NORTHAMPTON — Ward 2 City Councilor Dennis Bidwell announced this week that he will not seek a third term on the City Council this fall. That doesn’t mean he’s going to step away from politics.
“I’m around for another 11 months (in office),” Bidwell said. “They’re not rid of me yet.”
Bidwell made the announcement via email on Tuesday, but he shared his intentions with a number of individuals privately beforehand.
“I see it as just opening up opportunities for other things,” Bidwell said.
Bidwell said he wants to spend more time with his family, particularly his 18-month granddaughter. Additionally, the 69-year-old said that he and his wife plan to travel more after he leaves office, and that he has put his consulting firm, Bidwell Advisors, into “deep hibernation.”
“Lots of interests to pursue and bike rides to do,” he said.
Before then, Bidwell hopes to accomplish many things for the city with the remainder of his term, and that he’s going to stay civically involved after he leaves the body.
“I’m not just going to slip away,” he said.
As for his priorities, Bidwell cited being a part of the city’s budget conversation, working to permanently protect the trail along the Mill River in his ward and organizing a citywide training on how to administer the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan.
Bidwell said that he is also interested in pushing for instant runoff voting before the Charter Review Committee. Instant runoff voting, also known as ranked choice voting, allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference when they vote.
“We should seriously consider trying it here,” he said.
Bidwell also said that he’s largely enjoyed the consitutent services aspect of the job.
Bidwell describes himself as a thoughtful progressive rather than a one who makes knee-jerk decisions. “I have pushed at times to slow down the process so that we could have more extensive conversation,” Bidwell said.
He also said that he is proud to have stood up for the city’s police department against “irrational criticism.” The department has been the subject of a number of controversies before the council in Bidwell’s tenure, including Walmart’s offer to donate ammunition, a debate over the police tactical budget and the department’s request for additional municipally operated surveillance cameras downtown.
“I’ve worked very hard to understand the operations of our Police Department and how it compares to other police departments,” said Bidwell.
Bidwell also prides himself on his knowledge of how city departments work. “I’ve liked really knowing what I’m talking about,” he said.
Fellow councilors praised his contributions to the body.
“I will miss Dennis,” Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge said. “I enjoyed working with him.”
LaBarge said she appreciates the issues Bidwell brings to the council, including concerns about the impact of the homeless community on business. She said that even when she disagrees with Bidwell about certain issues, the debates were always civil.
“You could work it out with him,” she said.
Ward 4 City Councilor Gina-Louise Sciarra also praised Bidwell’s commitment to civil dialogue, in and out of the chamber, noting his role in the founding of the community group Northampton Connects.
“He believes in community conversation and he believes in productive community conversation,” she said.
She also praised his hard work, conviction and perspective. “He always contributed to a richer dialogue amongst us,” Sciarra said.
Ward 5 Councilor David Murphy said that Bidwell is “thoughtful” and “does his homework” as a councilor. He also said that Bidwell has a realistic grasp of what a city councilor is supposed to do.
“He gets it. That’s the bottom line,” said Murphy.
Murphy also praised Bidwell’s manner in the chamber, and he noted that the council’s power comes from its members working together.
“The council is a team sport,” Murphy said.
City Councilor At-Large William Dwight said that Bidwell fosters the kind of council politics that he prefers.
“Dennis has been outspoken and at times courageous and at times contentious,” Dwight said.
He cited the camera issue as one that fostered genuine discussion, an issue where he and Bidwell were on opposite sides. On citywide issues, Dwight said that Bidwell’s views are more representative of the business community.
Dwight noted that he had opposed Bidwell’s effort to restrict public behavior in the council chambers. And he also took issue with what he said was an implication in Bidwell’s letter announcing that he was not running that councilors are swayed by popular fervor.
Bidwell said that to make a major impact, he should have run when he was younger, although he said that life obligations had prevented him from doing so.
“I waited a little too long,” he said. “I started too late.”
On a similar note, Bidwell expressed hope that more young people would get involved in city governance.
“I think the council would be well-served by having some younger folks,” he said.
Bidwell said that he knows of two people who are very interested in running for the Ward 2 seat, who he did not name.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.