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Date: 1/11/2021
HOLYOKE – Holyoke School Committee member Devin Sheehan has announced that he will be running for the position of mayor.
Sheehan announced his intention to seek the position of mayor during a virtual press conference via Zoom on the morning of Jan. 8. Sheehan said that he would have normally asked friends, family and members of the media to gather in person. However, he said, “I did not think it was right to bring a group of people together at this time,” citing the coronavirus pandemic.
First elected to the Holyoke School Committee in 2015, Sheehan said he’s been a lifelong Holyoke resident having graduated from Holyoke High School and recently purchasing his second home in the city with his partner over the summer. “Holyoke is a special place for so many of us that call it home,” he said.
`While he called it “an honor” to be elected to the School Committee, he said he “often found myself thinking about how I can do more.” He said that he felt the city needed new leadership to prosper and move forward following the pandemic.
He said he was “ready to be a mayor that is responsive” to the needs of its citizens and to grow the economy by helping both new and existing businesses within city limits. He cited how the pandemic has impacted businesses across the city and said while “recovery will not be quick,” he was “prepared to help” and advocate for additional funding for expenses the city had seen increased since the virus first impacted the region.
“I’m ready to fight for funds to make sure we can make it through the pandemic,” he said.
Additionally, Sheehan said he felt “Holyoke is ready for new growth,” and the way to do that was to “support the businesses that support the Paper City.” He said, “I commit, if elected, [that] I will work to break down those barriers,” and to “serve as a conduit to help businesses open their doors.”
He also said that Holyoke “needed a government that is responsive” to the needs of its residents, including “clear and immediate communication” should city services be interrupted for any reason. Should city services be interrupted, he said he would investigate why such an event happened so as to prevent it from happening again.
Sheehan went on to say he would also be “pushing for local control of schools,” as “public education works best when it is run by local leaders that are there to serve the public.”
“As a mayor, I will be on the forefront to work with the commissioner of secondary and elementary education to turn Holyoke back to local control,” he said. “I want a plan in place and I want to see the steps.” He outlined his experience with education after having served in a variety of positions for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
“I moved up from being a leader regionally with them, served in the capacity of treasurer with them,” he said, citing that he worked his way up to eventually serve as president of the organization “to make sure public education is thriving.” Through his experience with the organization, he said, he’d worked with union members across the state, saw the “passage of the Student Opportunity Act” and had advocated for funding within public schools.
“Our public schools were underfunded and still are underfunded,” he said.
Success for the city, he said, would only come when everyone “work[ed] together to grow the stabilization fund,” and “to have a strong and responsive government.”
He said he was “prepared to work with city officials” and “ready to listen to all of our community members.” While the campaign season would look different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheehan said he would be hosting “virtual drop in sessions for citizens,” and encouraged people to visit his website, www.sheehanforholyoke.com.
He said that Morse had done a good job and the city had done a “great job” of “attracting the marijuana industry.” However, he said “communication needs to be improved.”
“The mayor has had – it’s a tough job in that position, but I think we need to grow on some of these successes and alter some of the things that have been done in the past as well,” he said.
He said while he was “not a Spanish speaker,” he was “looking forward to working with those who are so we can have clear communication” and ensure all members and voices of the community were heard.