EASTHAMPTON — Mayor-elect Nicole LaChapelle said the past month has been a “whirlwind.”
She’ll be sworn in at noon on Jan. 2, along with city councilors and school committee members, at the Public Safety Complex, 32 Payson Ave.
“The first thing I do,” LaChapelle said, “is maybe have a cup of coffee and go to my first school committee meeting.”
Education is a top priority for LaChapelle, who said she’ll be on the search committee for a new superintendent, looking for a candidate with firm knowledge of state education policy and a deep understanding and openness regarding Easthampton, she said. Superintendent Nancy Follansbee will retire on June 30, and school officials aim to have a new leader ready to go by the spring.
The consolidated pre-K-through-8 school project is wrapping up with a vote planned for May 2018. LaChapelle said she’s all for a new school and will serve on the School Building Committee.
“Students deserve a top-notch school system,” she said.
Since the November election, LaChapelle has met with department heads and key city officials, including the police chief and finance director.
But part of the preparation for becoming mayor of Easthampton is tying up loose ends with her work as an attorney.
LaChapelle spent 20 years working for the Center for School Crisis Intervention and Assessment Inc. in Holyoke, including eight as director. She left in 2016 to pursue a career as a private attorney focusing on civil rights advocacy, especially in education and labor rights.
“I am just ready, and excited, to go,” she said.
LaChapelle said she’s set to tackle tough topics, like the question of whether to prohibit municipal resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement, which sparked a heated debate last year over whether Easthampton should be a so-called sanctuary city.
The Easthampton Community Coalition submitted a petition several months ago to the City Council, urging it to keep the city’s resources out of immigration affairs. The discussion has been put on hold to wait for the new mayor and new city council to be sworn in.
To start off the citywide discussion, LaChapelle said she will be going over the facts and asking questions such as “What does the community desire and need?” From there, she said she’ll work to address residents’ concerns.
LaChapelle plans to hire a new city planner within her first two weeks in office, replacing Jessica Allan, who left for a position as a project associate for a real estate consulting firm in Amherst after five years on the post.
Once a city planner is hired, LaChapelle said, she can look into development issues like the need for affordable housing. She’s also eyeing changes to the long-abandoned mill buildings at 1 Ferry St., and is looking at environmental impact reports and other documents to determine a path forward.
LaChapelle said she aims to lead the city in sustainable economic development and smart growth. That means a mixture of housing options and different businesses, she said, and making sure one industry does not take over.
This includes marijuana facilities, as the Planning Board recently approved a recreational marijuana ordinance, set to be discussed in the City Council’s ordinance subcommittee. LaChapelle said there are a lot of positives to the marijuana industry, such as tax revenue that can go toward schools and infrastructure. However, while she supports marijuana businesses opening up in Easthampton, LaChapelle said the city still needs to keep mind the smart growth approach to development — and hear all sides of the issue.
“It seems that around cannabis there are 16,000 points of view,” she said.
As mayor, LaChapelle plans to reach out to the community. She suggested a coffee hour to talk about issues brought up during her campaign, and plans to visit the Council on Aging on a regular basis to gather thoughts from the seniors.
LaChapelle said she wants to look into addiction services in the city. While prevention plays a big role, LaChapelle said, treatment is important.
She also said she hopes to talk to local environmental groups.
“I may canvass Arcadia,” LaChapelle said. “And see what the birds have to say.”
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.