The Westfield NewsSearch for The Westfield News Westfield350.com The WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents $1.00 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2019 VOL. 88 NO. 259 City of Westfield Mayoral Candidate Profiles The Westfield News will publish candidate profiles daily until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All citizens are encouraged to vote. If you don’t know where to vote, visit cityofwestfield.org or contact the City Clerk’s Office at 413-572-6235. Donald F. Humason Jr. for Mayor Michael A. McCabe for Mayor Name: and state issues effecting Name: focused on a small percent of Donald F. Humason, Jr. Westfield residents and busi- Michael A. McCabe the student body in the hopes Address: nesses. Address: that the others will be able to Stony Lane, Westfield What grade would you 8 Hawthorne Ave. make their own way. Finally, Occupation: give Westfield’s schools and Occupation: the system appears to be in a Massachusetts State why? Westfield Police Senior constant state of instability Senator, former State As a proud graduate of Captain, Westfield State with high turn-over in admin- Representative Westfield public schools I am University Adjunct istration which erodes both always going to be a little Faculty Member leadership and direction. What is your experience biased and grade them well How would you move for- managing staff? thanks to the excellent educa- What is your experience ward with the city’s current I currently manage a staff of tors and staff but I also under- managing staff? water situation and related 5 paid legislative aides, sever- stand there are needs and The police department has lawsuits? MICHAEL A. MCCABE al unpaid interns, and numer- problems that must be DONALD F. 140 personnel below the rank I would continue to press/ ous volunteers. Prior to addressed to assure our kids HUMASON JR. of senior captain. For the past sue the federal government for CFO. This is not an easy task. becoming a Legislator I was the best education they can 23 years, I have been respon- funds for remediation of the It will require all boards and the Director of Legislative get. For example, the lack of sible for managing, evaluating aqueous firefighting foam. growing the tax base will commissions to submit indi- Affairs at the Massachusetts up-to-date lab facilities in the performance, and promoting Additionally, I would continue allow us to focus on the prior- vidual 3 year plans. Then Executive Office of Health science classrooms at or recommending for promo- to look for alternative sources those plans need to be brought and Human Services and over- Westfield High School threat- ity the people have identified: tion nearly all of them. of water locally. I believe the fixing our infrastructure. together to find out which saw 15 legislative staff from en accreditation. Many What is your budget experi- City chose the right course of needs are priorities and then each of the agencies under the schools like Westfield High The term of the mayor is ence? action in their handling of two years, but I will work create a master plan from EOHHS umbrella. And before School are functionally obso- I have created, issued and wells 1 and 2 and wells 7 and there. Once the master plan is that I was the Chief of Staff to lete. As a Senator I have been with Department Heads and defended a police budget of 8. That said, there are still city officials to make a long set, then and only then can you Senator Mike Knapik and I fighting for more money for over $8 million for 12 years. other options to research in the begin the process of setting a oversaw and directed his staff. our schools for a long time. term plan to address our crum- Additionally, I have received event that the treatment plans bling roads and sidewalks. course to achieve those goals. What is your budget expe- Just a few weeks ago the formal budget preparation prove to be ineffective. The The budget process should be rience? Senate finally passed the With respect to taxes, again, training at the FBI Academy Cabot Rd. aquifer may be a the people are speaking clear- streamlined. Budgets are not For the past six years I have Student Opportunity Act in Quantico Virginia. potential source of water, as hard to do especially in lean been a member of the Senate which updates the Ch. 70 ly. Westfield’s residential and Have you recently met well as the Springfield water business property taxes are times when there is no excess Committee on Ways and school funding formula and with city department heads line that parallels Westfield revenue for new projects. You Means and the Joint more. As Chair of the School too high and growing higher to discuss their needs/con- water. I am not eager to pay nearly every year. I plan to cannot meaningfully create a Committee on Ways and Committee I would continue cerns/budgets and if so, another city or town for water positive environment without Means which is responsible the plans to expand Franklin work with my colleagues in which ones? if it can be avoided. city government to hold the goal-oriented leadership. I for writing the annual state Avenue School and replace Chief Valliere and Do you have a plan for would also like to see the budget which totals approxi- obsolete schools like Abner line on tax increases and Superintendent Czaporowski infrastructure/taxes/eco- instead derive additional rev- terms of both the mayor and mately $44 billion and funds Gibbs. What grade would you nomic development? council moved to 4 year cycles every program and agency in How would you move for- enue from growth, expansion, give Westfield’s schools and First, we must address three state and federal aid and to help eliminate waste associ- the Massachusetts state gov- ward with the city’s current why? main issues: the creation of a ated with learning curves, ernment. I also serve on the water situation and related grants. I also plan to spend the C+. First, the school’s phys- strategic plan that sets out the Westfield taxpayers’ money patronage and elections. Senate Committee on Bonding lawsuits? ical plants are only in fair primary needs of the city. Why should residents vote which deals with all state The current Mayor and as frugally as I spend my own. condition, which is the result Secondly, we have to stabilize What is your top priority for you? bonds the legislature passes. Council have sought to of several converging prob- our City personnel. Finally, I have the energy, experi- And I am a member of the address the PFAS plume con- for the city and how do you lems. Second, the lack of state we need to create a CFO posi- hope to address it? ence, education and expertise Senate Public Service tamination of several city funding for state mandates tion to handle specifically the to handle the rigors of the Committee that deals with any wells with activated charcoal As I mentioned above, causes the City to meet these budget and labor. Each of infrastructure improvement mayor’s office. I have man- legislation pertaining to state filters and have committed a mandates with City funds that these items is interdependent aged personnel and budgets employees and public unions. good deal of city bond money and economic development are syphoned away from pre- on the other. for Westfield to keep the rate for a long time. I have been Have you recently met to address the problem. As the ventative maintenance or other What is your top priority continuously on call to the with city department heads next Mayor I will work with of tax increases to a minimum “want” projects. Thirdly, for the city and how do you will be my priority. I also City for more than 30 years. I to discuss their needs/con- city engineering, DPW, the teachers with classes of stu- hope to address it? have a long history of service cerns/budgets and if so, Water Department and our intend to work to counter the dent with high numbers of As stated above, creation of pervasive anti-Westfield sen- and volunteerism that is which ones? consultants to continue to test IEPs means that, the teachers’, a strategic plan, stabilizing unmatched by any other can- timent of a small but vocal Of course. I meet and or the water and make sure it is attention has to be inordinately City personnel and hiring a didate. speak with city officials con- minority who love to criticize stantly. For example, I just See Humason, Page 5 their city but fail to volunteer spoke last week with safe to drink. If the filtra- to try to improve it. I want to Superintendent Stefan tion does its job, fine. If not, be Westfield’s cheerleader, Czaporowski about the $1.4 we will have to come up with promoter, and advocate. billion Student Opportunity another option. City residents Why should residents vote Act passed by the state Senate deserve clean water. It is their for you? to update the Education right. The lawsuit of the man- As a lifelong resident, Reform Act. We specifically ufacturers of the firefighting homeowner, and taxpayer I discussed the Special foam will continue. Recently, love Westfield but I also Education costs in the city.