WESTFIELD – Brent B Bean II will be the longest serving member of the City Council if he is reelected on Nov 3, and he is focused on providing leadership and institutional knowledge to council members.
“We’re losing a lot of experienced councilors this year, Brian Sullivan, Jimmy (James R.) Adams and Chris Crean, members who centered the council,” Bean said. “Losing great councilors and their historic knowledge of issues, what certain actions were taken…”
“I like to believe that I can bring leadership to the City Council and the city to make sure votes are taken and that nothing is being delayed or pushed off,” Bean said.
”I’ve said in the past that the job of City Council members is to vote,” Bean said. “We’re there to make decisions, not to cloud that process by delaying votes and asking for legal opinions, although in some cases that is required, but it’s being done too often just to avoid voting. Our job is to make an educated decision on record.”
“Residents of Westfield deserve city officials who are accessible and responsive to their needs. As a lifelong resident and a six-term City Councilor, I can be a resource for others and for our elected and appointed officials,” Bean said.
“I strongly believe that voter access to elected officials and continuing dialog with all segments of the community are crucial to the creation and maintenance of a strong city government that truly listens to the voice of its constituents,” he said.
“Westfield will always need to address issues regarding growth and infrastructure,” Bean said. “We need to have a long-range plan and become more proactive rather than reactive. Growth is indicative of a healthy and supportive community. It tells us that we are a place where people want to settle and raise their families, but growth without a plan can put undue stress on our infrastructure and city services.”
“The City needs to get better at selling itself to attract business from outside the state and overseas,” Bean said. “We have a hospital, a university and airport, municipal water, a municipal utility, open space that can be developed, as well as a strong school system and public safety, including our own ambulance service. All those components makes us very attractive. We just need to let everyone know.”
“I believe that Westfield is a city with unlimited potential,” he said. “Westfield has a strong public school system; safe neighborhoods, bolstered in large part by its community policing, fire safety, and great city services like its Water, Public Works & Sewer Departments and our Westfield Gas and Electric.”
“With the dramatic growth that the City has realized, there is little doubt that these departments have done a great job with the resources they have,” Bean said. “They have been asked numerous times to do more with less.”
“We also have other attractions in Westfield, making it unique as a city positioned on the edge of the Berkshires, like Baystate Noble Hospital, Stanley Park, Barnes Airport, the 104th, Amelia Park, Westfield State University, the YMCA, Discover Westfield Children’s Museum and the Westfield River, to name a few,” bean said.
Bean said that he plans to continue working on a number of specific projects and infrastructure improvements.
“Our public schools are one of the city’s greatest resources,” Bean said. “I can work with all key constituents to identify the most pressing concerns and to ensure that our students continue to receive a first-rate education. Construction of a new addition to the high school, as well as construction of a new elementary school is definitely a priority.”
“I want to complete the new elementary school on Ashley/Cross Streets, upgrade and expand the Little River Fire Station on the Little River Road and repave and upgrade drainage on Western Avenue and Paper Mill Road,” Bean said.
“I also hope I bring a sense of levity to the council,” Bean said. “We should take the job seriously, but not ourselves.”
