HOLYOKE – Both leaders of the Massachusetts State Senate joined Senators from Berkshire and Hampden Counties on the first of eight “Commonwealth Conversations” yesterday, making stops at town hall forums in Great Barrington and Holyoke.
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, and Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, were hosted by Senators Don Humason, Jr., R-Westfield and Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield and heard the concerns of their western Mass. constituents.
Other Senators in attendance included James Welch, D-West Springfield, Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, John Keenan, D-Quincy, and Micheal Rodrigues, D-Westport, who hatched the idea for the Commonwealth Conversations series.
Topics of homelessness, unfunded mandates in public education, increased workforce development training opportunities, mental health and prison reform were all brought up by select members of the over 200 people who packed into Holyoke Community College’s Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development for nearly two hours.
After the hearing, Humason said that he felt it went well overall, but that there were things to improve upon for the next session.
“We really didn’t know how many people would come and speak. We were overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up to talk. We thought it was great,” he said. “I had a great time with Senators Downing, Lesser and Welch to put it together and I think our colleagues from other parts of the state got a really good sense of us here.”
Humason said he will be participating in at least two more of these hearings around the state and that each tour will be similar to the one given earlier that day, which also made stops a precision machining shop in Chicopee and at the Western Mass Alcohol Correction Center in Springfield.
“I’d give us a B-plus,” said Humason. “It was the first ‘Commonwealth Conversations’ tour – nine senators and several hundred people who we got to hear from and we collected a lot of testimony in writing.”
In his closing remarks, Tarr thanked the event’s attendees and vowed to work in collaboration with the Democrat super-majority during this legislative session.
“The fact that you were here and touched on so many issues that have commonality throughout the state, but have unique aspects in each part of the state, demonstrates that we are on the right path in the ‘Commonwealth Conversations’,” said Tarr, adding that the Senate Republican caucus is “absolutely committed” to finding common ground whenever they can with Rosenberg’s Democrats and to “disagree respectfully, with dignity and without being obstructionists” when common ground cannot be found.
Rosenburg thanked Humason for moderating the hearing and reiterated Tarr’s emphasis on working together to fix many of the issues raised by the citizens.
“You just spoke to 20 percent of the Massachusetts State Senate, half of those members came from eastern Massachusetts,” said the Amherst Democrat to the crowd. “(These hearings) are going to make a difference as we move forward to identify the priorities and agenda of the senate.”
Rosenberg added that yesterday marked the first time in the history of the state senate that members of the body have gone out and sought input from constituents before forming their agenda for the year.
“All of our work is going to come together in the forming of the senate’s agenda not only for this term, but understanding that some of the problems and issues that have been put on the table will take some time,” he said, before encouraging continued dialogue. “Citizen and voter participation is not limited to Election Day. It has to be done all year round. When you have an idea or opinion, you need to express it.”
“We want to rebuild people’s faith in government,” he said.
