Pregunta al Candidato

I don’t believe Holyoke has an energy reduction plan. If we don’t, we need to have one so that we are achieving strategic objectives throughout the years to lower our carbon footprint and not miss any opportunities as they may fit. Programs like Green Communities and the Massachusetts Vulnerability Program are excellent opportunities provided to cities and town by the Commonwealth that Holyoke can leverage and help meet our energy reduction and climate resiliency goals. Energy reduction and climate resiliency need to be on the forefront of all our plans – City Master Plan, Open Space & Recreation Plan, and Urban Renewal Plan. With new growth development pressures taking place, we have to be sure we are able to embrace it while also protecting our natural resources and local public health.

I need to assess the gaps in our building department and board of health department and see how I can better support these departments so they can effectively execute enforcement. I strongly believe enforcement in Holyoke is minimal largely because departments are overworked and understaffed and it’s impacting our residents. That is why the center focus of my campaign is improving the way we manage our finances and other municipal resource so that departments such as our Building Department and Board of Health are adequately supported to carry out services. Thereafter, I want to be sure enforcement is consistent and unambiguous.

Having grown up in South Holyoke on South Summer Street and also lived in the Flats on North East Street for several years, I am very aware of the lack of access and other inequities. I’m also aware of the lack of priority and disinvestment in the two neighborhoods. These two neighborhoods suffer because of the lack of adequate representation for the people that live in them and I am committed to dismantle issues of structural racism that contribute to this disinvestment. I want to see active neighborhood associations that I can partner with as the City Mayor so we can be sure investment and access is happening. The neighborhoods have flagship community development organizations (Nueva Esperanza, Inc. and OneHolyoke CDC) I look forward to partner with and streamline resources toward these organizations to help with civic engagement opportunities focused on empowering residents to have active roles and control to important quality of life decisions for what takes place in their neighborhoods.

This is a complex issue to this day I am still trying to wrap my head around. How do we embrace growth without pricing out our residents from their homes? For the most part, we are fortunate to have strong partnerships with non-profit landlords dedicated to providing subsidized and affordable housing as well as private landlords that openly accepts section 8 voucher holders. We need to take it a step further and help our low-income residents become owners in their neighborhoods and build wealth. Currently, there are programs designed to do this and I look forward to strengthen them while also facilitating the necessary steps to step up local and state involvement in providing decent housing for those with little or no income.

The short answer, gender and racial inequality – which to me is a major public health concern that coupled with inadequate political representation.

My campaign is focused on improving the way we manage our finances so that departments are adequately supported to carry out services. Therefore my first and immediate priority is to kickoff our FY23 budget setting process. In the municipal world, local governments start planning their budgets as early as November which is fitting since Election Day is November 2nd and it’s expected for the newly elected mayor to hit the ground running on November 3rd. My process will include meeting with the City Council to identify budget priorities, goals, and objectives. Simultaneously, I will work with our City Auditor to prepare an initial review and expenditure projections and work with our assessors to review revenue projections and be sure we are communicating this information to the Finance Committee of the City Council. Finally, each of the departments will receive instructions from my office for submitting their proposed budgets. From here moving forward, I will be meeting with each of the departments to get a strong feel of what is it they do well and where the gaps are to further prioritize our spending in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year.

Soy un producto de Holyoke. Descendencia puertorriqueña, me crie en un hogar de bajos ingresos y de madre soltera en South Holyoke, en South Summer Street. En muchos sentidos, soy un producto de todos los recursos de servicio disponibles para su familia. Fui un miembro activo de la juventud en el programa Arco Iris en Nueva Esperanza y más tarde serví en la Junta Directiva de la organización durante cinco años - cuatro como Presidente. También participe durante mucho tiempo en el Holyoke Boys and Girls Club. Serví como uno de los primeros Líderes de Grupos del Club y trabajó en el Club durante 10 años a través de la Escuela Secundaria y la Universidad. Yo atendí las escuelas públicas de Holyoke: Escuela Elementar Lawrence, Escuela Intermedia Lynch y la Escuela Superior de Holyoke, graduándose en 2004. Soy un ex alumno del programa Northfield Mt. Hermon Upward Bound. Me especialicé en psicología con una especialización en planificación regional y me licencie en la Universidad Estatal de Westfield. A continuación, obtuve un título de postgrado en Administración Pública.   

Luego fui coordinador de servicios a los residentes y, más tarde, administrador de propiedades de la Autoridad de la Vivienda de Holyoke, administrador de servicios municipales de la Comisión de Planificación de Pioneer Valley y ahora soy el administrador municipal de la ciudad de Blandford. Actualmente, soy un administrador público a tiempo completo. Mi enfoque principal es el desarrollo de la comunidad y el buen gobierno. Mis experiencias personales y profesionales han dado forma a lo que soy y han cultivado mi pasión por lo que hago. Toda mi vida he estado dedicado a mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas a las que sirvo. Eso es lo que aportaré a nuestro gobierno local como próximo alcalde.

Cultivar y establecer un clima en City Hall y en nuestros barrios en el que podamos conectar, construir y crecer juntos. Hay grandes dificultades por delante, pero nada que no podamos resolver si trabajamos juntos y apoyamos las iniciativas que hagan progresar a nuestros barrios. Con este fin, espero trabajar en colaboración con el Consejo Municipal y los directores de los departamentos para realizar los cambios necesarios para salvaguardar los fondos públicos, proteger los bienes locales y cumplir con los mejores estándares de eficiencia y servicio. Una vez que tengamos la casa en orden, podremos apoyar adecuadamente a los departamentos que hacen el trabajo importante, tendremos un desarrollo económico mucho más fuerte, escuelas públicas considerablemente mejoradas, departamentos de seguridad pública que se conviertan en modelos nacionales y servicios municipales de los que todos podamos estar orgullosos.

Es una gran pregunta. Me he comprometido a construir esa conexión durante todo el tiempo que he estado involucrado en mi comunidad. Me rompe el corazón que tengamos esta sensación de un viejo y un nuevo Holyoke cuando sólo es Holyoke. No importa qué decisiones y políticas se tomen, afectan a todos. Y cómo afectan a todos, la inclusión en nuestro proceso de toma de decisiones es extremadamente importante. Necesitamos un gobierno que refleje nuestra población: gente de todos los rincones de nuestra ciudad, de todas las condiciones económicas y culturales. Una amplia representación de la gente que vive aquí es fundamental si queremos tender conexión y crecer juntos.

Es terrible. Desearía que no estuviéramos en Receivership . Pero lo estamos. Receivership, siempre una posición desafortunada, especialmente viviendo en un estado que respeta el control local y el autogobierno. Sin embargo, Receivership es parte del proceso para recuperar el control local de nuestras escuelas. El futuro de Holyoke está en nuestras escuelas y en la sólida educación que reciben nuestros estudiantes. Espero trabajar para recuperar el control local. Planeo trabajar con el receptor para entender los puntos de referencia que tenemos que alcanzar para el control local.

Creo firmemente que la tensión y la desconfianza que vemos hoy en día es el resultado de la falta de comunicación y transparencia entre los departamentos y entre el municipio y el público o los ciudadanos. Lo que me funcionó en Blandford fue establecer una vía de comunicación clara desde mi oficina como administrador municipal, utilizando diversos métodos para comunicar la información tanto interna como externamente. Gracias a nuestra transparencia, se restableció la confianza en el gobierno local, mientras la ciudad avanzaba en la mejora de la calidad de vida de los residentes.

Los problemas más inmediatos son los desafíos económicos exclusivos y los impactos relacionados con la COVID-19 en las empresas de Holyoke. Tenemos que asegurarnos de que, en la transición a la post-pandemia, tengamos un plan claro para racionalizar los recursos y mejorar las prácticas de nuestro gobierno local para que las empresas reciban apoyo y el gobierno no se convierta en una barrera para su éxito.    

El otro problema urgente que afecta a las empresas y a todos los habitantes de nuestra ciudad es el estado actual de nuestras finanzas. Tenemos un sistema de manejo financiero municipal desconectado que está perjudicando a todos. Se trata de un problema crítico que debemos resolver para poder salvaguardar los fondos públicos, proteger nuestros bienes y apoyar adecuadamente a los departamentos que realizan el importante trabajo de calidad de vida que la población espera. Es inaceptable que, año tras año, los saldos de caja libre sean negativos y que se reporte a destiempo al Departamento de Ingresos del Estado es inaceptable. Las cuentas no se concilian con regularidad -si es que lo hacen- y tenemos múltiples cuentas deficitarias que no se han resuelto. Tenemos que reforzar los controles internos y la responsabilidad para establecer un mejor proceso de elaboración del presupuesto, un cierre puntual de los libros de los años fiscales anteriores, unos sólidos saldos de certificación de la tesorería libre y la realización puntual de las auditorías anuales. De este modo, podremos servir mejor a los intereses de las empresas y los contribuyentes.

There is not a step by step ‘how-to’ guide which frustrates any new comer into local government management. Municipal finance is complex and it’s always a big surprise for anyone that has never dealt with it before. To chip away at the question, there is a combination of strategies and best practices that need to take place between now and the next 4 to 6 years recognizing some of the indicators that tell me we are on a path to receivership. 

First, we start with declaring the goal. My goal and the expectation I look forward to layout is to have an effective and efficient systems management and operation for safeguarding public funds, protecting local assets, and comply with financial standards and regulations. In the first year, we have to restructure our internal finance management procedures and reinforce our fiscal management policies. There is an inefficient practice in Holyoke that is currently causing the existing deficit, negative free cash balance, reconciliation variances, capital project deficits, grant deficits, and other deficits which are all structural in nature. I need to get in there and hit the ground running by first assessing this practice and identifying where the gaps are that need to be restructured. From the outside looking in, I can say we have to improve our budget setting process with clear instructions to departments that recognize our revenue parameters; we need to close books timely of previous fiscal years and timely reporting to the DOR; re-establish a strong free cash certification balance; ensure an efficient warrant processing and payroll system; and timely completion of annual audits.  

Simultaneously, we need to strengthen our revenue position. This includes reviewing our permit fees, different PILOT payments, host community agreements, and other revenue sources outside of residential and commercial taxation to ensure we are getting the adequate dollar amount the city deserves. We also have to research older tax levies to determine if identified accounts should be abated, take in tax title, or make an effort to collect. Same with our enterprise accounts, specifically the sewer rate, which is another issue we can’t ignore.   

The collaboration between the departments of the Treasurer and Tax Collector, Assessors, and Auditors have to be strengthened and that there is a clear communication pipeline between financial departments as well as the Finance Committee of the Council.  What helped me do this at Blandford was leading monthly meetings which helped with promoting optimal coordination of interdepartmental activities and long-term planning to achieve our financial management objectives as well as our town strategic priorities. Communication and transparency is key!  

There are a lot of other things we need to work on as well that can help right size the ship which include creating a capital improvement program to better maintain and replace large capital assets, re-evaluate debts, strengthening our HR practices, continuing to grow our stabilization account and also creating a new stabilization account specifically for capital related investments, and reorganizing key financial positions which is a bit harder because that will require stakeholder consensus and a charter change which has its own set of steps.  

Once we close our deficit, maintain a system that doesn’t bring us back, have a healthy level of free cash, and make sound decisions on how to use free cash for those one-time expenses and NOT day to day operations, that’s when you know we reached fiscal stability and off that path to receivership.   

In that end, there is more to this than what I can explain but I hope this gives folks a pretty decent idea of what needs to happen to reach fiscal stability.  

I do. We have abundant space in our empty mill buildings to accommodate both cultivation and sales of marijuana products. The state’s legalization of recreational marijuana created a modern-day “Gold Rush” for low-cost space and low-cost electricity. The marijuana industry plays to Holyoke’s strengths. We would be missing a major opportunity for employment and tax revenue if we failed to get on board.

First, we need to implement the plan outlined in Question 5 which has been identified throughout my campaign as the top priority. Improving internal controls will allow us to better plan for and execute the necessary infrastructure investments the public expects. A key part of our strategy is to draft a capital improvement plan to better maintain and replace large capital assets and public infrastructure in a way that is affordable and timely. Having available such a dynamic community planning and fiscal management tool will help the city identify capital projects, equipment purchase and infrastructure needs, provide a schedule, and identify options for financing capital needs.

I question whether sewer fees are “driving residents to leave the city.” What would drive people to leave would be a substandard sewer system. Holyoke has benefits other communities’ lack: no-fee trash, brush and recycling pickup and low electric rates. Our average tax bill for a median home is lower than surrounding communities. Investing in our infrastructure ensures Holyoke is a place where people want to live and do business. The deficit is a result inadequate revenue and uncollected delinquent debt. Even if we collected 100% of user fees, the current sewer rate is not enough to cover expenses. The sewer rate needs to go up to balance the budget and pay for operations and upgrades. Or combine the water and sewer departments and establish efficiencies. Our existing operation is not sustainable. Holyoke has been able to cover the revenue gap by transferring funds from free cash — an unhealthy practice. Now that we have no free cash, the city must find other means to cover the deficit and do infrastructure upgrades. Transparency and communication are critical to get the community to understand that doing nothing will be more costly than raising the rate.

Holyoke’s enormous Connecticut River energy resources — the cheapest and greenest in the state — already produce low-cost electricity that is always appealing to businesses. Manufacturing enterprises, in particular, will benefit from the power sources that put Holyoke on the map in the first place. It’s important to note, however, the feeling that while business owners have taken a risk to invest in our city they do not always feel the city is investing in them. That perception is a disincentive to staying and growing in Holyoke, let alone convincing new businesses to move into the city to take advantage of our green infrastructure. Among the many challenges I have heard are concerns of deteriorating capital infrastructure, public safety, trash everywhere, questionable enforcement from city departments, and excessive panhandling, all while the tax rate continues to climb. The lack of coordination of public resources and inefficient support for business owners are barriers for any enterprise looking to invest in our city. We need to first work on our management gap to better serve and attract new growth.

Municipal finance is complex. There are strategies and best practices that need to be adopted between now and over the next 4 to 6 years if we are to avoid receivership. First, set goals. My goal is efficient systems management and operation to safeguard public funds, protect assets, and comply with financial standards. We have to restructure management policies and procedures. The existing, inefficient practices in Holyoke have caused deficits, a negative free cash balance, reconciliation variances and capital project shortfalls. We have to improve our departmental budget-setting process, close books timely, ensure an efficient warrant processing and payroll system and require timely completion of annual audits. We can enhance our revenue by reviewing permit fees, host community agreements, and revenue sources beyond residential and commercial taxation. Collaboration among the Treasurer and Tax Collector, Assessors, and Auditors has to be strengthened to foster clear communication among financial departments and the Finance Committee of the Council. When we close our deficit, maintain a forward-looking system, have a healthy level of free cash, and make sound decisions on using free cash for one-time expenses and NOT day-to-day operations, we will attain fiscal stability and get off the path to receivership.