JOHN VELIS
I hope everyone is having a great summer! The weather has been amazing other than the occasional summer thunderstorm, and Westfield is full of events and places to go during these warm months. I myself have been keeping busy in this great city, from shopping downtown to the Chamber of Commerce Breakfast this past Thursday… there’s always something to do!
I’m excited to announce that there is great news for the city of Westfield today. Governor Patrick signed the 2015 budget yesterday, and the amendments I submitted on behalf of Westfield made the final cut. This was the last obstacle for the amendments, which total in $165,000 worth of funding for Westfield. And as I’ve said before, this money to Westfield is all the more important because local aid levels have been significantly cut. The money will be used to fund important aspects of this community: $100,000 will go to Noble Hospital for the reconstruction of the front entrance so that it will be accessible to older adults and people with disabilities, $50,000 will go to the new senior center for furnishings, and $15,000 will go to Westfield on Weekends to stimulate downtown business. I’m proud to have been able to secure these funds for our community. I want to give special thanks to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Brian Dempsey, Speaker of the House Robert Deleo, and Governor Deval Patrick, as well as all of my other colleagues who aided me in this process, all of whom this process would have been impossible without. Now that the budget is set, it’s on to the next thing!
I’d like to switch gears here and talk about something that I’m really passionate about pursuing within the next few months, something I talked about on the campaign trail not too long ago. I will be forming an advisory committee that will serve to represent different groups of our community. As many of you may know, I am a big believer of hearing directly from members of the community about their issues, questions, and concerns. This approach helps me further understand what the people of Westfield want for their city so that I can accurately represent them. The creation of an advisory committee would strengthen that tactic by bringing together advocates from various disciplines throughout the community.
Ideally, I would like to include groups and organizations that run the gamut in background and characteristics. Businesses, public officials, older adults, and even youth advocates will be represented with the main goal of advising me of their concerns and possible solutions they may have to issues. Most importantly, I’d like to have people at the table with opposing ideas and opinions. As I said many times throughout the campaign, party politics should not be the driving force. I’m extremely interested in hearing from people who I don’t typically hear from, and especially from people who think differently than I do. It is through the combination of differing ideas and opinions that solutions emerge. It is my intention to stimulate discussion between people with varying experience, background, and viewpoints. This isn’t about party politics, this about real life issues affecting the residents of this great community and coming up with ways to solve those issues.
The goal is to have these advocates assist me in three important areas. First, would be to bring any issues that they or their organization had to the table so that other people, including myself, could be made aware of their concerns. Next would be to make suggestions on legislation that I should file on their behalf. The third would be to inform me of their position on legislation that is currently in the House or Senate that I will vote on. As I mentioned earlier, it is extremely important for me to hear from constituents about legislation that will affect them, whether it is good or bad. Of course, there would be no limit on the ways that members of the advisory committee could act or assist each other or myself, these are simply three of the ways in which I and others would benefit the most.
I encourage you to reach out to either me ([email protected]) or my aide Neesha Suarez ([email protected]) if you know anyone who might be interested in being a part of this committee, or even if you are interested yourself! As always, feel free to call my cell (413-627-8722) if you need to reach me directly. Have a great weekend!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
