Greetings Ward 3 and Westfield,
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer weather, and getting out to the live music events on the green each week. This will be my last official City Council article before the election. I want to thank my neighbors and constituents that have been so welcoming and supportive of me as a newcomer on the Council. These past two years have been eye-opening, and a learning experience about what is, and what is not going right in our city. I have worked hard to be a strong voice for the concerns of those I represent. During the last election I knocked on thousands of doors, and spoke to many of you in Ward 3. The things that you asked me to address, have been the sole focus of my work as Ward 3 Councilor. I will be coming to your door again over the next few months, to hear your concerns.
Over the past year and a half, I have tried to be a strong advocate for stopping excessive spending and tax increases, and for providing more oversight. Working with other Councilors, we were successful in convincing the Mayor and Council to offset the large 2017 budget increase by utilizing Free Cash last year. This led to 2017 being the first year without a property tax increase in the past decade. Unfortunately, with the massive $3 to $4 Million increases in the budget each year, property taxes will be going up next year, quite possibly up to 5.5%, if the city cannot generate new sources of tax revenue, or find ways to offset these huge budget increases. This type of spending needs to stop! If Holyoke can come within $300,000 of balancing their budget, there is no good reason Westfield cannot.
I have voted against every single tax increase, or unfunded budget increase, because I believe Westfield has a spending problem. There are numerous places to find savings, or do work more efficiently. Here are a few shocking numbers. Maintenance costs for flowers and fountains is $40,000/year. $5 Million dollars of our Chapter 90 State Road funding has been spent on the Rail Trail. While I think the rail trail is an important project, we have many more priorities such as our roads, some of which are in dangerous condition, which need to be addressed first. Thankfully this year the Council was successful in moving the rail trail funding from our general fund to Community Preservation funding. This should have been the source of rail trail funding all along.
The residents of Ward 3 have been very vocal in wanting to see the terrible road conditions addressed. Thankfully after fifteen long years, we were finally able to push through the repaving of Franklin St. this year. As you have likely noted, from Washington St. to the Russell Rd. curve has changed from 4 lanes to 2 lanes, with a center turning lane. Some disagree with the changes, but I for one am glad to see these changes, as they have slowed down traffic. The speeding problem here has caused pedestrian accidents, and several times led to vehicles ending up in the living room of homes along that street. Next year we will work on getting an activated crosswalk installed at Franklin Ave., to make crossing safer for school children and pedestrians.
Western Ave. is slated to see reconstruction, including repaving and drainage in the summer of 2018. I am working closely with the Mayor, and Department heads to ensure this gets done in a timely manner. Unfortunately, several Councilors wanted to cut the entire Engineering department budget this year, which would have affected this project. I was successful in keeping $70,000 in Engineering department funding intact during the budget process, so that this project could go out for bid.
As funding is tight, side streets will unfortunately be the last on the list to be repaved. To that end, the city has purchased a new Infrared Pothole Patcher, and will be purchasing a second Infrared Patcher in the near future. I thank Dave Billips and DPW for addressing my many requests to use this new technology to address dozens of problem streets in Ward 3. If you see large black squares in the road, that is where the Infrared Patcher has been used, and the patches are said to last from 5 to 7 years. This will hopefully allow us to catch up with repaving our main roads, and then get on to addressing side streets. If you note a pothole which needs to be addressed, you can contact me directly, or use the SeeClickFix smartphone app to report it.
My constituents are alsoconcerned with the lack of transparency and communication from their municipal government. This is the primary reason that I knock on doors, to inform you of what your elected officials and government are doing. I am always available to you anytime by email or phone. However, to better address issues with Ward 3 residents, and to provide needed assistance, I also host regular office hours twice per month, and Ward 3 meetings several times per year. I am glad that our Ward 3 meetings have been well attended, as this allows me to get important information out to you the constituents I serve, and to get feedback on issues you want to see addressed.
Several items that came to my attention during these meetings were the need for a Neighborhood Watch in some of our downtown neighborhoods, and for stricter enforcement of property maintenance on abandoned or foreclosed homes and rental properties. After having addressed problem properties with the city Health Dept. many times, the need to streamline the reporting and follow up process is apparent. The Health Dept. and City Council will be working to address these processes over the next several months.
As to Neighborhood Watch, many people have expressed interest in being involved, and it will not take a lot of time or effort to do so. I will continue working with the residents of our downtown neighborhoods, to get these efforts off the ground over the next year. We should all be thankful that Lt. Eric Hall and WPD’s Community Policing Unit have attended our Ward 3 Meetings, and are willing to work with us to get this project started. In addition to a Neighborhood Watch, the Community Policing unit is taking several steps to address reported break-ins, vandalism, and wild college parties. If you are interested in getting involved in the Neighborhood Watch, please reach out to me, and I will add you to the list.
Going forward, Westfield needs to start spending your tax dollars more wisely, and get back to providing our residents with the Core Services they expect. We must invest in fixing our roads and sidewalks, and ensuring that our many century old sewer lines are replaced. We need to get water treatment equipment installed in Wells #7 and #8, and ensure that no further contamination takes place, this is a top priority.
Westfield also needs to control our tax rate, by generating new revenue. The primary way we do that is to implement policies that are business friendly,to attract new taxpaying businesses. High tax rates drive away residents and businesses. It is not right for us to be taxing working families and seniors on fixed incomes out of their homes and out of our city!
If I am fortunate enough to earn your vote for a second term as Ward 3 Councilor, I will continue with the work I have outlined above. It has been the honor of my life to be able to serve as your voice at city hall, and to work alongside the people of Ward 3 to make our neighborhoods and city a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. I sincerely appreciate the support I have received, and I am asking for your continued support and for your vote this year. Remember election day is November 7th, and it’s only a few months away.
As always, I host regular office hours at the Press Room on School St., on the Second Monday of each month from 2:30pm to 4:00pm, and the Fourth Monday of each month from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. You can always reach me by cellphone at (413) 570-0899, or by email at [email protected]. If you need assistance with any municipal matters, or have questions, please contact me.
Again, Thank You for Your Support,
Andrew K. Surprise
Ward 3 City Councilor
