Today, Northampton’s Main Street is fairly lively, though the past few years have seen an increasing number of vacant storefronts, and ever increasing rents have made small businesses a more transient phenomenon. Furthermore, the city’s Picture Main Street initiative, supported by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, has been met with concern by those who worry that the redesign will exacerbate current obstacles to success for business owners and create new problems altogether.
Over the past week, I had several opportunities to meet with Jillian Duclos, former leader of the Downtown Northampton Association and current candidate to replace Sciarra as mayor. The most striking quality about the challenger is how she strives to differentiate herself from the current administration. In a stump speech she gave on Sunday night, she stressed the need to delay the downtown redesign until it can be implemented in ways less invasive for small business owners. She also proposed the creation of an Office of Economic Development, which would reallocate funds towards previously underfunded public services, and the imposition of a tax on vacant storefronts which would contribute to easing the cost of permit fees and rents on existing businesses.
It is clear to me that our city needs a mayor who will act on behalf of the people rather than pushing through unpopular programs at the behest of unaccountable private interests. Jillian Duclos’ next event is being hosted at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Bombyx at 130 Pine St. in Florence.
Sadie Lopez-Reiss
Florence