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and base commander of the 104 Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base is what ultimately gave him the edge over his opponent. He said he is eager to begin work at City Hall citing the "big ticket items" as the city and school budgets, public safety, infrastructure and downtown development. Boulanger said that the city must work to "increase the business and commercial industry base as quickly as possible to prevent rising taxes." He added that he will make a proposal to the City Council to formulate a "master plan" not only for business development but also for a common vision for development in Westfield. Boulanger said a team of department heads and others in city government must be formed in order to establish development goals for the city and strategies on how to achieve those goals. Boulanger said he will be looking into hiring a chief financial officer to watch over the budget daily so that "pop-up deficits" do not occur. He added that he will be looking at all departments to ensure that "there is not excess manning or spending." Specifically, he said he will be working with the superintendent to watch the School Department's budget, which experienced a substantial shortfall this year. Boulanger added that he is committed to ensuring that students in Westfield have access to the best education and technology possible. As director of Westfield's Emergency Management Agency, he said that public safety will remain a priority for him as mayor. Boulanger added that traffic and safety concerns must be addressed as the Great River Bridge Project continues. He said he will work to improve roads, signalization and publicize alternative routes in order to alleviate traffic congestion during construction. Overall Boulanger stressed the importance of teamwork in city government and especially as mayor. He added that "effective leadership" does not mean "barking orders" but "collectively listening" and working together to achieve goals. "My job is to see that the heavy obstacles are removed and to do the heavy lifting when I have to," Boulanger said. *** Ward City Councilor and City Councilor at-large elections also took place last Tuesday. Ward 1 incumbent Christopher Keefe received 954 votes beating challenger James Poteat who received 402 votes. Ward 2 incumbent Daniel Knapik ran unopposed, receiving 804 votes. Peter Miller, Ward 3 incumbent also ran unopposed, receiving 781 votes. Ward 4 incumbent Mary O'Connell received 747 votes, beating challenger Michael Burns, who received 542 votes. Richard Onofrey Jr., Ward 5 incumbent also beat his challenger Patricia Pac. Onofrey received 994 votes and Pac received 737 votes. Ward 6 candidate Christopher Crean. ran unopposed, receiving 1,064 votes. The race for the seven at-large seats on the City Council ended with incumbents James Adams, David Bannish, John Liptak, Brian Sullivan and Joe Wynn all keeping their seats on the council. Adams received 3,961 votes; Liptak received 3,770 votes; Nicholas Morganelli Jr. received 3,720 votes; Charles Medeiros received 3,700 votes; Sullivan received 3,500 votes; Bannish received 3,407 votes; and Wynn received 3,219 votes. Glenn Fuller, Theodore Perez, Donald Podolski, Thomas Sgroi, and Denise Twining all fell short in this year's election. The School Committee election to fill the vacancy left by Sharon Merlo-Gosselin, who passed away earlier this year will be filled by Laura Kaye Maloney. She received 3,893 votes and her opponent Jeffrey Gosselin received 3,172 votes. | ||||||
