In one local community, a new era of political leadership is about to begin — with a few veterans mixed in. In three others, voters opted to stick with the status quo for the next two years.
Last week’s municipal elections may not have had the same cachet as what may happen next year when President Donald Trump faces possible reelection, but for those who care about what happens in our own backyard, Election Day 2019 was an eventful affair.
While Northampton will greet a wave of new politicians, residents in Holyoke, Easthampton and Amherst liked the ones they already have, reelecting mostly incumbents to their posts. The only newcomers in these communities are those filling spots where there was no incumbent. That’s voters saying they are pleased with the way things are going or not motivated enough by a new crop of candidates to toss the old ones out.
Holyoke voters sent a clear message to school officials and families by defeating a funding plan for two new middle schools. The 2-to-1 margin of defeat sends school and city officials back to the drawing board. Let’s hope they come up with a new plan that builds on common goals and creates consensus. In the end, it’s children who get hurt by the city doing nothing.
District and city officials have already made a smart initial move, reaching out to the leaders of the “no” campaign and other stakeholders to discuss the direction the city should take. Kevin Jourdain, a former City Council president who leads the “no” side, said his group, Keep Holyoke Affordable, wants to be part of a broader coalition making decisions, but hasn’t offered alternatives to the district’s obvious infrastructure problems.
We hope that changes as meetings progress — the first major community meeting is set to take place Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the high school’s Dean Campus — and that leaders of both campaigns present a vision with concrete ideas on how to solve a problem that dates back decades. It should not be acceptable simply to urge residents to vote “no,” then wait to campaign against the next plan.
The city and students suffer if there is a repeat of 1991, when Holyoke voters declined to raise their taxes to help plug a massive state cut that then Lynch Middle School principal David Dupont, in a report on PBS’ NewsHour, equated to a nuclear blast. In that report, many white voters complained about the city’s predominantly Puerto Rican student population, and some said students need to improve their performance before the city invests in them.
That’s backward. Invest first, then expect performance improvements. Among the options to explore are renovation, starting fresh, or working to find a way to partner with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which was set to give the city $75.8 million had voters approved spending $54 million last week.
Easthampton voters made smart decisions in endorsing ranked-choice voting and extending the mayor’s term from two years to four. These changes make sense, will make elections more fair moving forward and will give the elected mayor the time he or she needs to accomplish their goals instead of ramping up reelection efforts a year after being sworn in.
Northampton is set to welcome 10 new faces to its two most important governing bodies — five on the City Council and five on the School Committee. That’s significant new blood, and while it would be nice to see more diversity, the potential for new ideas or a fresh way to look at issues is always welcome.
Yes, experience will be missed. But that’s the cyclical nature of local politics, where people either work for free or for a tiny stipend and have to make decisions that some of their neighbors disagree with.
The biggest issue facing Northampton in the near term is school funding — or the lack of it. With Mayor David Narkewicz set to ask for a second Proposition 2½ override next spring — this one likely at $2 million — to help fund the school budget, members of both the City Council and School Committee will face tough questions from many constituents who rightly eye their bottom line.
While it’s true the state has reneged on many of its school funding promises over the years, that should not be the only rallying cry in asking voters to raise their taxes again. These officials need to make a strong case as to why the extra money is needed, what will be lost if the override doesn’t happen and how much it will cost property owners.
And they need to publicly acknowledge that for many people living among us, especially seniors and those on fixed incomes, even the smallest of taxes can have a huge negative effect. To that end, new politicians should seek even more ways to help these individuals than the city already does in the form of property tax breaks based on income.
Voters are fortunate to have some very capable, promising newcomers on the City Council and School Committee. As many of the new councilors said on Election Night, the new faces could lead to collaboration and mutual learning. Let the work begin.