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Date: 9/27/2021
HOLYOKE – Recently, Reminder Publishing reached out to candidates vying for a seat on the City Council during the Nov. 2 municipal election.
Candidates were invited to answer a series of questions related to city-specific issues. Previously, the first of two parts of candidate responses were printed. The following responses are the third and final candidate responses. Responses printed by Reminder Publishing on behalf of the candidates represent their own thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Reminder Publishing does not endorse any candidate nor their beliefs.
Candidates for City Council At Large include Kevin Jourdain, Mark Chatel, Israel Rivera, Jose Maldonado Velez, Peter Tallman, Howard Greaney Jr., James Leahy, Jennifer Keitt, Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, Paola Ferrario and Joseph McGiverin.
Their response, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows.
Reminder Publishing (RP): Recently, residents have expressed city services (such as trash, recycling, and limited staff in some city departments) have been inconsistent. If elected, what would you do to ensure these services are fully staffed, funded and consistent?
Chatel: I would have discussions with every department head/manager. Discuss what their major issues are within each department are. Find out if services are not funded within each department means.
Ferrario: COVID in the past year created great shortages in the staff of many businesses and city department, hence 2020 was a particularly dire time for trash pick up.
We need to keep the conditions of city workers safe and in compliance with state regulations first of all, so that any future pandemic will not cripple the city fundamental services and departments. We do have a problem with uneven performance of services in the city, the trash pick up being a perfect example. A few days ago I posted this on my Facebook page: “Still if this free service (trash pick up) is not equally efficient throughout neighborhoods a sense of resentment is bound to arise overshadowing a real plus.”
The answer here is simply: enforcement.
City official and white collar employees must make sure that services are distributed evenly throughout the wards. If this is not possible for any reason then residents should be informed of the delays and given exact timelines for pick up. I would also like to point out that large apartment building have to use private trash collection services for their buildings (You probably have seen the big dumpsters). If landlords don’t keep on top of their trash removal creating unpleasant unsanitary situations then the Board of Health should intervene and produce fines.
Greaney Jr.: I am a candidate for re-election as an at-large councilor. Every ward issue is important to me. I always have and will continue to seek input from citizens throughout the city.
Jourdain: All departments will be held accountable to the public. Public services were previously being provided in an effective and timely manner. Ineffective policies and staff will be held accountable. If additional resources and equipment are necessary then those will be budgeted and provided. Leadership will be held accountable for their departments.
Keitt: Recently, residents have expressed city services (such as trash, recycling, and limited staff in some city departments) have been inconsistent. If elected, what would you do to ensure these services are fully staffed, funded and consistent?
There would be questions that need to be answered. Are the jobs posted to the public? Are the salaries competitive? Do people know there are staff shortages? Are we advising people in advance of any changes? All of this goes back to Communication. Each department operates differently and has different needs. Clear communication is key to keeping everyone informed, involved and content.
Maldonado Velez: This goes back to the inefficient processes that have plagued our city departments for way too long. We currently have recycling trucks that require multiple trips, even though there are trucks today that would make it in one trip. This is just one example that would free up more time to spend on other aspects of keeping our city clean.
In order for us to do this, it’s time that our city council listens to the department heads that we have hired to do their job. I do not have all the answers, but we have people in positions that work full time in these departments that have the knowledge and solutions. I have watched council meetings where time and time again suggestions are given to the council but not followed through because of the paternalism that this current body exhibits.
This is partly what leads to the high turnover of our city employees. Their input and expertise within their fields should be appreciated, believed, and acted upon. It’s time that we listen to the leaders within the departments. Our role as the council is to make sure we find the necessary resources so that our employees are able to do their job to the best of their ability.
Murphy-Romboletti: Politicians come up with ideas, but we need public servants to implement and administer ideas. We must invest in professional services in all departments and branches of government. What good is an ordinance or mayoral initiative if no staff resources exist to implement and administer them?
Understaffed city departments become visible in the public eye in the form of an overflowing trash can or delayed trash pickup, however, the reality is that this represents a fraction of the impact underinvestment has on the growth and progress of our community. Status quo means missed grant opportunities, delays for opening new businesses and unsustainable spending. We must invest in staffing, professional development and modern technology to give meaning to all functions of our government.
The Department of Revenue has recommended that it’s in our best interest to establish a Chief Financial Officer position. The City Council should be leading this charge but instead of moving forward, they spend as much as 18 hours during budget hearing sessions, where many councilors laud themselves for cutting salaries of current employees and prohibiting new hiring for vacant positions by zeroing out salary line items. My grandmother lived through the Great Depression and was elected Tax Collector in her hometown of Meadville, PA. What she would tell me is what I want to tell council: We must stop trying to save a penny only to spend a dollar.
Advocating for these investments may not be politically-savvy, but is the answer voters have been deprived of hearing.
Tallman: This past year it was been difficult for the Department of Public Works to keep pace with the trash and recycling collections because of COVID-19. Several employees were out because of the virus and other work-related injuries. Recent retirements also affected services. If elected, I would work with the superintendent to make sure the department has the staff and equipment needed to get the work done.
RP: If elected, how would you work with the newly elected mayor to ensure a smooth transition in government and resident services?
Chatel: Seek input with the mayor and all elected officials. Also with city residents and work together on our most critical issues.
Ferrario: We currently have seven candidates for mayor, and 20 candidates for a 13-member City Council. It’s impossible to predict how the voters are going to fill these seats, so I can’t fairly offer any specifics about how I'd work with the newly elected mayor to ensure a smooth transition.
What I can promise is that I will work with whoever the new mayor is, and with whoever the voters choose as City Councilors. I will listen to their concerns and thoughts, and take them seriously, and do my best to reach resolutions that will work smoothly for one and all. For many years, our Council has been opposed to the mayor, and that kind of deadlock serves no one. I believe more unites us than divides us, and that if we are determined to find those points of unity, we can look forward to a smooth transition and a constructive term in office for all of us, mayor, councilors, and citizens of Holyoke alike.
Greaney Jr.: Transparency is the most important key to managing city government. I will always keep the communication lines open with the mayor. We must settle our differences, explore the issues that we agree on and move the city forward to provide the citizens the services they deserve. Transparency and the truth between the Mayor’s office and the City Council will significantly improve our city’s performance. Our current acting mayor has used the management tools effectively.
Jourdain: Fortunately, I have managed numerous previous administration transitions in the past effectively and I am a certain this next one will be equally effective. I will make sure the City Council and the new mayor have a good working relationship and open lines of communication.
Keitt: Come Nov. 2, whomever is elected by the people of Holyoke to occupy the seat in Room 1 will have my full faith and confidence. I will fully support them in my capacity as a resident and as a City Councilor At Large to maintain an open line of communication to bring to the people of Holyoke the representation they deserve.
Maldonado Velez: When I think of what my relationship would be with the new mayor, I see it the same regardless of whether I voted for them or not. The first thing I would do is schedule a monthly meeting with them in order to form a professional relationship around making our city the best that it can be.
The mayor, like the city council, needs to be accountable to the people of our city. We may not always get the result we desire, but we need to make sure that whatever decision is made is through a lens of equity that includes all of our residents.
We may have our differences when it comes to how we best tackle some of the issues we face, but when we take a step outside of our city, we are all Holyokers. This means that the decisions that come from our conversations should include as many voices as possible so that we all take pride in what we put forward. We all have to be on the same page, and that page should be the start of a new chapter in Holyoke’s history.
Murphy-Romboletti: No matter what the vote tally says on Nov. 2, the mayor has a civic obligation to represent 100 percent of Holyoke residents. Likewise, the City Council has a similar obligation to work alongside and with the mayor to serve the best interests of the city. The City Council’s legislative calendar resets every year in January. I would work with my colleagues on the City Council and the mayor’s office to identify areas of common purpose and set forth an agenda for the legislative session. This commitment to an organized governance framework, to my knowledge, has not happened in recent decades. I do not propose allocating blame between Room One and the City Council but instead it takes a concerted, consistent effort to maintain healthy lines of communication and build relationships even where real, valid political differences separate one another.
I’m committed to working with whoever gets elected as mayor because it’s important that we all put our egos to the side in order to do what is best for the city in the long-run. This means there should be regular communication with Room One so we can find opportunities to collaborate and support his/her initiatives. Even if we don’t agree on an issue, we can all acknowledge we are doing this work because of a commitment to serve a community we care deeply about, so it’s important to look beyond personalities and figure out a way to compromise in order to create a functional government.
Tallman: If elected I would work diligently with the new mayor to establish a budget that is fair to our residents and businesses to provide the city services that they deserve. I have the experience as a city councilor to listen to the needs of our residents and business leaders.
Reminder Publishing reached out to Rivera, Leahy and McGiverin and had not received responses by press time.