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Date: 2/14/2023
SPRINGFIELD – The Literacy Lab Regional Director Thomas Oakley announced his candidacy for a City Council at-large seat on Feb. 7. Oakley was born and raised in Springfield and has worked on several local initiatives to help strengthen the community.
Oakley is a graduate of Springfield High School of Science and Technology, where he also enjoyed a successful sports career that led to his induction to the Springfield Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame. Oakley earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Transformative Diversity Equity and Inclusion Certificate from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Oakley now resides in the Liberty Heights neighborhood. He and his wife Jeorgian have served as outreach directors for their local church, helping to coordinate several charitable events, like distributing food to families around Thanksgiving, a Christmas gift drive for children and an annual sneaker giveback event with the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.
Oakley and other Springfield High School of Science and Technology alumni also spearheaded the creation of the Sci-Tech Alumni Association. The association provides scholarships to several seniors graduating from the school.
With his work at The Literacy Lab, Oakley and his staff provide students with evidence-based, culturally responsive literacy instruction that strives to get more students reading on grade-level by third grade. He oversees strategy, manages the regional budget, ensures compliance with state grants and manages school partnerships in his role as regional director.
If elected to the council, Oakley will emphasize a platform that will improve quality of life issues for residents and businesses. As a father of three children, Oakley aspires to help create a cleaner city that provides amenities to residents, such as a potential dog park.
“To me, its super important that our parks are in good condition, and we are creating a city that is family-friendly and where people want to stay … Overall, cleaning up the city is an important step we need to take,” said Oakley in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Municipal broadband is also critical to Oakley. He saw firsthand the lack of access many had to affordable and reliable internet services as The Literacy Lab transitioned to a remote model during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We shifted all of our tutoring online and we really saw the challenge students had in not having reliable internet at home … We’re seeing more and more how critical internet is to students and residents,” said Oakley.
Oakley also views equity, access and transparency as essential pillars of his campaign. He noted the importance of bringing community voices to the table regarding important issues in the city, such as the ongoing development of the Police Commission. He expressed his support for the council continued utilization of the newly established working group format, which invites selected residents to air their thoughts on different community sectors.
“Whenever there are important decisions that impact the residents of Springfield, I think it’s really important to try and capture their voice in that process,” said Oakley.
The city council candidate would additionally work to ensure equity by making sure residency clauses are followed with city officials to “keep higher paying jobs in Springfield” and make sure city leaders are “visible in the community.”
Another goal of Oakley’s is to aid local business. He discussed the significance of developing strong relationships with businesses that promote open collaboration.
“I think having a close relationship with the business community and really letting their expertise inform what we are doing as policy is really important,” said Oakley.
He also intends to strengthen business development, whether its through businesses trainings or providing additional resources.
“We have so many entrepreneurs … If people have an idea to start a business, we want to make sure that Springfield is a place where their business could grow and flourish,” said Oakley.
With experiences throughout the community and with The Literacy Lab, Oakley stressed collaboration and accountability as essential elements of his leadership approach.
“I want to explore how we can all create the future we want together for the city,” said Oakley.
Oakley joins telecommunications industry and local activist Juan Latorre III as new candidates for one of the council’s five at-large seats. City Council At-Larges Justin Hurst and Jesse Lederman have both announced their candidacy for the 2023 mayoral election. Other current at-large councilors include Sean Curran, Tracye Whitfield and Kateri Walsh.
Readers can learn more about Oakley’s candidacy at https://www.thomasoakleyma.com/.