I was officially sworn into office this past week, on Wednesday. It’s a day I’ll long remember. As I took my oath to represent Westfield, looking out at my family, friends, supporters and new colleagues from the historic floor of the Massachusetts General Court, I was in awe of the tremendous honor bestowed on me. The State House is a monument to the pride we have in our rich tradition of democracy and the people who made a difference in shaping our nation. The impressive display of portraits, murals and sculptures throughout our State House tell the story of the birth of liberty, our commitment to government of the people and the contributions of the legendary statesmen who went before me. It’s an honor to walk in their footsteps and serve you.
While that moment may have marked the official start of my term, the reality is that I took action in earnest as soon as I was elected. No sooner than the election results were in, I began receiving calls of congratulations, quickly followed by a call to action as work on the 2015 budget was already underway.
I’m proud to serve once again with colleagues from my US Army unit who also happen to be State Representatives. In fact, not since World War II has the Massachusetts State Legislature had the number of sitting legislators and active service members as we do today.
I’m leveraging those partnerships, as well as new relationships, to find ways to deliver more value to Westfield. Several representatives contacted me and filed budget amendments at my behest to ensure that our interests were secured in the 2015 budget. Here is a preview of the work in progress.
My colleague and fellow serviceman, Representative Hank Naughton (Clinton), the chair of the committee for Public Safety and Homeland Security, filed budget amendments on my behalf. Representative Mike Finn (West Springfield) and I collaborated on an amendment to increase access for the disabled to Noble Hospital.
I’m also working on ways to invest in a stronger relationship with our neighbor, Westfield State University, securing more resources for our senior center and increased funding to simulate our downtown businesses. As this work progresses and amendments are finalized, I’ll be able to provide more specific details.
Most gratifying of all the work so far, though, is the vote I cast to pass the autism bill. This bill passed unanimously in the House and will move to the Senate for consideration shortly. The bill increases access for people with intellectual disabilities to support systems, services and educational opportunities. As a member of Westfield’s Commission for Citizens with Disabilities, it was an honor for me to be a voice at the state level for these special members of our community.
In addition, I made progress on establishing my office here in Westfield. I’m pleased to announce that I hired my Legislative Assistant, Neesha Suarez of Westfield. Neesha graduates from Westfield State University next month with degrees in Political Science and Criminal Justice. She worked as an intern at the Westfield District Court and most recently as a member of my campaign committee. I think you’ll be as impressed as I am with her work ethic, communications skills and organization capabilities. Please join me in welcoming Neesha to my team. You’ll be hearing more from us soon regarding office location, hours and how to contact us
I want to thank you again for this opportunity to serve. I’m proud that I’ve been able to accomplish so much even before officially being sworn in and I look forward to the next update. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with your thoughts, suggestions and concerns. You can contact me through my website www.votevelis.com/contact_us.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
