West Springfield – Current Mayor William C. Reichelt is in a third term, arguing that his willingness to take risks and addressing change is essential for the progress of the city.
The city councilor, Daniel M. O’Brien, hopes to unmold Reichelt. They criticized the current administration for what they consider as uncontrolled expenses and out -of -place priorities.
Reichelt says West Springfield has achieved a relatively low single -family tax rate and addresses accessibility and prioritizing infrastructure repairs.
He believes that O’Brien’s proposals to reduce spending, reform schools and repeal the four -year mayor’s mandate would cause the city to regress.
Accessibility in question
Reichelt talks about the importance of affordable and quality services, while O’Bien expresses their concern about increasing the taxes affecting residents on fixed income.
Reichelt, a city lawyer, said that people value what they spend money. “When we create a budget, we spend money on what they want, improving the community,” he said.
He said that a mayor has to secure good services, security, strong schools and a place where people want to live and raise a family. “During the ten years, we have made it not only a conversation point,” said Reichelt. “West Springfield is a real lighthouse in Western Mass.”
Reichelt claims that a lot has been done, such as building three new schools, a new library, repairing more than 40% of the city’s roads and adding roundabouts and other traffic improvements.
There are still great projects to face, he said.
Reichelt said he often felt complaints about the highest taxes than in Agawam when he started volunteering with the planning council in his early 1920’s.
When he became mayor in 2015, he said that the western cities of the Connecticut river had the highest taxes. Now, the city’s average single -family tax bill is the lowest in the area, he said.
During his first six years in office, he did not collect taxes. This was achieved, he said, reducing staff, consolidating the departments and turning into a green community, which reduced energy consumption by 20%.
After Covid-19, the city could not keep stable taxes due to the increase in costs, he said. “We are at an increase of 2% this year; we hope it is a little lower with a new growth,” he said.
Reichelt said that over the last ten years, the Zoning Council has worked to house new businesses and modernize the old facilities, he said.
O’Brien said that although taxes are the lowest in the area, their quarterly tax bill has increased $ 500.
He is concerned about residents of fixed income, such as Social Security and small pensions, and believes that Reichelt could have better managed his budget.
“The budget is the one that drives taxes. We spend money in the spring and set the tax rate in the fall. We leave the ball during the budget because our emphasis is not to look for ways to reduce the budget,” said O’Brien.
Marijuana taxes as income
Reichelt defends retail marijuana sales as a source of income, while O’Brien is opposed.
Reichelt said that changes such as the cannabis industry often create controversy, which is understandable. After investigating other communities and states that approved recreational cannabis sales, he found that fears were unfounded.
“I wanted to do this in 2018. We would have been a first movement and we could have seen real money,” he said.
Even this year, the city is on the way to get more than $ 300,000 from cannabis sales taxes, and Reichelt said that each bit helps. However, O’Brien said that $ 300,000 does not move the needle with a budget of $ 125 million.
He said that the main reason he opposes is because voters voted against having retail operations in the city.
Competitive projects
Reichelt said that it is not necessary to choose between the modernization of the city’s schools and the creation of a new headquarters of the Police Department. O’Brien says that a project should be fulfilled at once.
“One thing at a time only leaves you behind other communities,” said Reichelt. “We can do both.”
Most schools in the city were built in the 1950’s and sixties, and things are different now, he said.
Students cannot compete in a 21st century economy with 20th -century tools and keep old buildings open would not benefit residents or taxpayers. “Having many small schools with the same expense is not affordable compared to a hybrid model with larger capabilities,” he said.
Six months ago, Reichelt appointed an enrollment advisory committee to collect community comments.
Reichelt said it is important to keep in mind that the city has been accepted in the Massachusetts School Building Authority program to combine Fausey and John Ashley’s schools with a significant refund.
“We have completed three school buildings, including the library, and we still have a lower single -family tax type than the surrounding communities,” he said.
O’Brien said that with more than 700 voters signing a request to keep schools in the neighborhood open, he believes that Reichelt does not listen to residents.
“Families move to West Springfield to send their children to neighborhood schools. It’s the symbolic heart in the neighborhood,” he said. “This is what the battle is over. People want their children to go to school and not in a warehouse.”
O’Brien said the state has money available to reform schools. His plan, before Reichelt’s proposal to link $ 70 million for a new police headquarters, is to invest $ 20 million each in Mitineage, Tatham and Memorial schools to put them in the code.
Length of Mayor’s Delivery
Reichelt argues that the four -year terms are essential for long -term effective planning, while O’Bien defends the two -year terms to ensure higher accountability.
Reichelt said that a four -year term is better because it allows the mayor to make long -term decisions. “In a two -year term, you are just doing a popular opinion,” he said.
Reichelt’s first term was two years before changing to four years. He said talks with department heads are different because they can plan for five years.
For example, the roundabout in Amostown and Piper Roads took three years of planning. If a new mayor did not like the project, the planning would have been wasted. Even the center roundabout took six years of planning to coordinate funding.
Reichelt believes that O’Brien’s proposal to return to the community would again establish the community. But O’Brien believes that a mayor is not in tune with the residents, unless there is something on the line.
O’Brien said that his focus over the last ten years has been to represent the components and give them voice to the government.
O’Brien raised his concern about the contributions of Reichelt’s campaign, but Reichelt defends his fundraising methods as transparent and necessary.
O’Brien notes that Reichelt has more than $ 225,000 in its campaign fund with several donors that give up to $ 1,000.
“These are companies outside West Springfield,” he said. “People don’t give you $ 1,000 without expected to have some kind of leverage.”
Reichelt campaign Contributions show three $ 1,000 donations from West Springfield and Chicopee in November and December last year. Reichelt says he has a fundraising every year, which is part of the campaign.
O’Brien has certificate With the state it does not intend to make campaign contributions. “I have never taken a nickel of anyone,” he said.
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