HOLYOKE – Two candidates will compete for the Ward 3 City Council seat after advancing out of a Sept. 24 preliminary election. David Bartley, who has held the seat for eight years, will face challenger Dennis Birks, who has represented Ward 3 on the city’s School Committee for 10 years.
Ward 3 covers the entirety of Elmwood neighborhood, as well as the northeastern portion of the Homestead Avenue neighborhood and a small section of Whiting Farms. The election is Nov. 5.
David Bartley, 54, is a practicing lawyer and commercial real estate broker running for his 5th term on the City Council. He is a lifelong Holyoke resident with a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
During his eight years on the City Council, Bartley said he is proud of his accomplishments like establishing a Salute to Holyoke Day at The Big E, getting signs placed on Route 202 designating it a “Purple Heart Trail” in appreciation of veterans and writing conditions for cannabis businesses wanting to do business in Holyoke, including local employment requirements.
Bartley also highlighted initiatives he has taken to increase civic engagement: holding Ward 3 meetings, for example, and establishing an email newsletter that includes the City Council agendas, comments on particular agenda items and other information about happenings in the city.
Bartley said Tuesday’s election is a critical one because of a ballot question asking voters whether to help fund the construction of two new middle schools in the city.
“One of my biggest things is to get that defeated at the polls,” he said, describing the ballot question as “ill-conceived.”
If elected to another term, Bartley said he will continue to protect the city’s finances. He also said he wants to work to preserve a 22-acre, forested parcel of land in the ward from development.
“That is going to be a huge focus for me,” he said.
Bartley said he hopes people vote for him because of his proven legislative record, advocacy and constituent service.
“I really care about Elmwood and Holyoke in general, and I’m hopeful that all of those mixed together will motivate people to get out to the polls and consider me for one of their bal lots,” he said.
Dennis Birks, 47, i s a lifelong Holyoke residents who has been a public school teacher for two decades — first in Springfield and most recently in Ware. He has served on the Holyoke School Committee for a decade.
Birks has helped start a parent advisory committee for the city, served on the school district’s equity coalition and has coached girls youth bas ketball. He has chaired the School Committee’s finance committee as well as the Joint City Council-School Committee as a whole. He has a master’s degree in education from Springfield College.
In addition to his work in the schools and with youth in the city, Birks said he started a neighborhood watch group in Ward 3 beginning in June. He said the police chief has been coming to those monthly meetings, which he said have been “incredibly important.”
“We’re able to come together, talk about our experiences, talk about what we’ve been seeing and talk about how we can keep each other safe,” he said.
Birks said that if elected to the City Council, his top priorities will be public safety, including traffic concerns in the ward, which he said many residents have highlighted as big issues for them.
“I’m hoping to be a transparent leader, open to the community and addressing those concerns in an efficient and timely manner,” he said.
Birks said that he is running for City Council because there is a need for sustainable municipal revenue in Holyoke in order to make improvements he wants to see, including giving more resources to the police and fire departments. He said that in order to improve city finances, it is necessary to open up public spaces, improve education in the city and fix blighted locations.
“I’m hoping to be much more supportive to people who want to open businesses here in Holyoke,” he said. “We need to be a little more open to some of the people who want to open here in Holyoke.”
Birks said that he is a man of integrity and someone who will build strong working relationships with department heads in order to work effectively and efficiently.
“I don’t need to be in the limelight to get things done,” he said.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.