I will be voting for Jason “JT” Tirell in the Nov. 4 mayoral race in Easthampton. Jason “JT” will be a mayor for the people — all people. Jason “JT” is the only candidate who was born and raised in Easthampton. His grandfather, Ted Borochowski, owned and operated The Valley Sports Center. His grandfather’s legacy lives on in JT with his love of youth sports as a volunteer and president of Easthampton Little League, and in his public service as a city councilor at large.

The success of the city rests on the next mayor being a relationship builder, by welcoming everyone to the table, building trust with the public by being transparent, accountable and accessible to the residents of Easthampton. Jason is approachable and an excellent listener. This makes him the perfect person to move the city forward.

Jason “JT” will be a champion for infrastructure improvements, including upgrading our aging water and sewer systems and improving our roads. He will be a fierce advocate for our schools, our elders, our veterans and all Easthampton’s residents regardless of political label.

Jason “JT” will make it his priority to work with our state and federal elected officials every day to bring grants and resources back to our city.

He will partner with the surrounding communities that share our sole source of water, the Barnes Aquifer, to protect the recharge areas from harm.

With the uncertainty of future federal and state funding, we will need a leader who is prepared mentally to make the hard decisions about the future of the city. JT will lead the city with fiscal discipline, overseeing the budget, promoting small business growth, and utilizing our tax dollars prudently and responsibly.

Easthampton has always been a community of neighbors taking care of each other regardless of our many differences. JT is the only candidate talking about community. The others are focused on politics and partisan rhetoric.

Now, more than ever — we need to set aside our differences to keep our city moving forward. I believe that JT is the person we need to accomplish this.

Joy Winnie

Easthampton