Hi everyone! I hope this article finds you all well. It seems the weather is taking a turn- before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here.
Again, I can’t thank the people of Westfield enough for putting your trust in me to be your voice in Boston. Now that the campaign is over, I can focus even more on enhancing my role as your State Representative and focusing more on legislation and of course, constituent services.
Constituent services are a very important part of my job as your State Representative. It is a unique privilege to be able to assist constituents with the problems they face. In my short time as your State Representative, I have been able to help a number of people with issues- both small and large- and it has been extremely rewarding.
During my extensive period being involved in two campaigns to be Westfield’s State Representative, I knocked on thousands of doors and heard countless stories of issues that ran the gamut in nature and severity. While there were many cases that were not necessarily something I could fix, I almost always knew where to send people to get the help they needed.
For example, if someone has an issue on a federal level, we can absolutely help pass that information along. My office has a great relationship with Congressman Neal’s office. Aside from that, I spent Friday sitting down with Senator Elizabeth Warren hearing about ways that her office can assist my office to help Westfield residents. Right now, I am able to focus primarily on Westfield as we have time before session starts down in Boston this January.
What I’m really getting at here is that all too often, individuals have certain issues or problems that their local or state leaders can help with, but many people do not realize the capacity in which we can help them. From small issues such as pot holes to bigger issues like applying for fuel assistance, my office is open and available to assist you.
There are many services that we can help you with, and I will do my best to continue to spread the word about the state services available to people. For example, the first day of open enrollment on the health connector website was Saturday and fuel assistance applications are available to those who need it. Again, there are other services that my office would be happy to help with, but in order to help, we need to know that there is a problem! More often than not, people wait until it’s too late to ask for help.
Please also feel free to approach me if you see me out and about! I was glad to go to Hampden Ponds for their annual association meeting, and again for the annual Turkey Dinner! I also attended the Elder Fair in Westfield last weekend where I was able to talk with various older adults who are limited in their outings. While I go to the assisted living homes around Westfield as often as I can, there are still people I have yet to meet and I will continue to do my best to meet them!
Please feel free to contact me on my cell at 413-627-8722 or you can email me at [email protected] or my aide Neesha at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. Remember- we can’t help you if we don’t know you have a problem! Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
