JOHN VELIS
Greetings! I want to say again that I hope this weekly update finds everyone having a very happy and healthy summer. I also want to add that this will be my last weekly update for the time being; as we are starting the campaign season, the Westfield News has made the decision to stop these types of updates from political office holders who are candidates as part of their rules for election seasons (a decision I fully understand and support).
I want to use this last update to tell you about some of the experiences and observations I have made over the course of the last 3 and a half months since I have been your State Representative. But before I get into that I want to speak about one vote that I recently made regarding charter schools.
About three weeks ago the House passed a bill that would lift the cap on funds that charter schools would receive from the State. This was a controversial bill; as it put public schools and charter schools in a direct square off. The bill potentially would increase funds to charter schools therefore decreasing funds to public schools. There was a lot of media attention about the bill as well as many emails sent to each State Rep encouraging us to vote one way or the other. On the day of the vote many State Reps were truly undecided as to what their vote should be. Not me. This was a bill that I voted a resounding no on. And my reasons for voting no were simple. ANYTHING that takes money away from public schools I am vehemently against! Public schools (teachers, paraprofessionals; administrative staff; etc…) are the front line soldiers in shaping tomorrows youth. In fact, I wouldn’t be sitting here today typing this letter as your State Rep without the help of several school teachers from the Westfield Public Schools.
As I reflect on my first three months in office there are some things I would like to share with you. If you recall, when I first decided I was going to run for office the main motivating factor was my disgust with party politics; specifically, the unwillingness of the two major political parties to put their differences aside and work for the betterment of the people. A prime example of this is when a vote is taken on a very important and significant issue and the vote comes down on party lines- all Republicans voting one way and all Democrats voting the other way. This is putting politics ahead of the people who elected you to serve. This type of government doesn’t work for me. Since being elected I have cast all of my votes based on what I thought was best for the people of Westfield. My opinion as to what is best for the people of Westfield comes directly from the people of Westfield in the countless conversations I have had with them since being elected into office. And what I have come to find is that the people of Westfield care more about individual issues than they do political parties. This is undeniably reflected in my voting record. I embrace each vote as an issue that must be analyzed from all angles. The decision on which way to vote I finally make is based on what will benefit the constituents I represent. I ran on the promise of being an independent voice for Westfield and I believe I have lived up to that promise so far with a voting record that truly runs the gamut of bipartisanship.
The most gratifying part of my short time in office has been the honor and privilege of representing the people of Westfield in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. I don’t take the responsibility of representing each one of the 41,399 people of Westfield lightly, and I truly mean it when I say that I am honored to be your elected voice on Beacon Hill. As always, do not hesitate to contact either myself ([email protected] or on my cell at 413-627-8722) or my aide, Neesha ([email protected]) with any questions, issues, or concerns. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing time during the rest of the summer!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
