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Candidate Forums continue for School Committee and Ward 5 By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The candidate forums for School Committee and Ward 5 were held consecutively on Thursday evening, hosted by Tina Gorman, Executive Director at the Westfield Senior Center. The forums, along with the others in the series are sponsored by Residents assemble for the candidates forum at the Westfield Senior Center on Thursday evening. The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and The Westfield News Group. Moderator (Photo by Lynn Boscher)
Ward 5 Councilor Candidate Forum Recap By AMY PORTER Correspondent Incumbent Robert A. Paul, Sr. and first-time candidate Leslie Daniel LeFebvre participated in the Ward 5 candidate forum on Thursday, immediately following the School Committee forum. In his opening statement, Paul got personal, beginning with, “It’s interesting that we’re at the Senior Center, because I’m a senior.” He added that he appreciated the work that went into putting together the forums. Paul said he came to Westfield in 1972 to open a company. He has been married to his wife Chris for 53 years, and has four sons, all educated in Westfield Public Schools. He said they all graduated, did well and went to university. LeFebvre said he has been a resident of Westfield all his life, and was educated in the Westfield Public Schools. He went through basic See Ward 5 Recap, Page 7
The candidates for Ward 5 City Councilor assemble for the candidates forum at the Westfield Senior Center on Thursday evening. Seen left to right are, Bob Paul and Les Lefebvre. (Photo by Lynn
School Committee Candidate Forum Recap By AMY PORTER Correspondent There are four candidates vying for three seats on the School Committee. The candidates are incumbents Jeffrey Gosselin and Cindy Sullivan, and the challengers are former School Committee members Tim O’Connor and Heather Sullivan. In his opening remarks Thursday, School Committee incumbent Jeffrey Gosselin read an excerpt from the children’s book, “If I had a dinosaur.” Gosselin said he ran four years ago, because he believed educators needed a voice on the School Committee. Gosselin, who is an autism assistant at JFK Middle School in Northampton, has also taught in the Springfield schools and as an adjunct professor at Westfield State University. Incumbent Cindy Sullivan, director of the Southwick Senior Center, is running for her third term after serving eight years on the School Committee. Sullivan said she has lived in Westfield for 20 years, and has a daughter who is a senior at Westfield High School, and a son who is freshman at Westfield Technical Academy. A graduate of Springfield College, she said she was the first in her family to graduate from college. Sullivan
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The 2017 School Committee candidates assemble for the candidates forum at the Westfield Senior Center on Thursday evening. Seen left to right are, Jeff Gosselin, Cindy Sullivan, Tim O’Connor and Heather Sullivan. (Photo by Lynn Boscher)
said she sees the needs of seniors and helps them every day. She described herself as honest, and said she sometimes makes tough decisions to do what’s best for the children in Westfield. Tim O’Connor, who previously served on the School Committee from 2000 to 2008, said he has a passion for education. A lifelong resident of Westfield, he graduated from Westfield High School in the Class of ’82, and went on to receive his master’s in business administration. Currently, O’Connor works for a risk management company in Springfield. His wife Terry Quinn O’Connor is also from Westfield and their two daughters went to Westfield public schools, and on to college. He thanked the
sponsors of the forum for the opportunity, and the residents for attending. Heather Sullivan also previously served on the School Committee for two terms, alongside O’Connor. Sullivan also thanked the sponsors of the forum, and said it is important to meet the candidates in person, to see how passionate they all are on education. Sullivan said she served under three superintendents during her term on the School Committee. After leaving, she worked for five years as a reading interventionist at Highland Elementary School. She said she left the school one year ago, with the intention to rejoin the School Committee. See School Committee Recap, Page 7
Berkshire Industries abruptly closes
Fire causes significant damage to business By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—A fire last night left a business with significant damage, according to the Westfield Fire Department. A fire occurred around 11:25 p.m. last night at 66 Broad St., according to Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Eric Bishop. The location, a place of business, had significant damage, he said. No injuries were reported. The Westfield Fire Department, Westfield Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the fire. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – Late on Thursday morning, the Westfield Mayor’s office was notified that Berkshire Industries in Westfield would be closing its doors immediately on Thursday. Once hearing of the imminent closing the Mayor’s office contacted the Western Mass Regional Employment Board to let them know of the news. FutureWorks in Springfield, and CareerPoint in Holyoke, are the employment board agencies in Western Mass that will be a resource for the employees of Berkshire Industries who are now left without a job. The agencies have a rapid response service that notifies the work force, gives people job replacement, unemployment benefits, resume skills, and re-training. According to City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell, a rapid response service comes into play when 50 or more people are let go from a company. Berkshire Industries website indicated they had over 150 employees but there were reports recently that staffing was around 80. The Westfield News attempted to reach out to Berkshire Industries for an explanation as to why the company shut down, but no comment has been made at this time. The Westfield News will continue to follow this story.
The exterior of Berkshire Industries located at 109 Apremont Way, Westfield. According to their web site, Berkshire Industries was founded in 1956 and is a “manufacturer that specializes in machining highly complex precision parts and end-to-end component solutions for commercial and military aerospace, defense, power generation, semiconductor, and telecommunications industries.”
Standard & Poors releases City’s bond rating By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The city’s financial health is still good after they recently received AA bond rating from Standard and Poors, according to Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. The city received the AA bond rating from Standard and Poors this week, according to Sullivan, which is a system used to assess the city’s financial risk related to paying back bonds. The rating remains unchanged from its last review in February 2016, and the city has maintained the AA rating since 2014. “It’s a very good rating,” Sullivan said. “AA is financially sound and we’ve
was Patrick Berry, President of The Westfield News Group and Kate Phelon, Executive Director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, was the timekeeper. Forty-four people attended the forum on Thursday. Each candidate was given a minute and a half for an opening statement, followed by rotating questions between the two candidates. At the end of the forum, each candidate was allowed two minutes for closing remarks.
kept that even in the tough times over the past few years.” According to Sullivan, the rating was in part due to the city’s management practices, which he said was cited in the report. The rating, according to Westfield Treasurer-Collector Meghan Kane, can reflect upon interest rates that the city must pay back when bonds and notes— which are what bonds are made up of— are sold. “The better the rating the more competition we will have when we sell notes and bonds,” Kane said, which she added See Bond Rating, Page 3
Candidate ForumS
Hosted by The Westfield News, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and The Westfield Senior Center
Monday, oct. 30
6:30 City CounCil at large
Dan Allie; Brent B. Bean II; John J. Beltrandi III; Jeffrey Chagnon; Steve Dondley; Matt Emmershy; Dave Flaherty; Cindy Harris; Matthew VanHeynigen, Muneeb Mahmood; Nicholas Morganelli; Gary D. Wolfe WESTFIELD MAYOR BRIAN SULLIVAN
At the Westfield Senior Center, 45 Noble Street, Westfield. Doors open at 6:00 for Candidate Meet and Greet.