WESTFIELD – Matthew T. VanHeynigen rule for being an effective city councilor is simple: listen to city residents and focus on issues those residents identify as their priorities.
“I’m not here to advance any specific issue or agenda other then what I’ve heard from constituents,” VanHeynigen said.
“I’m here to be a steady voice of reason,” VanHeynigen said. “I’m a listener. Much of what I do on the council is driven by what I hear from constituents.
“I’m not going to invest my time on any issue outside the scope of Westfield,” he said. “I will invest my time on Westfield-based issues identified by my constituents, issues such as roads, schools, taxes.”
“I will work to foster business and industrial development to bring new revenue into the city,” VanHeynigen said, “and to work for revitalization of the downtown.”
“I am not a career politician or a perennial campaigner, and I am not interested in any higher office here in Westfield, or anywhere else,” VanHeynigen said. “I am seeking a seat on the City Council again for the same reason I sought a seat on the Council two years ago, for no other reason than to provide a voice for sound investments with our tax dollars here in Westfield, and tax stabilization for residents.”
“I do not view my service on the Council as a stepping stone to a higher office. Residents and taxpayers of Westfield deserve better than this,” he said. “I believe my strengths are in listening to the desires and wishes of the taxpayers, and voting accordingly as a member of the Council.”
VanHeynigen has extensive experience in reviewing, preparing and advising on budgets and in working to ensure accountability in both the private and public sectors.
“Much like I’ve worked with project directors in higher education and land conservation to make the best case possible for funding of their proposals to corporate, foundation, or government funders, as a Councilor I look for a compelling public benefit in the use of tax dollars when weighing funding requests from the Mayor throughout the year, and in reviewing the Mayor’s proposed budget to the Council each spring,” VanHeynigen said.
“ I have voted as a Councilor on issues that I did not believe were in the best interests of the city, or among its greatest priorities,” VanHeynigen said. “In voting against both the meals tax and hotel tax, I believed the cost to small businesses would outweigh the benefit of additional tax revenue to the City – and that we should be better utilizing the revenues we have to work with before resorting to tax increases.”
“In voting to dissolve the Business Improvement District last year, I believed, after hearing from dozens of business owners in our downtown, that the fee they were being assessed no longer brought the value they thought it would deliver to them and their businesses,” he said.
“I view my role as Councilor with the utmost respect,” VanHeynigen said. “I have taken what I believe has been a very pragmatic approach in my work on the Council. I bring a common sense approach to governing, due to the real understanding I have in addressing the issues that are most important to the future of Westfield.”
“I believe that we, as a City, need to make the investments that are necessary to ensure our City’s long-term health and viability, such as our schools, roads and other infrastructure,” VanHeynigen said. “I also believe that we need to be mindful of the increasing tax burden our residents are bearing, and encourage new economic activity to mitigate increases on our residents.”
“As local support from the state declines, and our obligations to our debt and retirees grows, balancing the City’s budgets will certainly be a challenge involving hard decisions,” he said. “However, I believe I offer the type of leadership that is necessary to help the Council navigate this course.”
