Dear Westfield Voters,
Election Day is now just days away. I hope that many (or hopefully most) of you have had a chance to educate yourselves about the slate of candidates – both in the Ward races with contested seats (3, 4 & 5), as well as the At-Large race, and the School Committee – – in the November 7 election. Although many of you likely have already decided whom you are voting for, I imagine many others may still be weighing their decisions. Regardless of where you are in deciding whom you will support, there is still time to get a more complete picture of all of the candidates.
There have been a number of ways to learn about the candidates, whether through our own literature delivered or mailed to your door, on candidates’ Facebook pages, in public forums recorded and replayed on Channel 15 (available at https://vimeo.com/user8441577), and via radio interviews on WSKB (available at https://www.facebook.com/895-fm-WSKB-Westfield-346151688894627/), to name a few. I hope that many of you have had a chance to meet the candidates in person, to get a sense of our abilities to listen to you, ask you questions, answer questions directly when asked, and provide our knowledge and perspective on the issues, to give you a sense as to how we will represent you if elected.
One additional source of information on the candidates that I would suggest looking at is the recently submitted campaign finance reports that were required of all candidates for office in this election. The reports are located on the City’s website, on the City Clerk’s Elections page. Once on the City’s homepage, go to Government/City Clerk/Elections/Campaign Finance Reports. Then, click where it says “view reports”, and select the reporting period you are interested in. (The actual link is: http://www.cityofwestfield.org/DocumentCenter/Index/49.)
[For the most recently submitted reports for the period beginning September 9, 2017, click on that folder and you will see a list of all candidates’ reports for the period. Just note that the list of candidates to choose from extends onto two pages, so you will need to click on page 2 for additional candidates’ reports.]
Over the past four years that I have served on the Council, I have listened to your concerns, and voted in ways that I believed addressed your priorities in ways I felt were aligned with the overall best interest of the City. I have demonstrated my dedication to learning about the issues, whether it was the budget, the schools, the City’s water supply, or the host of other issues we have been dealing with, through attending meetings of subcommittees and other special meetings as needed. Through my service on the Council’s Finance Committee, I have shown my commitment to improving the City’s financial well-being, to make your tax dollars go as far as possible. Through improved services such as roads and sewers, and through tax relief, which I know everyone desires (and which I supported through my vote for FY17 tax relief last June), I have stood for the projects and issues you deemed priorities, and focused on solutions. I have also shown a willingness to act on your interests by voting against projects I felt were going to place a greater cost on the City than reasonable, and I did not just rubber stamp votes on every project or vote that comes our way. I have also proven my ability to work in a productive and effective fashion with other members of the Council, because that is what you expect and deserve from your elected officials. I believe I have been responsive to your needs, and will continue to strive for even greater responsiveness if elected for another term.
I cannot stress enough the importance of this election. As I said at the At-Large candidates’ forum, ours is a vast city – with vast needs in infrastructure, police, fire, schools to name a few of the largest-as well as vast differences of opinion among the population on how to address our problems. This is very much the case among the pool of candidates as well, with some short on real, workable solutions that can have the kind of impact that we need to address our challenges. I am a candidate who has demonstrated that I am part of identifying the problems, and solving them as well.
Although some have said that local elections matter the least, I would argue the opposite – that is, I believe that we feel the greatest impact locally, from local decisions made by the local legislative body, your City Council. If you are concerned about the future of the City, thoroughly educate yourself about the candidates, and vote. You may recall that two years ago, the losing candidate lost by three votes in the At-Large race. Your vote truly matters. Also, in the At-Large race, please know that you MAY vote for up to seven candidates, but you do not have to vote for seven. If there are not seven candidates that you support, then only vote for those candidates that you do support.
It truly has been a joy, honor and privilege to serve all of you over the past two terms on your City Council. I very humbly ask for one of your At-Large votes on Tuesday, November 7, and hope to have your support. The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Matthew T. VanHeynigen
City Councilor At-Large
