Position 1: Prioritizing Nature

Despite being a city, Holyoke has grand natural assets: Mt. Tom State Reservation, the Connecticut River, three reservoirs set in pristine nature. We also have Scott Tower at Anniversary Hill as well as several beautiful city parks. If I am elected, I intend to fight to preserve every inch of these natural treasures. I will work with the State and private foundations to augment these precious sites.

There was a time when a trolley ran from downtown Holyoke to Mountain Park and Mt. Tom. I would like to see our parks easily accessible via public transportation once again. The Mt. Tom State Reservation is a biological island with a unique and rich biodiversity. With over 22 miles of hiking trails along with many other amenities, it needs to be more accessible to all the citizens of Holyoke. From the mountain to the river, pockets of greenspace allow animals to migrate freely and it is important that we keep these wildlife corridors open.

Like many, I was enraged when the city allowed a proposal for a Dunkin Donuts to be built near an entrance to Mt. Tom. Hopefully this project will be denied approval after it becomes clear that such a business is not appropriate for this location. It would aggravate what is already a very dangerous traffic situation and would be especially dangerous to patrons of the park.

This election is so important. There is a magnificent quarry adjacent to the Reservation which was intended to become part of the Mt. Tom State Reservation. Instead, the land was purchased by a now-bankrupt corporation that intends to transform the quarry into a landfill. The governmental and legal procedures that brought about this situation are complicated. However, it is clear that our local government failed to act in a manner that would have preserved this asset. Now there will likely be an extended battle to keep the Mt. Tom quarry from becoming a dump.

With the right leadership, these situations can be avoided. I’m here to stop the madness.