Candidates already vying for mayor's seat

Date: 12/9/2008

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



AGAWAM Local elections may be 11 months away but City Council Vice President Cecilia Calabrese has already announced her quest for the mayor's office

Calabrese's recent confirmation of her intentions for the next election also has other public officials considering their options for 2010.

Former Mayor Richard Cohen who lost last year's election to current Mayor Susan Dawson told Reminder Publications that he's keeping his "options open" for the next election.

"I'm not closing any doors," he said. "I'll make a final decision in the very near future."

Dawson did not confirm or deny speculation that she will run for re-election.

"I'm not announcing that at this time," she said. "I believe that this is awfully early seeing as I haven't been in office for a year for everybody to already be starting this race . I have a town to run and I have to do the best I can do for the people of my town and that is my priority right now."

Dawson added that she will be dedicating her next year in office to a myriad of projects including opening the new Senior Center on Main Street, preparing the fiscal year 2010 budget, as well as the possible development of a YMCA on Tennis Road.

"I have an awful lot of things that I was left with from the former administration and many things that I was working on this year and plan to work on for years to come," she said. "I have a budget coming up that everyone is anticipating cutbacks from the state to local aid . [it] will require a great deal of planning and I want to ensure that we maintain our services and hold onto as many jobs as we possibly can."

Calabrese said her decision to run for mayor was not because of Dawson's work but because of her personal timetable.

"I'm running for mayor for the simple reason that I simply want the job," she said. "Personally and professionally this is the right time for me. I've talked it over with my family and they knew when I came onto the City Council that there was a possibility that I would want to move into the mayor's office.

"What I feel I have to offer the town I will be able to do more effectively as mayor," she continued. "It doesn't matter whether it would have been Mayor Cohen and Dawson now, this was always a time that I was thinking about putting my hat in the ring for mayor. I wanted to have a good three terms on the council before I was ready [to run for the town's highest office]."

City Councilors George Bitzas and Gina Letellier said they also intend to participate in the next election but as candidates for their current positions.

School Committee members Anthony Bonavita, Shelly Reed and Diane Juzba said they will also seek re-election to their present posts.

"I would love another opportunity to serve on the Agawam School Committee," Juzba said. "I have a genuine commitment to education, as a parent of three children in the Agawam Public Schools, a Special Education teacher and a graduate student, I offer many views and a great deal of dedication."

Bonavita explained that his decision to participate in the next election was made because of his dedication to the job.

"I find the job very rewarding," he said.

City Councilors Joe Mineo and Jill Simpson explained that they have not made a decision to run for reelection at this time.

"This is just way too early," Simpson said.

City Clerk Richard Theroux explained that the political calendar is as yet to be assembled.

"This is the earliest we've ever had anybody announce [their run] or take out papers during my 20-year tenure," he said.

City Councilors Dennis Perry, Donald Rheault, Robert Rossi, Robert Young, Paul Cavallo and Jill Messick and School Committee members Roberta Doering, John Cameron Jr. and Linda Galarneau did not respond to phone messages or e-mails to explain their intentions for the next elections by press time.