NORTHAMPTON — The two candidates vying for a two-year seat representing Ward 6 on the City Council — computer engineer Christopher Stratton and 26-year incumbent Marianne LaBarge — pitched their different approaches to challenges facing the city in a 40-minute forum held in the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity on Monday.
During the event put on by the Northampton area chapter of the League of Women Voters, LaBarge said if elected she will continue to be a “persistent, tireless and effective leader” for the ward that she has served for more than a quarter century.
The lifelong Northampton resident cited her accomplishments that include expanding walking trails, spearheading traffic safety improvements, making the city more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and continuing to be responsive to all her constituents’ phone calls and responding to their concerns.
“I believe that Northampton should be a safe, healthy and affordable place to live for all residents to live here,” said LaBarge.
Stratton, who moved to Northampton five years ago, came out swinging in his opening statement, which came after LaBarge opened the forum.
“Marianne and I recognize the same challenges facing our city,” he said. “Where we differ is what we will do about them. We can expect Marianne to continue doing as she has. She will raise your concerns in council, but when it comes time to vote, she votes instead as the mayor directs.”
He added, “She has understaffed our schools and city services by diverting recurring revenue to an agenda of dubious projects.”
The candidates disagree when it comes to the Resilience Hub, a proposed human services resource center at the former First Baptist Church downtown that the city bought for $3.1 million. It is still unclear how much funding is needed for its doors to open.
LaBarge is in favor of the initiative while Stratton criticized the price and called the church “unusable.”
He believes that centralizing resources to counteract homelessness, which the Hub aims to accomplish, is a good idea. “But this building was a horrible idea,” he said. “It is completely unsuited, even ignoring the price.” Among factors that make it unsuitable, he said, are the lack of a gas line, the need for a floor, and no staircase outside.
Stratton believes the city overpaid to buy the former church, citing an appraisal done by a Boston-based firm that determined the building was worth $1.6 million, not $3.1 million.
Others in the city, including LaBarge, counter that the city underpaid for the property. LaBarge defends the proposed Hub and said that it is an “excellent” investment.
“I think it’s absolutely needed in our city,” she said. “I have done two site visits there, and we got it lower than the original cost.”
However, she is unsure how much investment remains to be made.
In terms of education funding, Stratton believes the city should devote more money to its schools, and he cites yearly surpluses as the reason why the city can afford it.
“We have been systematically underserving children with special needs…we’ve been cutting teachers, even as we generate a surplus year after year,” he said.
One of the key disagreements between the two involves the state’s Chapter 70 funding for the city’s public schools.
LaBarge said the state needs to be pressured to change the funding formula so the city gets more money, saying that “we would not be in this predicament” with more state funds.
Stratton said people who blame the state’s funding formula aren’t taking responsibility for the funding crisis. He later said those funds are meant for communities like Springfield.
“Chapter 70 really exists to help a disadvantaged community,” he said. “It’s there for a Springfield and it’s there to offset the economic and racial disparities of using property taxes as primary school funding.”
He said if Northampton were to receive state aid more communities would also need the added funding.
When the question of what to do with surplus money was raised, Stratton advocated for using funds.
“I would rather spend last year’s excess money than spending in the coming years, but that’s viewed as unconventional,” he said.
In LaBarge’s view it is important to both fund operations but also to replenish the city’s rainy day fund. “We use these funds for financial emergencies, natural disasters or anything else that may arise,” she said.
The candidates were asked what they consider to be the most pressing issues facing their ward.
LaBarge reference the story of a resident without any heat from years ago, and how she worked with city officials to get him help. “I have many, many residents of need,” she said. “I am talking about serious needs here.”
Stratton answered the question saying that, “We have a government that does not focus on the needs of our people but is instead pursuing a detached agenda of special projects, and we need a city council that is going to return the focus of this government to the everyday needs of ordinary people.”
Neither candidate favors a Proposition 2½ override, which many believe is in the city’s near future.
“You pay a lot of taxes, and you are especially not willing to pay more when you don’t trust how our government is using your money,” Stratton said.
LaBarge had a similar response.
“I’m hearing it from many, many people in Ward 6 and throughout the city being born and raised here that they are just maxed out — maxed out,” she said. “They cannot afford it. Too many fees.”
On the issue of affordable housing, LaBarge praised the work of Habitat for Humanity in Ward 6 and called on the need for more affordable developments. She also said that landlords should not be able to raise rents with little to no warning for tenants.
Stratton raised concerns about overdeveloping, and said he appreciates the forests in Ward 6. He also said that for every development that means more cars on the city’s roads. He said that even developing affordable housing downtown people are not able to exclusively walk, but a car is still necessary.
“We are basically a suburban town with a few blocks of city,” he said.
Constant turnover and difficulty retaining staff for the city’s Department of Public Works is also an issue that concerns both candidates.
LaBarge attributes the difficulty to trying to compete with private services that offer their employees higher pay.
“I don’t understand why we cannot give them what some of these private businesses are giving. That’s why they’re leaving or they’re retiring,” she said.
Stratton said that the DPW is under the jurisdiction of the mayor, but nonetheless the council needs to come up with a plan to prioritize DPW staffing.
“We need to have channels of communication that, yes, respect the mayor’s authority for operations,” he said. “The fact is that the city council cannot function as a branch of government unless we’re able to have meaningful conversations with city departments.”