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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” — ANDY ROONEY
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 268
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
Early Voting ends, exceeds 10 percent turnout By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Early voting across the state and in Westfield ends on Friday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. City clerk Karen Fanion said that as of Thursday at noon, Westfield had seen 3,383 early voters. “It’s been an outstanding turnout. It’s been well received by voters, (who are) grateful for the opportunity to vote early,” Fanion said. She said the maximum wait time has been 10 minutes, with the average wait about 5 minutes. Fanion said the highest traffic times for early voting were at 9 a.m. when doors opened, and then again at 1
p.m., with a steady flow of voters throughout the day. She also said that early voting yielded more voters each day. The first day, Oct. 24, Westfield had 250 voters, and by Friday, Oct. 28 it climbed to 389 voters for the day. During extended hours on Saturday, Oct 29, 418 voters came in. Fanion said every day this week has been in the 400 to 440 range. “The original forecast for Early Voters was 10% but we have already surpassed that number. We are at 13% at this time. If we continue to go at this rate or even a bit higher we will Westfield city clerk Karen round out at about 18 to 20%,” Fanion Fanion at Early Voting. said on Thursday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Town clerks in the surrounding hilltowns were also impressed by the turnout for early voting. By law, towns only had to make early voting available during the town clerk’s regular business hours, so many of the towns were finished with their hours earlier in the week. In Tolland, town clerk Susan H. Voudren said that due to the response she had extended Early Voting hours to Wednesday this week. “As of close of day (Tuesday), I had 30 early voters (out of) 400 registered voters in Tolland, almost 10%,” Voudren said. “This morning (Wednesday) I had the webmaster send out a ‘news and notices’ alert
and also put on the town website that due to the terrific response I was extending early voting hours to Wednesday, Nov. 2 noon – 5 p.m. I have already had three more people come in today and it is only 12:15 p.m.!” she added. Montgomery town clerk Jodie J. Paradis agreed that the response was strong for early voting during the two hours each on the two Mondays in a row that the town had hours. “We have been having a very good turnout for early voting considering the size of our town. I am guessing that we are around 100 at this point. See Early Voting, Page 3
Council approves spending, personnel
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and Councilor Dondley.
Westfield Councilor Dondley reports on Chattanooga’s Gig Fiber Network Last week I’m in Chattanooga, TN doing a little research into how the city is reinventing itself for the 21st century. Like Westfield is doing now, Chattanooga established its own high-speed gigabit fiber optic network across the entire city. And just like Westfield, the network was rolled out by its municipal utility, the Electric Power Board (EPB). The network was completed in 2010. Since building out the gigabit infrastructure, Chattanooga has been very successful at attracting new businesses into the city. In just the last three years, they have successfully doubled the population of their downtown, according to their mayor, Andy Burke, who I spoke with while visiting. And according to an independent study from the University of Tennessee, the network has created between 2,800 and 5,200 jobs and resulted in $1 billion in economic benefits. This didn’t happen by accident. It required a concerted and conscious effort. For exam- Chattanooga’s Innovation Center ple, to leverage their high-speed interest network, they established an “Innovation “accelerator” to help small businesses get District” in downtown Chattanooga. Billed off the ground and become successful. as the “first mid-sized city to designate an CoLab is funded with both private and govinnovation district,” the idea behind the ernment funds. Ms. Reedy tells me that effort is to create a concentration of busi- having innovators in close physical proximnesses and other resources that work togeth- ity to each other has helped tremendously er to foster and encourage economic devel- with sparking collaboration and partnership opment opportunities. Their goal is to estab- opportunities for new businesses. CoLab occupies part of the first floor of a lish a kind of mini Silicon Valley in the building once owned by the City of South. As part of my research of the Innovation Chattanooga. The city issued an RFP to District and the EPB’s gigabit fiber network, private developers that required them to I spent a little time visiting Allison Reedy, develop the property into a facility that the COO of a non-profit organization called See Gig Fiber Network, Page 3 CoLab, established as what’s called an
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $4 million bond for a water meter replacement project. The matter had been discussed in the first reading at the Oct. 20 meeting, when At-large Councilor David Flaherty said the bond would be repaid by $300,000 to $600,000 in annual savings from the new meters. The new meters along with new software will transmit information and show real-time usage, and enable the department to determine where 300 million gallons of unaccounted-for water are going. Jane Sakiewicz was also approved unanimously on Thursday as Mayor Brian P. Sullivan’s pick for the city’s new personnel director. Sakiewicz, of South Hadley, is currently personnel director for the City of Easthampton, where she previously also served as executive director of the Easthampton Housing Authority. In bringing forward the appointment, At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris noted Sakiewicz’ experience in labor negotiations, hiring and training and her master’s degree in business from Western New England University. See City Council, Page 3
Jane Sakiewicz, new personnel director for the City of Westfield. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Not your Typical Presidential Campaign By NORMAN HALLS Contributor We all believe in change: climate change, change in how we think towards each other, hope for a change in the Middle East, change in the economy, change in how politicians act toward their colleagues, and a change to think rather than act out. The most basic, the most important and effective means you have in a democracy to voice your beliefs and choose a better future for yourself, family and children is your vote. Your vote as an individual is important. Your vote added to oth-
ers’ votes, is the first defense against apathy and futility and the best stand for hope and human progress. From The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. Since our country’s first Presidential election in 1788, the strategies of those campaigning have changed dramatically. The tactics that hopefuls use to seek the Presidential office is vastly different from the early elections. The candidates are using a vast array of strategies and invite constant exposure and accountability. The style of campaigning in 2016 has changed so dramatically it has many voters
thinking, are these candidates headed in the right direction for our country? In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s not just enough to have confidence for truth. The most insidious half-truth about leadership is that it’s just a matter of charisma and vision – you either have it or you don’t. Just run through your mind what has happened in the world or in society in the past year or two, and you’ll understand what is meant by the reality of constant change. So it’s necessary for leaders See Campaign, Page 3
Florence Warriner holds up the card that shows she first registered to vote in Southwick in 1958. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Southwick’s oldest living voter makes an impression at town hall By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The oldest living registered Southwick voter came to the Town Hall on Thursday afternoon to vote during the early voting period. Florence Warriner, who is 104 years old, was assisted by her caretaker during the voting process. Warriner is a resident of the Rosewood Estates in Southwick. Being a registered voter, Warriner has always taken the opportunity of being able to vote. “I try to keep up,” said Warriner. “I’ve always voted.” According to Southwick Town Clerk, Michelle Hill, Warriner has voted in the town of Southwick since at least 1998. It was also discovered that the 104-year-old woman first registered to vote in Southwick in 1958. Another year of voting was awfully important for Warriner to do. “I wanted to make an impression,” said Warriner. While she may have certainly made an impression, the hope is that Warriner also has set an example for the rest of the registered voters in Southwick. “Flo (Warriner) coming in and voting, shows that there are no excuses to vote,” said Cindy Sullivan, the Southwick See Voter, Page 3