NORTHAMPTON — The contenders are set; now comes the final sprint before the City Council election for the four candidates vying for a vacant at-large seat.
The contest for the seat being vacated by Jesse Adams will be decided in a two-part special election. Voters will head to the polls July 7 to narrow the pool to two candidates and a new city councilor will be named in a final election Aug. 4.
Before the ballots are cast, the candidates will have their chance to address voters at a candidate forum Monday at the Northampton Senior Center, starting at 7 p.m.
Ryan O’Donnell, Andrew B. Smith, Blue DuVal and Marlene A. Morin are the four contenders hoping to snag the open spot. All want to tackle the budget, improve downtown and boost the local economy while keeping the city affordable, but the candidates differ when it comes to their methods of getting the job done.
Andrew B. Smith, of 10 Myrtle St., is the conservation and sustainability director for the city of Holyoke. The 37-year-old father is hoping to “seize the moment” and change the course of the city through small innovations, especially when it comes to downtown.
Food trucks, he said, are a missed opportunity that the city could capitalize on. Another opportunity, he said, is to fill vacant storefronts with pop-up shops that last for a month or two, inviting business owners who may not be able to carry the cost of downtown rent.
“If they don’t have capital for the long term, let’s work with property owners,” Smith said. “It’s an economic trend shaping up for younger consumers that is fresh and vibrant.”
Smith said his experience dealing with municipal governments, including those in Holyoke and Keene, N.H., and experience writing grants make him an ideal candidate for the job.
“This is my community, it is where I want to be. I am committed to Northampton and I want to make it a better place,” Smith said.
Former School Committee member Blue DuVal, 55, of 38 Sandy Hill Road, said she will facilitate robust discussion and ask plenty of questions if elected to the at-large seat.
DuVal said she will ask simple questions, even some she knows the answers to, so viewers watching council meetings at home can follow along and understand the dealings of local government.
“I’m used to looking at all sides,” DuVal said. “I spent four years on the School Committee and I asked lots of questions. First I watched the kids, and now I want to watch the city.”
As a single mother dealing with a neuromuscular disability, DuVal said she understands residents who are struggling, and she wants to represent them in city government.
DuVal said she wants to protect senior citizens, foster small businesses and ensure the city is affordable while maintaining its character and charm.
“What sets me apart is that I represent a different faction. I’m a single mom struggling to make it. We talk about social justice for disabled people, I am that disabled person. It’s as simple as I understand some doors are heavy,” DuVal said. “Northampton needs a voice.”
DuVal, served on the School Committee for two terms starting in 2013 before she was defeated in her re-election bid in November. She has an associate’s degree in in English and art from Santa Rosa Junior College in California. She has worked as a sales representative, medical coordinator and massage therapist.
Ryan O’Donnell, 36, is a familiar face in the city. O’Donnell is the council vice president and currently represents Ward 3, an experience he says has been incredibly meaningful to him. As a city councilor, O’Donnell said he is proud to have written the only local campaign finance law in the state and addressed day-to-day issues like fixing potholes and keeping the community informed during an investigation of a series of small fires this spring.
O’Donnell said he is ready to take on the challenge of serving the entire city using his working knowledge of city departments while upholding his principles.
“At-large has to balance local needs with citywide issues. It requires dealing with city departments,” O’Donnell said. “And I want to act on issues of principle. The features of policy-making should include equality and social justice as well as day-to-day business. We need to do both.”
O’Donnell said he is interested in pursuing economic development possibilities on King Street and Pleasant Street, as well as downtown Florence.
“Pleasant Street is the entrance, it’s the gateway to Northampton. It needs to be pedestrian friendly, walkable and encourage businesses,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell has lived in the city for five years, but grew up in the Pioneer Valley. He works as a consultant for nonprofits and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2002 with a degree in Spanish.
Marlene A. Morin, 62, a Northampton lawyer for more than two decades, said she would focus on practical issues rather than loftier principles as an at-large city councilor.
“There are practical changes we could make. Let’s discuss that and then talk about the global issues,” Morin said. “I’d like to hear City Council talk more about how we can save money.”
Morin suggests encouraging conversation between city departments to share equipment like bucket loaders to curb overspending. She said she would like to see the city subcontract street plowing in the winter by hiring local businesses rather than purchasing equipment for the city.
Morin lives at 121 Florence Road. As a small-business owner, property owner and renter, she said she can see all sides of the economic problems facing the city. Morin rents office space at 53 Gothic St. where she practices law, often representing indigent criminal defendants.
Morin served as an elected member of the Community Preservation Committee for four years until the end of last year, when she did not seek re-election. She said her greatest achievements on the committee were her work on the Jackson Street School playground and Historical Society’s historical houses.
“My goal is to bring all of my broad experience to City Council. I have deep roots in the community. I want to live here for the rest of my life.”
Morin said she wants to establish term limits for city councilors, cap individual spending on local elections and pass a city ordinance that would require current officeholders to resign prior to running for another office, limiting a shuffling she called “musical chairs.”
O’Donnell, the Ward 3 councilor campaigning for an at-large spot, said he did not resign because it would do a disservice to Ward 3.
“I’m not someone who resigns. I honor the commitments that I make,” O’Donnell said. “I’m not just going to abandon my seat because it helps me politically. If I resigned, there would be two vacant council seats and Ward 3 would not get a vote on the budget.”
“A Ward 3 special election would no doubt sync with the presidential election in November. It would not be a costly affair and it would be better for voter turnout,” he added.