NORTHAMPTON — The four candidates making their bid for the mayoral seat in Northampton faced off at a candidate forum Tuesday night, as the three challengers and incumbent Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra discussed topics including Picture Main Street and transparency in local government.
Sciarra is seeking reelection for her second term as mayor, as she is challenged by Jillian Duclos, Dan Breindel and Dave Dombrowski. The forum drew some 300 people to Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence who were hoping the debate would help lock-in or sway their votes toward specific candidates for the Sept. 16 preliminary election when voters will thin the field to two candidates. The municipal election will take place on Nov. 4.
Opening statements
In her opening statement, Sciarra looked back to her first visit to Smith College, the place she graduated from and helped her fall in love with the city. She spoke to numerous projects she has worked on over the years, including her efforts for a $2 million capital campaign to restore the First Churches of Northampton in 2007, and more recently as mayor, her decision to increase annual funding for the Northampton Public Schools by 32%. Sciarra said the $26 million coming for downtown’s upcoming redesign called Picture Main Street will enable the city to leverage “in-state transportation funding to improve downtown safety and accessibility, and will replace century-old underground infrastructure.”
Duclos spoke about her roots growing up in Holyoke as the daughter to a mother struggling with addiction. She got her first job in high school working at Friendly’s, where she learned basic operational skills that would carry into her future endeavors. As a single mother, she most recently served as executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association from December 2023 to early 2025. “I really want to make sure that there are not people who have to have to go through what I went through to get to where I am. I want to create that kind of life here in Northampton,” she said.
A Northampton native and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School graduate, Dombrowski served 20 years for the Northampton Police Department before retiring. He shared his desire to limit real estate taxes, boost mom-and-pop business and stop declining enrollment in schools. “It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. The goal is a diversified, sustainable tax base that can support all city services adequately, so schools can be fully funded, roads can be maintained year round and so much more.”
Breindel expressed his deep love for Northampton as the reason he is running for mayor. He spoke to the unique qualities of the city, including affordable rents, the historic downtown, old architecture and buildings and more. Although, he believes Northampton is “on the precipice of losing a lot of that.” As mayor, he would help change the government that he feels is on a path to lose much of that character.
The candidates spent about an hour answering questions asked by panelists or submitted by the audience ranging from school funding and a lack of an individualized education program (IEPs) in schools, to the Picture Main Street downtown redesign.
Downtown business, Picture Main Street
Candidates were asked what policies they would implement to support local entrepreneurs and grow small business in the city, specifically downtown.
Duclos proposed two ideas. One was to hire a dedicated economic development director that would be in charge of tasks related to small business development. The other was to implement a vacant storefront tax to reduce business vacancy downtown. The tax would apply for a certain period of time depending on duration of vacancy.
“Those are really great things we could do to support our small business community,” she said.
Dombrowski said he would work toward increasing building development including housing, office and retail space, not just in Northampton, but in Florence and Leeds as well. He said Picture Main Street needs to be “refined” to create better access and safety for pedestrians and bikers, and even offered the potential for trams to be implemented downtown.
Picture Main Street, a $29 million project set to begin next year that will complete an overhaul of Main Street and replacement of critical downtown infrastructure, has been a topic of contention from residents.
Breindel voiced opposition to the project, while Dombrowski sees room for improvement. Sciarra lauded the project.
Breindel feels business growth is struggling, citing his observing of about 17 empty storefronts on Main Street and believes the city needs to “abandon” the Picture Main Street project.
“This is a problem,” Breindel said about business growth. “A lot of this is being hollowed out under the threat of Picture Main Street in the far future. I don’t think that Picture Main Street is going to be the economic development for downtown that we’re saying it is, and neither does every single business owner that I’ve talked to.”
Breindel wants to support businesses by facilitating pop-up events and most importantly reopen venues to help boost tourism downtown.
Sciarra turned to her past actions, including her help implementing the MA Vacant Storefront Program (MVSP) in Northampton and her dedication of $4 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds put toward community recovery grants, many of which went to small businesses. The MVSP allows businesses to apply to the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) which offers tax credits.
“I would absolutely say that the best thing that we can do to revitalize our downtown is to complete Picture Main Street,” Sciarra said.
Sanctuary community
Northampton has passed two different resolutions announcing itself as a sanctuary community for people who identify as transgender and immigrants. Candidates were asked if they support these resolutions and what they would do to maintain them, given current federal actions surrounding immigration enforcement and gender diverse legislation.
Sciarra praised the Safe City Ordinance she cosponsored as a city councilor, supporting the resolutions the city has put in place.
“What we’re seeing is a profound breakdown of our democracy and human rights, and it’s brutal and unconscionable,” she said.
“Of course. I support protecting the people who are part of this community,” Duclos said. “I think part of it is really being able to educate the community on what their rights are.”
While Duclos supports the resolutions, she brought up a larger issue of communication from City Hall.
“I don’t see a lot of direct communication from City Hall to constituents or to the city about what is ahead of us, what is happening in real time and how we can understand what is happening in real time so we can protect each other,” she said.
Dombrowski said that he believes everybody should follow the law. “If it’s breaking the law, then it should be rectified,” he said. “So if ICE or federal government comes here and people are breaking the law, well I guess they have to face the consequences.”
Breindel, noting he is half-Jewish, stressed the importance of protecting Northampton’s people.
“I know that sometimes the law and following the law is not necessarily the right thing to do … We need to protect our people,” Breindel responded.
In reference to the resolutions, Breindel thinks Northampton can do an even better job supporting these values. As mayor, he would battle against the federal government.
Budget, school funding
The city’s budget this fiscal year is $145 million. Several discussions rose surrounding how to portion the budget for Northampton Public Schools (NPS), which are in violation of IEPs for students with disabilities. Candidates were asked how they would manage the budget, in accordance with their leadership style, approach to problem solving and method for achieving consensus.
Dombrowski wants more open communication in the city’s government between citizens and officials. Currently, City Hall does not seem to him as a “very centralized location for information.”
The first order of business for Duclos, specific to the budget would be to prioritize the budgeting process. Part of that would entail putting the city’s operational expenses ahead of capital projects, which should prioritize students and public education first.
“I think people should be a part of those decisions that are being made, because it is their money,” she said about operational expenses. “We work for you, and that’s what I look forward to.”
In his response, Breindel brought up the City Charter, which he said gives all legislative power to the City Council. He would create a better flow of legislative power that starts with the public.
“Legislation should come from the bottom up. From the people, through the council to my desk, so that I can sign it and enforce it, because what my job would be as the mayor is to enforce your rights,” he said.
Sciarra talked about how cities are all about people. That includes the many officials that work in the government. Sciarra credits her hard work to help support that, by meeting with department heads monthly. She noted her fiscal approach has been effective, encompassing that leadership style.
“They [cities] are run by people and they are here to serve people. My management style is very hands-on and supportive of the team of hard-working people who keep the city running,” she said.
The next question posed, asked the candidates about their reactions to a report from the state that found NPS in violation of IEPs. Breindel and Duclos showed displeasure with the city’s violations.
Breindel does not think the city is doing enough for the schools. He claims many parents of children with disabilities are supporting him because he believes those parents do not feel supported by the city.
“We’re actively breaking the law, and we are actively breaking the law to make our most vulnerable children in our public schools suffer,” he said about the IEP violations.
He called the budget “upside-down” and said Northampton needs to be more focused on the operational budget, before capital projects can be tackled.
Dombrowski would prefer to see more “tests” and diagnosing of children before more IEP implementation.
“From my experience and from what I’ve heard, it’s just a slow down to work. How is that a benefit for the kid?” Dombrowski responded to the question. “They don’t even know what the real issue is. In order to know what the real issue would be for that particular child, you would have to test that child to see where they’re at in all areas of education.”
“Of course, we need to follow IEPs,” said Sciarra. “I know how worrisome it is for caregivers.”
Sciarra referenced her work bringing money to the Special Education Stabilization Fund to support special education in NPS. She noted that she and the School Committee must work “harder and collaboratively to make sure that we are allocating our resources in a way that ensures that we meet all the needs and that we are meeting IEPs.”
Additionally, she called for more support from the state, referencing a decrease in school finance funding dating back to 1994.
Duclos said she has heard multiple people say that three years ago the city knew they were going to have problems with school funding. She was upset to see a lack of planning for school funding use. She hopes to put more funding back into the schools to fix the IEP violations.
“What happened was we did not plan. And then when this happened, we put the burden on administrators, we put it on teachers and we put it on students, and that is not the role of local government,” she said.”
L3Harris
L3Harris, located in Northampton, is the sixth largest weapons manufacturer in the United States, making missile surveillance weaponry and parts that contribute to nuclear weapon launches. Candidates were asked if they believe the company should be allowed to operate in the city.
“I am not comfortable with the fact that L3Harris is in Northampton,” Sciarra responded.
Sciarra noted there had been unsuccessful efforts in the past to deny L3Harris a business certificate, since they are required by Massachusetts General Law. Despite being opposed to the company operating in Northampton, the mayor does not see a way to dismiss the company.
“That’s just the reality,” she said. “I do think you could pass an ordinance that would prevent another business like them from coming and I would certainly be interested in that.”
Dombrowski does not see a problem with L3Harris conducting business in Northampton. “I just don’t see why, anybody, doesn’t matter what the business is — just let them conduct their business. What’s the problem with that?”
Duclos does not align with the business conducted by L3Harris. She feels if opposing residents can come together to voice their displeasure with the company, she would support a ballot measure to dismiss L3Harris.
“There are ways to encourage the community to stand up and put together a ballot measure around it,” she said. “You know, if the community came out and voted on that fact that they did not want L3Harris here, that would be a whole different story.”
Breindel said having L3Harris located in Northampton worried him, suggesting that it would make Northampton a military target if nuclear war broke out. He would want to find a way to remove L3Harris but agrees with Sciarra that the mayor does not have power to do that.
“We need to find a way to get them out, and we need to find a way, before that, of having an economic development plan for how the city and the tax base is going to survive in a post L3Harris world,” he said.
