My goal is to cultivate and establish an environment at City Hall and in our neighborhoods in which we can connect, build and grow together.
Joshua was elected as Mayor of Holyoke on November 2, 2021 after three and a half years as Town Administrator of Blandford, Massachusetts. Prior to that, Joshua worked at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Holyoke Housing Authority in various capacities. He has also served as a member of the Holyoke School Committee, Holyoke Fire Commission, Holyoke Community College Foundation, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the MIIA Health Group Trust, and Nueva Esperanza in Holyoke.
My vision for the City of Holyoke is one shared by many people of every corner of the City and that is to cultivate an environment within our local government and our neighborhoods that is sustainable so that we can support the very efforts that help build our community. Like everyone else, I want to see strong economic development, good public education, advanced public safety efforts, and quality municipal services.
With new growth development pressures taking place in our City by the new marijuana industry (which I fully embrace), we need to be ready to proactively manage our growth so that we are protecting our natural resources, the desires of our neighborhoods, and keeping up with infrastructure needs.
We need to do better at empowering our neighborhoods to take control of decisions that are theirs. That is why as Mayor I will be sure to support the creation of neighborhood associations as identified in the 1999 Master Plan.
Issues around the police, fire, building department, abandoned buildings, and the quality of our parks are the priorities I look forward to addressing on the topic of public safety so that we are providing the best possible services expected and minimizing liability.
I will prioritize working toward gaining local control. To do this, I plan to work with the receiver to understand our benchmarks we need to achieve for local control. I also want to make sure we continue the district’s progress on equity and inclusion by making available the dual-immersion program in every school in the district.
Rebuilding and maintaining our infrastructure and keeping up with our capital needs is critical to Holyoke’s economy and quality of life. Nevertheless, infrastructure maintenance and new investments are the most widespread fiscal stressors for any local government.
I will focus on Local Rapid Recovery Planning to develop a short-term and mid-term, project-based recovery plan. Together, we will develop a plan tailored to address the unique economic challenges and COVID-19 related impacts to Holyoke businesses.
My upbringing, education and professional experience have prepared me for this opportunity.
I believe that together we can achieve more than any one person could ever do alone. I believe in Communication, Collaboration and Compromise. It is time to move beyond partisanship and build a stronger tomorrow, together!
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