WESTFIELD – At-large City Council candidate Stephen J. Dondley is seeking the opportunity to establish a community dialogue on the future of the city.
“I view At-large councilors playing a leadership role by working with residents to create a vision for the community and rallying people to work toward achieving that vision,” Dondley said. “Another key role of an At-large city councilor is to find and establish facts so residents have good information about what’s going on in their city. There is a lot of misinformation about Westfield.”
Dondley, who is a US Navy veteran and who served aboard nuclear submarines as a nuclear reactor operator, said that experience taught him many important lessons such as the importance of self-discipline, respect, and attention to detail.
“After getting out the Navy, I worked as a labor and community organizer,” Dondley said. “These jobs gave me phenomenal insight into what it takes to be an effective leader, the importance of listening, and the value of getting strength in numbers behind a cause.”
Dondley said that talking to city residents, knocking on 1,600 doors during his campaign, has helped identify common concerns.
“I have found constituents have two overwhelming concerns: the quality of our schools and taxes,” Dondley said. “Traffic and road issues are another key problem facing all residents no matter what their age.”
“Parents clearly have schools at the forefront of their minds because they want what is best for their children,” he said. “I think it’s important to note, however, that a very significant portion of our senior population also recognizes the importance of educating Westfield’s kids.”
“And, as you might have guessed, taxes have become a sore point for many senior citizens who have seen their property taxes rise sharply as a result of lower state revenues,” Dondley said. “But again, like with schools, taxes seem to be an issue that crosses generational boundaries and it’s an issue younger families are concerned with, as well.”
“Traffic concerns are also a very frustrating aspect of life in Westfield for citizens,” he said. “Potholes, slow construction progress, and overall planning and design of roads take some heavy criticism for residents.”
“I believe the measure of great society is how we treat the most vulnerable amongst us. That’s why our children and our seniors are two populations that I think deserve special attention from our city government,” Dondley said. ” I think the single most important role of any society is to give children access to a first class education that will make them proficient in the skills and tools necessary to compete for 21st century jobs in a global economy.”
“Just as important, our educational system must work to instill a lifelong love of learning and the ability to contribute constructively as citizens in a democracy,” Dondley said. “While the quality of our educational system is making improvements, we still have a long way to go before we can say we’re giving our kids in Westfield a first rate education. I’m going to work hard to make sure our schools get the funding needed to ensure our kids get the best education we can provide them.”
“A fifth of Westfield’s population is comprised of seniors, people at least sixty years of age,” he said. “And while many seniors are doing well for themselves, a lot of them are missing a strong social fabric that would prevent them from falling through the cracks. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon our government to do what it can to help our aging population and direct them to resources that can assist them through their rough periods. I’m a big supporter of the work of Tina Gorman, our Council on Aging Department Director, and her staff of employees and volunteers are doing to help our senior population.”
Dondley said the city needs to continue to expand its tax base to afford investments in schools, senior services and infrastructure.
“We need new growth in this city to overcome the lack of revenues coming in from the state,” he said. “I believe that the government can and should play an important role in helping to attract and keep businesses here in Westfield. Revenues coming in from new growth will help fund our schools and provide us with additional revenue for our aging population.”
“But money can’t solve all problems. What we also need to build a strong, tight-knit sense of community,” he said. “My belief is that the best way to solve our problems is for all of us to pull together.”
