NORTHAMPTON — Dave Dombrowski’s decision to run for mayor has been one that’s been six years in the making.
“It’s not on some whim or last-minute decision,” Dombrowski said. “Actually in the last election I went down to city hall and inquired, but it was too late in the game by that point. So I said, ‘I can wait.’ ”
In an interview with the Gazette, Dombrowski, a former longtime police officer with the Northampton Police Department, said he was driven to run for the office because he felt there was a need for greater transparency and efficiency from local government.
“Each department should be more efficient,” Dombrowski said. “What are the things that are necessary to complete the job in any department, what’s actually there and what isn’t? Is it financially feasible? Does it make sense, or are things done in a laborious, time-consuming, waste-of-time manner?”
Dombrowski cited several examples of local frustrations dealing with city bureaucracy, ranging from challenging parking tickets to ongoing debates over school budgets and Department of Public Works contracts.
“Why is there always constant bickering?” Dombrowski said. “Why can’t people just sit down and hash it out to some sort of mutual agreement?”
On his website, Dombrowski laid out several pillars he was basing his campaign on. They include:
■Efficient government, including a forensic audit of the city’s financial records.
■ Economic independence, which he says involves reducing taxes and fees for water and sewer service, as well as removing unnecessary regulations to encourage vibrant business and entrepreneurship. He’s also calling for residential housing plans that make financial and geographical sense.
■ Education standards, which involves reexamining educational models other than traditional education.
Dombrowski also voiced opposition to Northampton’s Picture Main Street project, which plans to dramatically remake downtown by narrowing road traffic to a single lane each direction while expanding the sidewalks. Construction of the project is set to begin next year.
“I think there’s a better way to do it,” Dombrowski said. “The plan that the mayor’s endorsing, it does nothing for the businesses … it does nothing to bring business into the downtown.”
Another issue Dombrowski said he is opposed to is the city’s status as a sanctuary city, something that has become a more prominent issue in recent months as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up arrests of immigrants under the administration of President Donald Trump. As a sanctuary city, Northampton Police do not assist ICE in making city arrests.
“We all have to abide by laws, so why should anybody get a pass?” Dombrowski said. “If a person is a danger to the residents and visitors of Northampton, are you just going to give everybody a pass at that? I just don’t agree with that. Whether I was a cop or not, it’s just not right.”
A Northampton native, Dombrowski was 27 when he become a Northampton police officer — a position he held for 20 years before retiring honorably. He’s currently a truck driver.
On his campaign website, Dombrowski, who has raised a son, said he has owned businesses in the banking and insurance industries, and coached youth sports for many years along with volunteering at the Shriners Hospital for Children, and later becoming a Shriner.
Dombrowski will hold a campaign kickoff party on Wednesday, June 18, from 5 to 8 p.m., at 17 Spring St.
Dombrowski is one of three mayoral candidates who have so far pulled nomination papers to run in the upcoming municipal elections this fall. Incumbent Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra intends to run for another term, while Jillian Duclos, the former executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association, announced her bid for mayor last month.
With three candidates in the race for mayor, a primary election will be triggered and take place in September to narrow the field to two candidates for the November election.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
