NORTHAMPTON — For more than two decades, City Councilor Marianne LaBarge has represented the people of Ward 6, whom she calls “my residents,” with a decidedly hands-on approach.
“I rarely sleep,” said LaBarge. “Being so busy and taking care of residents.”
LaBarge will be taking out her papers to run for city councilor again this April, for what will be her 12th two-year term if she is re-elected. And once again she will be going door to door to speak to residents and get signatures for her bid.
And election time isn’t the only time LaBarge makes house calls, which have been part of how she conducted herself as a councilor from the start.
“I could be a councilor and stay at home and answer phones all day,” said LaBarge. “That’s not me.”
LaBarge, 74, grew up in Northampton. First elected in 1997, LaBarge has made being a city councilor her full-time job ever since she took office.
“It’s what I make out of it,” she said.
Prior to becoming a city councilor, LaBarge worked with people with disabilities for 35 years, and she serves on the Disability Commission, where she is vice chairwoman.
LaBarge said she had considered running for at-large city councilor, but cited the experience of bringing turkey baskets in the week of Thanksgiving last year to the homes of needy residents as a big factor in her decision not to do so.
“Councilor, you’re not going to leave me are you?” was how LaBarge paraphrased the residents.
She said they expressed concern that she would no longer give the ward the same level of personal attention if she ran for the citywide post. And although LaBarge told the Gazette that she didn’t think that would be the case, she ultimately decided to run for the Ward 6 seat again instead.
That said, LaBarge noted that she already deals with residents’ issues outside of her ward.
“People call me throughout the city for help,” she said.
LaBarge described herself as a “pain in the ass,” who uses this quality to help residents.
“My voice will still be strong until I no longer can speak,” said LaBarge.
A story she shared was that of a Ward 6 man who didn’t have heat in his home, and whom she helped get aid for a new heating system and a roof repair.
One of the issues LaBarge cited as important to her was affordable housing.
“People need a place to live,” she said. “You can’t afford the prices of houses in this city”
Another concern for her is roads.
“When I see something in Ward 6 that is extremely dangerous … I will be very vocal,” said LaBarge.
She noted the in-progress rehabilitation of Burts Pit Road, and her work on the petition asking the city to rehabilitate the roadway.
“I cannot tell you how many people have damaged their cars,” she said.
She also expressed a desire for the city not to institute additional fees.
“Give us a break,” she said. “I’m still hearing about the stormwater fee.”
Additionally, she said she would like to have the tiers of the stormwater fee reformed.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.