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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 269
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
ends Sunday at 2 a.m. locally; clocks go back an hour. 75 cents
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016
Police announce construction zones starting next week By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD — Police are notifying residents that construction will begin on two projects next week and will impede travelers along those routes. The Westfield Police Traffic Bureau said that repairs on West Road and the turnpike overpass on
G&E Scam Alert WESTFIELD – The Westfield Gas & Electric announced Friday a scam warning. The WG+E notes that some of their customers have been receiving calls about an unpaid balance and that service would be turned off if the balance is not resolved immediately over the phone. A spokesperson said in a statement, “Any WG+E customers who are scheduled for disconnection due to nonpayment will receive WRITTEN notice on WG+E letterhead that includes what actions they must take to maintain service. WG+E will NOT send an employee to the residence to seek payment nor do we initiate phone calls requesting payment. Please be cautious any time you receive an unsolicted phone call about any account. We recommend that you do not divulge any account or personal information. Please call us at 413-572-0100 if you ever receive a concerning call or would like to verify your account status.”
Reservoir Road and Southampton Road will begin Nov. 7, while construction on Little River Road, from Shaker Road to Pontoosic Road, will begin Nov. 8. Both projects do not have end dates, but the Little River Road project is expected to extend into 2017. West Road and the turnpike overpass repair is not related to the toll
gantry removal project. While the state was doing inspections, it found that the overpasses were damaged and needed repair. It is uncertain how damaged the overpass is however, and this will determine the length of time spent repairing the roads. In addition to the repair project on the overpasses, the turnpike bridge on Montgomery Road will have traffic
controlled by a temporary traffic light. For the Little River Road construction, police said that the traffic will be sent down the road in alternating fashion, which will cause delays for travelers. Motorists are urged to find a different route of travel during these construction phases, or to expect delays and plan accordingly.
Politics, it could always be worse By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD – While we may think that this year’s presidential election is one that’s full of venom and vitriol, there was an election early in the nation’s existence that wasn’t only worse, but may have been the worst ever in regards to campaign tactics. The Presidential Election of 1800, just the fourth election in US history, saw two of the nation’s forefathers–John Adams and Thomas Jefferson–pitted in a battle of insults, accusations and even threats of violence. In fact, many say that at least one person’s death can be contributed to the election and its results, while another death was at least rumored. “It was probably the most vicious campaign we ever had,” Westfield State University political science professor Dr. David Smailes said. Smailes said that the two main candidates, Jefferson and Adams, were locked in a battle for the presidency after the two had a large political fallout. The two had split into separate political parties, with Jefferson aligning with the Democratic-Republicans and Adams siding with the Federalists. What spurred the eventual hatred and harsh statements from each side though, was each others’ views on foreign policy. “It was really a difference over how to deal with France,” Smailes said. During this time, the French Revolution had just ended, uprooting the French monarchy and establishing a republic in 1799. Jefferson sided with the new French and the republican government, while Adams– See Politics, Page 8
3rd Hampden District Candidate profiles A look at Nick Boldyga By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – In the 3rd Hampden District, which covers Southwick, Agawam, and Granville, current State Rep. Nick Boldyga (R) will be facing off against Democratic candidate Rosemary Sandlin. It is no secret that Rep. Boldyga and Sandlin are no strangers to squaring off with one another. Sandlin held the district seat from 2007 until 2011, but lost it to Rep. Boldyga in the 2010 race by just 98 votes. Rep. Boldyga has retained his seat as the state representative of the 3rd Hampden District since then. The Westfield News recently sat down with Rep. Boldyga to learn more about the current state representative of the district. Boldyga currently resides with his family in Southwick and is a graduate of Western New England University. As he was a police officer in Connecticut, Boldyga was honored with a Professional Policing Award for his efforts in combating drunk driving. Boldyga started off his political career at the local level. He was the Parks & Recreation Commissioner and also a Selectman for the Town of Southwick. We then discussed with Boldyga some of the key issues that could affect the whole country, not just the district that he would be representing if elected. See Boldyga, Page 7
A look at Rosemary Sandlin By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – With just days away before Election Day on Nov. 8, the Presidential Election is taking a majority of the headlines. Although, there is plenty of focus nationally, intriguing races are also happening locally. In the 3rd Hampden District, which covers Southwick, Agawam, and Granville, current State Rep. Nick Boldyga (R) will be facing off against Democratic candidate Rosemary Sandlin. After it was declared that Richard Theroux was dropping out as the Democratic Candidate, Sandlin was drafted by the Agawam Democratic Town Committee to run against Rep. Boldyga. Since Sandlin was too late to be on the September ballot, she began a write-in campaign throughout the summer and needed to get 150 write-ins in order to be on the November ballot. In early September, it was announced that Sandlin surpassed the proper amount of write-ins by getting 592. Of that number, 500 of the write-ins came just from Agawam. It is also not a secret that Rep. Boldyga and Sandlin are no stranger to squaring off See Sandlin, Page 7
Voters cast their early ballot in Westfield City Council chambers (WNG file photo)
2nd Hampshire and Hampden district Candidate profiles JD ParkerHumason seeks O’Grady isn’t a reelection career politician ‘to keep working … and that might for the people’ be a good thing By DAN DESROCHERS By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent SOUTHAMPTON–JD Parker-O’Grady, D-Southampton, may be young for a politician, but it doesn’t mean it should discount him. Parker-O’Grady is facing off with incumbent Sen. Don Humason, R-Westfield, for the second Hampshire and Hampden district state senator seat and appears to face a difficult challenge trying to unseat Humason. Parker-O’Grady feels that his age is something that benefits him in this battle, especially as political discussions are becoming focused on issues facing younger voters, like marijuana legalization and opiate addiction. “My age comes up a lot–I’m 32 years old, I’m young” Parker-O’Grady said. “I think my age is actually a benefit though, because I bring some new ideas and a fresh face into the senate.” Parker-O’Grady said that he initially decided to run because opiates were taking See Parker-O’Grady, Page 8
Correspondent WESTFIELD–For state Sen. Don Humason R-Westfield, he chose to run for office to help people. And after Election Day, he hopes to continue to do that for the residents of the second Hampden and Hampshire districts. Humason, who is running for re-election, promised to continue to be a steady and stable option, which he said includes a 100 percent voting record and unwavering political beliefs. This stability also includes continuing to work for the cities and towns he serves, which he believes are at times underserved by officials in Boston. “I look to try to do things in my job as state senator to support these cities with things like business development, education, services for our veterans and those disabled,” Humason said. “My priorities are economic development, infrastructure, public safety, education and to provide for our seniors.” In order to do this for Westfield, Southwick, Granville and other smaller towns in the area, Humason said that he will continue to See Humason, Page 8