The ceremony to mark the new bridge completion was held recently and many dignitaries including Richard K. Sullivan Jr. Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Governor Deval Patrick attended. There were current and former City Councilors present including Lynn Boscher, Barbara Swords, Donna Herman, Barbara Russell and others. Joe Trant, former member of the City Council in the 1950’s, its President in 1954 when the subject of a second bridge first was raised was also in attendance. Appropriately, Joe was the first car to drive over the new bridge the day it opened.
Governor Patrick was inspiring in his words and he emphasized that “Government is us”. The Governor was trying to convey the idea that all of us are part of our political system on all levels from federal, state to local.
The speech made me think about all of our citizens who work so hard to keep our system going. The Lisa McMahons, the Maureen Belliveaus and the Patti Conroys and all of the volunteers on the Business Improvement District Board who are infusing the downtown area via the collaborative energy of the BID. There are many, many volunteers who work so hard to keep this community humming including the Stanley Park, Noble Hospital, the Westfield Boys and Girls Club and Grandmothers Garden volunteers, as well as the veterans including Walter Zarichak who work so hard to keep our city parks looking great. Kevin Medeiros collects bottles and cans to raise money for our schools.
Barbara Trant steers many volunteers each year through our schools to help our education system run smoothly. Barbara is the coordinator in our Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) program. VIPS connects many volunteers to our Westfield schools to help support the students and staff. The program is supported by the Volunteer Coordinator, Barbara Trant who can be reached at 572-6345 or [email protected] if you are interested in helping. Their guiding motto statement says it all, “We believe the quality of children’s education can be enhanced by the involvement of the many diverse community members and civic organizations found in the City of Westfield”
There are also many citizens who serve on our boards and commissions, not always an easy task. We have residents serving on the Public Works, Water, Police, Commission on Citizens with Disabilities, Historic, Fire, Park and Recreation, Zoning Board and Planning Board to name a few. The responsibilities are huge and often the thanks are few.
I think also of those citizens who come before the Council and other boards to convey their ideas and suggestions. These actions are part of our government and show commitment and involvement in our process. We are a better government for all of this participation.
The City Council has welcomed two new councilors since my last column. We have seen the arrival of both Ann Callahan representing Ward Three (Councilor Callahan has already had the opportunity to write one articled for this newspaper) and Kevin Harraghy as an At-large City Councilor. The loss of PJ Miller is bittersweet as he is still with us in a sense helping us with issues in Boston. Patti Andras’s absence is painful and I miss her every day.
One of the biggest votes we took recently was the vote to place a Proposition 2 ½ override question on the November 6, 2012 ballot to increase the school budget. I heard from constituents voicing pro and con support of an override but most did agree that it was fair to place this question on the ballot so that residents could weigh in. The outcome was a close one and was narrowly defeated by seven to six vote.
Another similar motion was proposed and it was to put on the November ballot an option for the voters of Westfield to weigh in on guaranteed funding for a senior center. This would be a 2 ½ over ride proposition also. This vote was defeated by a 9 to 3 margin.
Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.
– Erma Bombeck
Mary O’Connell
Ward Four City Councilor
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
