AMHERST — With federal cutbacks and rising costs squeezing the region, three western Massachusetts legislators told business and community leaders Friday that the state is working to keep the local economy resilient but cannot make up every shortfall.
State Reps. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, and Aaron Saunders, D-Belchertown, and state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, spoke at the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual legislative breakfast at the Inn on Boltwood. Tara Brewster, director of philanthropy at Greenfield Savings Bank, moderated the discussion of the legislators’ work in Boston to support the Hampshire County economy.
Domb said a recent tour of Reed Farm, a Sunderland wholesale poultry farm expanding to a site on Russellville Road in North Amherst, showed her firsthand how critical the state’s investment in and support of agriculture are to the local economy. The farm is building hoop houses and other structures to keep its chickens comfortable through all seasons.
Saunders said the recently announced $120 million Future of Food Initiative at the University of Massachusetts should bolster and transform farms across the region, including the university’s Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown, his hometown.
Much of the wide-ranging discussion focused on what the state can do as federal support shrinks.
Comerford said the “lifeblood” of the economy is a growing population and increasing investments.
She referenced the Mass Leads Act, which has featured $17 million in investments in her legislative district, from infrastructure improvements and workforce trainings to grants for agriculture and tourism, all of which show the “panoply of what’s possible.” This could soon be supplemented by the Mass Wins Act, which will be focused on economic development.
“We are fighting harder and smarter in western Massachusetts,” Comerford said.
Domb, too, said that regional equity remains a priority, and she is proud of how the state Legislature has stepped up, despite being “kneecapped” by Washington.
“We’re fighting the fight for western Massachusetts all the time,” Domb said.
Saunders said that legislators have put money into the supplemental budget to make sure there are resources to address food insecurity, ensured people are getting access to healthcare, and that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is not cut off.
“Every facet of the way this federal government has destabilized our state and our communities, we have stepped up to the best of our ability with the resources we have,” Saunders said.
But he said the challenges for all sectors, from health care to hospitality, are due to decisions made by the Trump administration, from starting a war in Iran, imposing tariffs and restricting the ability for international students to study in the United States.
“On each one of these fronts, we’re facing unprecedented headwinds,” Saunders said.
Tuesday’s state election, along with votes across the country, could change the dynamics for Massachusetts significantly, Saunders said. If the Democrats are a majority in the House of Representatives, then U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern will lead the House Rules Committee and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal will head the House Ways and Means Committee, while if Democrats take over the Senate both Massachusetts senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, will play a bigger role in enacting legislation. (Neal is facing a challenge Tuesday from independent Nadia Milleron.)
Domb said in addition to the financial support the Legislature brings to the region, there have been policies enacted to combat the Trump administration, such as the state emphasizing access to reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming care, and the PROTECT Act to keep people safe from immigration enforcement.
But threats continue, like a recent announcement that the way people are counted during the 2030 census may change, which could lead to an undercount for Massachusetts, Domb said.
Yet while there are concerns, Domb said she sees positives, including with how the state supports the creative economy.
“The state does a lot for arts and culture,” Domb said. It hasn’t backed away and remains the only local cultural council network in the country, where money is disseminated to each city and town, which then chooses local artists to support.
The creative economy is also embraced through tourism that brings people to the area to visit. Western Massachusetts punches above its weight due to the large number of artists in the area, Domb said.
The state’s Cultural Facilities Fund, to the tune of $50 million, is another avenue of support, as is agritourism dollars and the Film Incentive Tax Credit that supports motion pictures being made in the state.
Reflecting on how corn mazes have become an important revenue source for some farms, like Mike’s Maze in Sunderland, Comerford recalled how “Boston Public Radio” hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan didn’t appreciate this over the summer.
“Jim and Margerie had to learn. They’re learning with us now,” Comerford said, to laughter in the room.
Also, with the election coming up, Domb spoke against Question 5, which, if passed, would reduce the state’s “rainy day” fund and serve to undermine the Fair Share Amendment. Domb compared this to the Chapter 62F law that requires the state to refund excess tax revenue when collections exceed a specific growth limit.
If passed, Domb said this would represent a “turning away from collective need to individual wants.”
Comerford said billions of federal dollars are already missing and have been “robbed” from Massachusetts. That money could have supported community health centers and hospitals and climate grants to farms. The state, though, won’t be able to do enough to make up the difference, even with its support of homeless shelters and food banks.
“We will come up short for our neighbors, even if we prevail on Election Day,” Comerford said.
On higher education, Comerford praised Greenfield Community College for its certificate programs, observed that the state has passed the BRIGHT and DRIVE acts to support building improvements and research at public universities, but faculty and staff, especially at community colleges, need to get better pay, she said.
There is so much work to do, she said. “I think it’s another everything, all-at-once moment,” Comerford said.
And the challenges are real, observing the wind down of Hampshire College this semester, but praising President Jennifer Chrisler, who was in attendance, for the work she is doing for the campus.
The morning began with Polina Potochevska, the marketing and events coordinator who is acting as interim director, offering an overview of chamber activities, such as the upcoming A+ Awards and Merry Maple.
Also speaking were Kishore Parmar, the chamber’s board president and vice president of Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, and Corie New, a financial adviser with Keegan & Curran, a Shorepoint Financial Advisory Group in Hadley. Both reflected on the importance of small business vitality to the region.
