State Rep. Kelly Pease
I hope everyone enjoyed Labor Day!
Just wanted to catch up on some of the events over the past couple of weeks as we spend the day honoring the victims of 9/11.
Today there are four ceremonies in Westfield, starting at 9:45 a.m. in front of the main fire station, 11 a.m. at the monument across from the Westwood building, at 2 p.m. a ceremony at the Sons of Erin to remember those from Westfield who lost their lives that day, Tara Shea Creamer, Dan Trant and Brian Murphy, and at 7 p.m. there is a candlelight vigil at Parker Park put on by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Westfield Chapter 219. I hope you get the chance to attend at least one of these events and take time to remember those lost and the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed forces over the last twenty years.
On August 28 I attended the Westfield Brewfest to support the Amelia Park Children’s Museum. What a great turnout and event!
During the week I attended a COVID update from Baystate. With beds filling up again at both Baystate and Baystate Noble from COVID cases, I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated. It might not prevent you from being infected, but you will have less symptoms and the chance of death is very remote.
I took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 28 Main St. for A Sophisticated Boutique. Best of luck to Melissa Tessier and her team. If you are looking for women’s clothes, check out the great selection they have. Later that day, I attended the Westfield Woman’s Club annual Tea Party event at Stanley Park where Kathi Palmer was recognized as the Woman of the Year! It was a lot of fun, and everyone looked great!
On Saturday the 4th, I had the pleasure of presenting a citation to Marion Montagna, who turned 100 years young back on Feb. 2, but because of COVID-19, family and friends were not able to celebrate until now. Then on Sept. 5, the Irish festival at the Sons of Erin. Always a great event with music, games, and Irish step dancers. I manned the food ticket booth from 1:30 to 3:30 and the weather was not that bad.
This week, meetings started picking back up after the legislative August break. I had a PFAS Task Force meeting and a Joint Committee for Veterans Affairs Hearing on Tuesday. I was also appointed to the Broadband Equity Commission. This commission will look at inequities in broadband access across the commonwealth. We will be holding weekly hearings with a report due at the end of the year. Thursday was an introduction of all the members, and our first meeting will begin on Sept. 21.
I finished the week attending a virtual Labor Breakfast to listen to many presenters who advocated for labor union legislative priorities. That was followed by a meeting to discuss redistricting. With the release of the 2020 census data, the city of Westfield is 906 residents short to meet the minimum population threshold for a state representative district. The 4th Hampden District will have to expand to meet the minimum threshold. We will know what will be added by November, but it will no longer be just the city of Westfield for the district.
Best of luck to all the teachers and students that returned to school. Riley was excited to begin fourth grade. It was sad to mark the end of summer with the closing of our pool, but I do love fall weather! Stay safe and enjoy the cooler days and nights before it turns cold.
If you need any assistance with state departments or agencies, please reach out to my office at 94 N. Elm St., Suite 301N, in the Westwood Building, phone 413-875-8787 or email [email protected] or [email protected].
Serving Westfield
Representative Kelly Pease
