As another campaign season winds down with Election Day nearly upon us, I have a renewed sense of pride in our City, a sense of accomplishment for the progress we are seeing and a desire to continue serving you to address the ongoing challenges we face. I write to share some of that with you, and hope that you will share my vision for our City – and support my re-election to the Westfield City Council on November 7.
After knocking on literally hundreds of doors and speaking with you, your neighbors and so many others across the City, and attending a variety of community events over the past several weeks in particular, I am reminded once again of the greatness of our city – and why I want to continue to represent you on the Council. Occasions I attended in recent weeks varied from the Pumpkin Fest, the Sarah the Fiddler Concert at the Senior Center, to the Vietnam Veterans Ceremony at Parker Park, and the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Broad Street. The purpose and the people behind each of these events and others points to the values that we all share – from community building and the arts, to remembering our veterans and those lost in a national tragedy – and why I am so proud of our City and proud to serve all of you.
Perhaps most noticeable in my travels across the City over the past several weeks is the substantial progress on the City’s infrastructure that we’ve made over the past four years, including our roads, sewers and fiber, all of which I have supported – and more is on the way for 2018 and beyond. In FY17 alone, streets or sections of streets across the city have been either newly paved – including Montgomery Road, North Elm Street, Southwick Road, and Franklin Street – or received microsurfacing, such as Union Street, and more paving is on the way. Construction for long-awaited sewer access has been underway for areas of Paper Mill Road and Munger Hill Road, and will be coming to Plantation Circle in 2018. Meanwhile, Whip City Fiber’s rollout of high-speed internet has now reached approximately 40% of the City, towards its 70% goal by the end of 2018. Two years ago this week, we opened the Westfield Senior Center – which I proudly supported by voting in support of the bond for its construction – finally providing an incredible home to the wealth of activities and programs for the thousands of our City’s seniors who utilize the facility each year. In short, there has been significant progress in improving our City over just the past few years. As the only At-Large Candidate from Ward 4, I hope to have the opportunity in the next Council term to work with the next Ward 4 Councilor to advance sewers in the Llewellyn Drive area (as is currently tentatively planned) by supporting the funding of the engineering of those plans in 2019. I also look forward to providing an additional voice on the Council for Ward 4 residents as the Western Avenue project unfolds within the next year.
On the Finance Committee (on which I have served for the past two years), we have made much progress to bring greater value to your tax dollars by cleaning up the process of utilizing free cash to cover requests for prior-year expenses – which in some cases were two or even three years old. Ultimately, this allowed the Council to be in a position to support a motion from the Mayor last year to utilize free cash to help offset a FY17 tax increase. I am proud to have been a part of that effort, and hope we can offer similar relief for FY18. This year, following a $463,000 reduction in the amended FY18 budget, which I supported back in June, we have just received a request from the Mayor to reduce the FY18 budget further by over $1.5 million due to cost savings identified in the City’s current budget. Taken together, the cuts made in June, along with this appropriation reduction, present real tax relief for residents – well below the 6% increase that many other candidates say is imminent. In addition, the forthcoming free cash for which we are expecting certification from the state next month could result in even further tax relief for city taxpayers this year. The Council will be voting on the $1.5 million reduction at our November 2nd meeting, and if the free cash numbers are certified at a level the Mayor is comfortable with for even further budget offsets, we could be voting on a motion for that from him for this later next month. Therefore, while our June cut is set, the votes are still to come on additional reductions for the FY18 budget – presenting opportunity for substantial tax relief in the near term.
On the economic development front, the outlook for the City’s continued commercial growth is also positive. Interest in Westfield among site selection companies is on the rise – particularly for the Target property between Falcon Drive and North Road, and for the Turnpike Industrial Park – that could generate substantial new revenues for the City. Meanwhile, the city’s bond rating with Standard & Poor’s remains at AA level – their second highest rating – where it has been since 2014. This is more good news for the City, keeping us in a position of strenght for getting major infrastructure projects done through bonds at more competitive borrowing rates going forward. As we talk about economic development, however, we must remember that one of the many audiences who view our meetings are the companies looking to locate their businesses here. As Councilors elected by the people, we need to do a better job not only presenting our City, but ourselves and in showcasing how we can help companies to locate here. If re-elected to the City Council for another term, I will continue these efforts and my work for a civil tone on the Council not only for your sake, but also for the face of the City we are showing to the world at each Council meeting.
We also need to ever mindful of the strength of our school system, and the measures that companies look at when considering locating here. Criteria such as average SAT scores and graduation rates matter to companies who will be looking for a skilled and well-educated workforce. As a strong proponent of our schools and educational system, and as a parent of three students of the Westfield Public Schools, I will continue to do what I can to keep our school system competitive so that we can continue to attract the companies we need to provide the jobs and the revenue we need to sustain ourselves as a City.
I have been an engaged and solutions-oriented member of the Council, and have been an effective representative for your needs and expectations as a resident and taxpayer of the City. My record shows that I have preserved funding for education, infrastructure, and public safety, while also showing that I am willing to support targeted cuts where appropriate. I have continuously demonstrated my ability to listen intently, ask thoughtful questions of you as well as city officials and others in my research of the issues, and in my pursuit of and proposals for solutions. I continue to work with the Finance Committee Chair to identify efficiencies and improve the City’s operations to make our tax dollars work better for us all. Despite what you hear from some, there has been substantial progress in infrastructure improvements and improved fiscal management in the City – and more is on the way. All of this is not to say that we are without our challenges. Budgets across all city departments are tight, and City employees continue to do more with less given budget constraints. However, we must do continue to do what we can to have open lines of communication with all departments, to work through challenges, find opportunities, and ultimately, reach solutions to give you, the taxpayer, the best value we can for your tax dollars.
Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 7. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. As you may recall from our last election, the winner of the seventh At-Large seat on the Council won by only three votes – – so every vote truly does count!
As always, you should feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at [email protected], or by phone at (413) 335-4548. It has been both an honor and a pleasure to serve all of you in working to make our City a better place for us all by playing a role in finding solutions for our challenges. I respectfully ask for one of your At-Large votes to continue to serving you in this fashion on the City Council.
Sincerely,
Matt VanHeynigen
At-Large City Councilor
