State Sen. Jo Comerford used a virtual town hall on Wednesday to inform constituents about the legislation she has filed and the work her team is conducting behind the scenes, from voting initiatives to securing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for projects across her district.
The Northampton Democrat, who represents the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District, spoke via Zoom for more than an hour, saying she aims to be as transparent as possible while advocating in Boston for her community. She ended the event by answering questions submitted in the chat. Comerford said her district — which she described as “24 of the most beautiful cities and towns in the commonwealth of Massachusetts” — is filled with “unbelievable people.”
“You make me personally stronger,” she said. “You make my team stronger. You make us fight harder.”
Comerford highlighted legislation the state Senate has passed this session, including the Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity and Security (VOTES) Act, the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, and a bill regulating veterans’ homes. The VOTES Act aims to make Massachusetts elections more accessible, equitable and secure, while the CROWN Act would prohibit discrimination based on natural hairstyles. The bill pertaining to veterans’ homes is a direct response to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. An independent report commissioned by the state was highly critical of former Superintendent Bennett Walsh, who had no medical background, for making “utterly baffling” decisions during the outbreak. On Thursday, veterans’ families reached a $56 million settlement with the state after filing a class-action lawsuit last year.
Comerford said she wants “to make sure nothing like this happens again.” She explained the bill, if passed by the state House of Representatives and signed into law by the governor, would result in the state Department of Public Health having to license and regulate veterans’ homes.
Comerford also spoke about what her office has brought home to her district in the way of ARPA money, mentioning $7.5 million for regional storm damage disaster relief (in partnership with state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield), $1.5 million for the Water & Energy Testing Facility at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and $100,000 for the Pioneer Valley Mosquito Control District. She also said state funding she brought home in the last fiscal year included $422,000 to establish a Safe Havens program in Hampshire and Franklin counties, $3 million in grants to local boards of health, and $25,000 for the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce to provide a grant for the reconstruction of the Wendell Meetinghouse.
John Sullivan asked Comerford about her stance on safe consumption sites, which the New England Journal of Medicine defines as providing “a space for people to bring pre-obtained drugs and use them with sterile supplies under clean conditions and with safe disposal of used drug equipment.” The state senator said she supports the sites as well as needle exchanges and fentanyl testing strips.
“They meet people where they are. They are harm-reduction remedies and they work,” she said.
Matt Mervis asked Comerford to speak on the status of efforts “to end the punitive practice of charging significantly above-market rates for inmate phone calls at the Western Massachusetts (Regional) Women’s Correctional Center and other jails and prisons” in the state. Comerford said state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston, is championing this cause, and Comerford is confident the bill will pass and provide free phone calls for incarcerated people.
Comerford also shared her contact information and encouraged constituents to reach out to her. Her website is SenatorJoComerford.org and her email address is jo.comerford@masenate.gov. She is on Twitter and Facebook, and her cellphone number is 413-559-1649. Comerford’s District Director Elena Cohen can be reached at elena.cohen@masenate.gov and Jared Freedman, Comerford’s chief of staff, is available at jared.freedman@masenate.gov.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.