To my fellow residents of Hadley, most of us live our lives doing our work and caring for our families. We leave the tasks of governing to those whose work it is, to those whom we have elected. For the most part, that is how it should be.
But right now in Hadley we are experiencing something of an emergency, and it is time for us all to pay closer attention. The budgets for the staffing of our town are sharply restricting the ability of our departments to hire, train and retain quality staff. This is true in many departments, but it is especially dire in the police and fire departments.
Our police chief has lost several of our officers because they have been poached by nearby towns offering $10 more per hour than we pay. It is expensive and time consuming to train new officers. To go to that effort and expense, only to have them leave for better-paying towns, is deeply detrimental to our town’s safety.
A true professional, Chief Michael Mason is president of the Western Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association whose mission is to further best practices in law enforcement. At a recent Finance Committee meeting he detailed the loss of several outstanding officers the town has trained to communities that pay more. Each one of those officers was sorry to leave Hadley because they love the town and love the culture that Mason has cultivated. But with families to care for and bills to pay, it is impossible to say no to such greater earning potential.
Our fire chief is experiencing similar challenges. Take a moment here to recall how our fire department took care of us during the pandemic. In the early weeks and months when we were all staying safely home, our fire personnel did the grocery shopping for us so we didn’t have to expose ourselves to the horrifying and little-understood scourge that was killing thousands a day.
They didn’t just take care of us physically — they took care of us in other important ways. They visited our elderly shut-ins to relieve their isolation. They held birthday parades for our high school seniors who couldn’t celebrate with their friends. I remember hearing the fire trucks go by and running out to wave. They boosted my spirits too during those lonely days.
The fire chief and his staff have shown such love and care to our town, even at risk to themselves. It is time we respond in kind. We must give Chief Michael Spanknabel the resources to train and retain the best people.
I have property in Hadley and very much enjoy the low taxes. But we can and must boost the rate a little bit to keep our town safe.
Valerie Hood
Hadley