>>> AND NOW, TO THE WINNERS' CIRCLE OF NEW MAYORS SLATED TO
TAKE OFFICE HERE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS IN THE WAKE OF
NOVEMBER 5TH'S ELECTIONS.
TONIGHT, TWO OF THOSE NEWLY ELECTED MAYORS, DON HUMASON OF
WESTFIELD AND ROXANN WEDEGARTNER OF GREENFIELD, JOIN ME IN THE
STUDIO TO TALK ABOUT BOTH THEIR VICTORIES AND THE CHALLENGES
THAT LIE AHEAD AS THEY TAKE OVER FROM INCUMBENT MAYORS WHO
DID NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION.
>> IT'S A BIG JOB RUNNING A CITY OF ANY SIZE HAS ITS CHALLENGES
AND CERTAINLY GREENFIELD WILL TOO, BUT WE HAD SOME GOOD
SUCCESSES IN THE ELECTION.
WE'RE GETTING A NEW LIBRARY SO WE HAVE SOME THINGS TO FIGURE
OUT WITH THAT AND YEAH, I'M -- I'M READY.
>> AND SENATOR HUMASON, BIG RELIEF FOR YOU, YOU'RE SITTING
HERE AS WESTFIELD'S NEW MAYOR.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE VOTERS' DECISION.
>> EAGER ANTICIPATION.
I'M READY TO GO.
I'M WORKING ON TRANSITIONING OUT OF MY STATE SENATE SEAT RIGHT
NOW AND WORKING ON FINISHING UP WORK THAT I HAVE TO DO WITH THE
SENATE.
WE WERE IN SESSION LATE LAST NIGHT.
WE HAVE SESSION NEXT WEEK AS WELL, AND THEN WE TAKE OUR --
WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE OUR HOLIDAY BREAK ANYWAYS.
IT'S A GOOD TIME TO START TO PACK UP THE OFFICE AND FILE THE
FILES AND PUT THINGS AWAY AND GET THINGS FOR THE NEXT SENATOR
WHOMEVER THAT WOULD BE SO HOPEFULLY, I'LL HAVE A LITTLE
PILE OF INFORMATION TO PASS ON TO HIM OR HER.
AT THAT TIME, JUST AS MY PREDECESSOR DID FOR ME.
AND THEN I'M BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF MEETING WITH
COUNCILORS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS AND WHENEVER WE CAN SQUEEZE THEM
IN RIGHT NOW BACK AT HOME.
>> NOW, BOTH OF YOU ARE ASSUMING THE MAYORSHIP AFTER INCUMBENTS
DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR REELECTION.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TRANSITION PERIOD, HOW IT'S
WORKING FOR BOTH OF YOU AND HAVE YOU BEEN IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH
MAYOR MARTIN, FOR EXAMPLE?
IS HE GIVING YOU ANY ADVICE IN TERMS OF THE TRANSITION MOVING
FORWARD?
>> WELL, I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HIM.
HE WAS THERE ON ELECTION NIGHT AS PART OF THE GROUP OF PEOPLE
THAT WERE MEETING WITH ME AND HE ASSURED ME THEN THAT HE WOULD
GET BACK TO ME.
HE WOULD GIVE ME A COUPLE OF DAYS OFF.
THAT HE WOULD GET BACK TO ME WITH HIS THOUGHTS ON A
TRANSITION.
HE HAS NOW DONE THAT.
AND THEY WERE ALL GOOD.
I THINK IT WAS A LIST OF FIVE THINGS AND I'M ANXIOUS TO GET
THEM STARTED.
I'VE COMMUNICATED BACK WITH HIM, I'M READY TO START WHENEVER HE
HAS TIME AND CAN KIRK IT INTO HIS SCHEDULE AND THE OTHER
PEOPLE IN THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HE WAS WANTING ME TO MOVE WITH.
>> SO YOU'RE CONFIDENT THAT WHEN YOU ARE SWORN IN YOU'LL BE ABLE
TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING SO TO SPEAK IN GREASED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I'M SURE THERE'S THINGS THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT I'LL LEARN
QUICKLY ABOUT.
HOWEVER, AS I SAID, I AM DELIGHTED THAT THERE IS A
TRANSITION PERIOD AND THAT HE'S SO WILLING TO MAKE IT AS SMOOTH
AS HE POSSIBLY CAN. >> AND SENATOR HUMASON, YOU'VE
GOT A COUPLE OF TRANSITIONS, A TRANSITION OUT OF THE SENATE AND
INTO THE MAYOR'S SEAT.
>> I MET WITH THE SENATE PRESIDENT THIS WEEK, I MET WITH
THE MAJORITY LEADER ALL THE TIME.
THE GOVERNOR HAS BEEN FANTASTIC.
AND, OF COURSE, AFTER OUR MEETING TODAY ACTUALLY RAY I'M
GOING TO MEET WITH ONE OF OUR CITY COUNCILORS WHO WILL LIKELY
BE OUR NEXT CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT.
MAYOR SULLIVAN WHO LEFT THE SEAT AND IS NOW WORKING FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION FOR THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN GREAT SO
HE'S ALWAYS AT THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE.
AND ACTING MAYOR RALPH, WE'RE GETTING TOGETHER NEXT WEEK.
IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MEETINGS, BUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE
TO TALK TO, A LOT OF THINGS TO GET READY TO DO.
>> I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR PARTICULAR RACE.
FAIRLY CLOSE ELECTIONS.
YOURS WAS 97 I BELIEVE, SENATOR.
AND IN THE END, YOUR OPPONENT, MR.
McCABE DECIDED TO FOREGO ANY RECOUNT AND CONCEDE THE
ELECTION TO YOU.
>> A WEEK AGO, WE DID THIS LAST FRIDAY.
>> YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE WAY THAT TRANSPIRED.
>> WELL, AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING, IT'S BEEN A
GENTLEMAN'S RACE AND RIGHT UP UNTIL THE END WHEN CAPTAIN
McCABE MADE THAT DECISION, IT WAS A GENTLEMANLY THING TO DO.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF OVERTURNING THAT
MANY VOTES DURING A RECOUNT.
IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKELY GIVEN THE TECHNOLOGY OF TODAY'S SCANNERS
AND VOTING MACHINES, BUT HE DID A NICE THING BY SAYING HE DIDN'T
WANT MY ADMINISTRATION TO HAVE TO START THAT WAY, HE DIDN'T
WANT TO COST THE CITY OF WESTFIELD TO DO THE RECOUNT, AND
HE MADE A VERY NICE GESTURE BY ALLOWING US TO HAVE A JOINT
PRESS CONFERENCE JUST A WEEK AGO ON FRIDAY IN MY OFFICE SO IT WAS
A REALLY NICE THING.
MIKE AS GOOD GUY AND LOVES THE CITY OF WESTFIELD VERY MUCH LIKE
I DO AND SO WE WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
>> IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING DYNAMIC WHEN YOU'RE
SWORN IN, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAD THE SENATE AND STATE REP
JOHN VELIS HAS ANNOUNCED HE'S SEEKING THAT SENATE SEAT.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHRONOLOGY HERE AND HOW THIS IS
GOING TO PLAY OUT IN TERMS OF NEXT YEAR?
IN THE LEGISLATURE THE HOUSE IS IN CHARGE OF REPLACING HOUSE
MEMBERS AND THE SENATE IS IN CHARGE OF REPLACING SENATORS.
SO IT'S LARGELY UP TO THE SENATE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE ELECTIONS
WILL BE, BASED UPON WHEN I GIVE MY RESIGNATION AND HOW MUCH TIME
THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND, OF COURSE, THE DISTRICT WOULD NEED
TO PLAN THAT SPECIAL ELECTION.
I CAME IN ON A SPECIAL ELECTION EXACTLY ALMOST SIX YEARS AGO,
ACTUALLY.
SO I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE.
BUT I THINK THE CITIES AND TOWNS JUST NEED SOME TIME TO GET
THINGS TO THERE AND SECRETARY THE SECRETARY IS READY TO HELP.
>> HE HASN'T SET A DATE YET FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION.
>> NOT YET.
>> TOO EARLY.
>> YEAH, BUT I THINK SOON.
SO I INTEND TO GET MY LETTER IN TO THE SENATE PRESIDENT VERY
SHORTLY.
>> OKAY.
ROXANN, AS YOU TAKE OVER AS MAYOR IN GREENFIELD, YOU'VE GOT
A NUMBER OF ISSUES SWIRLING AROUND.
>> YES, I DO.
>> THAT YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS.
>> YEAH.
>> IS THERE A PARTICULAR ISSUE THAT ONCE YOU INTEREST ENTER
THAT OFFICE ON THE FIRST DAY OF WORK, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO FOCUS
ON PRIORITY-WISE?
>> THERE'S A COUPLE.
WE WILL HAVE BEGUN -- IT'S ALREADY BEGUN, THE BUDGET SEASON
HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
WE HAVE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
I HAVE THE CAPITAL BUDGET IN MY HANDS AND I'VE SEEN IT.
I'M NOW GOING TO START ACTUALLY VERY SOON WITH THE FIRST CAPITAL
BUDGET MEETING WHICH I CAN KIT IN ON.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THE BUDGET, THE BUDGET SEASON GETS OFF
SMOOTHLY WHICH I THINK IT WILL.
AND THAT I'M UP TO SPEED ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FUNDING
STATUS IS AND WHAT OUR FUNDING ISSUES ARE GOING FORWARD.
AND THEN TO MEET WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT
THEIR BUDGET NEEDS.
BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, IT COMES BACK TO ME AND I GET TO PUT
FORTH THE MAYOR'S BUDGET.
SO THAT WILL BE INTERESTING AND DAUNTING AND SOMETHING I'VE
NEVER DONE.
I'VE DONE SCHOOL COMMITTEE BUDGETS, BUT CERTAINLY, NOT CITY
BUDGETS.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THEM.
WE HAVE -- OR WE'RE GETTING A NEW LIBRARY.
IN ORDER TO BUILD THE LIBRARY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
TEMPORARILY RELOCATE THE FIRE STATION.
AT SOME POINT IN TIME, NOT DAY 1 IMMEDIATELY FROM WHAT I
UNDERSTAND.
SO THAT'S A PLANNING PROCESS THAT I'M HOPING IS UNDER WAY.
IT'S A QUESTION I HAVE FOR MAYOR MARTIN.
BUT THAT WILL BE A BUSY TIME.
>> THE LIBRARY IS WHAT, IS IT A 19 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS?
>> 19.4, FIVE OR SIX, DEPENDING ON WHAT DAY IT IS.
[LAUGHS] >> HOW IS THAT GOING TO BE
FUNDED?
>> WE'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET HALF OF IT.
FUNDED BY THE STATE, BY THE LIBRARY BOARD SO VERY LARGE
GRANT.
SOME $9.4 MILLION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> WELL, IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING.
WE'VE BEEN TURNED DOWN BEFORE.
>> AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO FUND $8 MILLION SO
WE'RE ROUGHLY $2 MILLION SHORT AND THAT'S BEING RAISED THROUGH
PLEDGES AND IT HAS ALREADY STARTED.
WE'RE UP TO $800,000 IN PLEDGES.
OUT OF THE LITTLE CITY OF GREENFIELD.
SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE'LL GET THAT OTHER $200,000.
>> EXCELLENT.
SENATOR HUMASON, AS YOU TAKE OFFICE NOW, WHAT IS GOING TO BE
YOUR PRIORITY FOCUS AS YOU ASSUME THE MAYORSHIP?
>> I SPOKE TO THE ACTING MAYOR, HE SAID THEY'RE ALREADY WORKING
ON THE TAX -- SORT OF THE TAX RATES FOR THE YEAR AND FOR THE
NEXT YEAR.
TAXES ARE OBVIOUSLY A BIG ISSUE.
WE HEARD A LOT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, BOTH ME AND MY OPPONENT,
MY FRIEND MIKE McCABE HEARD ABOUT THE HIGH TAXES IN THE CITY
OF WESTFIELD OR THE PERCEPTION THAT TAXES WERE HIGH AND THE
CONCERN FROM RESIDENTS THAT THEY WERE DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY FROM
OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT.
INFRASTRUCTURE WAS ANOTHER PRIORITY THAT WE BOTH HEARD
ABOUT.
IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE RACE WAS SO CLOSE AND I
CERTAINLY DON'T CONSIDER -- I DON'T CONSIDER A MANDATE BY ANY
SORT BECAUSE OF MY CLOSE MARGIN, BOTH OF THOSE RAN ON LARGELY THE
SAME THING.
SO THE FACT THAT WE BOTH DID SO CLOSELY I THINK THE MANDATES ARE
THERE TO WORK ON THE THINGS THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY TOLD US
ABOUT.
INFRASTRUCTURE WAS REALLY BIG, WATER.
>> THAT ISSUE, AS WELL.
>> ROADS, THINGS THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
>> TAXES.
>> INTERESTING.
THE TONE OF BOTH YOUR CAMPAIGNS SEEMED TO BE VERY CIVIL.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR HEAD?
>> I'VE ONLY KNOWN THE NEIGHBOR FOR A FEW -- THE MAYOR FOR A FEW
MINUTES AND SHE'S BEEN VERY CIVIL.
>> THE CAMPAIGNS SEEMED TO BE INFORMATIVE, THEY SEEMED TO BE
CIVIL.
THERE WASN'T A LOT OF NEGATIVITY AS FAR AS I COULD DETERMINE.
>> HE SOUNDS DISAPPOINTED.
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, WASN'T ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
[LAUGHS] THAT'S WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS NOW,
RIGHT?
>> THAT'S A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME.
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CAMPAIGNS AND JUST THE 10ER AND
TONE OF THE CAMPAIGNS AS THEY WERE?
>> AS A GENERAL RULE I THOUGHT THEY WERE FINE.
WE WERE VERY CIVIL, EVEN UP IN THE PRELIMINARY FOR THE MOST
PART WHEN WE WERE TOGETHER AS CANDIDATES.
AND CERTAINLY, SHEILA AND I SHARE A SIGNIFICANTLY SIMILAR
CONSTITUENCY AND VIEWPOINTS ON THE GOVERNING.
SO SIMILAR I ASSUME TO YOU.
SO WE WERE MINDFUL OF WHAT THE CITIZENS AT LARGE WERE SAYING
AND IT WAS TAXES AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE LIBRARY
WHICH WAS HUGE FOR US BECAUSE IT DID GO TO THE BALLOT.
SO WE TRIED -- I JUST -- I AND MY TEAM, THEY'RE CALLED THE ROX
STARS, THEY CALL THEMSELVES THAT, WERE FOCUSED ON MAKING
SURE THAT ALL -- WE WERE -- WE WERE WANTING TO WORK ON OUR
CAMPAIGN AND OUR MESSAGE.
AND NOT TRY TO, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY DEFLECT ANY NEGATIVITY
THAT CAME OUR WAY, BUT NOT TRY TO CREATE THAT.
>> AND SENATOR HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CAMPAIGN AGAINST
MR.
McCABE?
IT SEEMED TO BE VERY -- >> VERY CORDIAL.
THE GENTLEMAN'S RACE.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, CAMPAIGNS CAN SOMETIMES GET HEED, BUT I
THINK WE TRIED TO AVOID THAT.
AGAIN, WESTFIELD IS NOT A BIG CITY.
WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER.
WE ALL COME FROM THE SAME GROUP.
A LOT OF MIKE'S SUPPORTERS HAD SUPPORTED ME AS A STATE REP AND
STATE SENATOR SO WE KNEW EACH OTHER AND THERE WAS NO REASON TO
GET HEATED OR TESTY.
>> YEAH.
WOULD THERE BE ANY INTEREST, ANY ROOM FOR MIKE McCABE AND AN
ADMINISTRATION OF MAYOR HUMASON?
>> THAT WAS A GREAT QUESTION.
THAT WAS ASKED LAST WEEK AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT MY OFFICE.
I SAID I'M NOT GOING TO RULE IT OUT, HE'S NOT GOING TO RULE IT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS PLANS ARE AS FAR AS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,
BUT MIKE'S GOT A LONG CAREER THERE AS A POLICE CAPTAIN SO HE
HAS SOME CHOICES AHEAD OF HIM AND ALSO SOME OPPORTUNITIES.
SO YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WHAT WE WANT IS THE BEST THING FOR OUR
COMMUNITY.
OUR FAMILIES, OUR FRIENDS,EE ALL LIVE IN THE SAME PLACE AND WE
WANT TO DO THE BEST JOBS FOR OUR CITIZENS AND ALL THE TAXPAYERS
AND THE BUSINESSES IN WESTFIELD AND GREENFIELD, AS WELL.
>> AS A REPUBLICAN YOU'RE LEAVING STATE SENATE, BECOMING
MAYOR NOW.
ONE OF THE ANNOUNCED CANDIDATES, STATE REPRESENTATIVE VELIS, IS A
DEMOCRAT.
DO YOU FORESEE ANY REPUBLICAN GETTING INVOLVED IN THAT RACE
POTENTIALLY AND IF SO, WOULD YOU BE SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE IN
THAT RACE?
>> I'VE HEARD FROM A REPUBLICAN FROM SOUTHWICK, HE HAS EXPRESSED
AN INTEREST TO ME.
HE'S CERTAINLY BEEN SPEAKING TO PEOPLE AT THE STATE HOUSE.
JOHN VELIS AND I ARE FRIENDS AND HE'S TALKED TO ME ABOUT IT, AS
WELL.
I THINK IF THERE WAS A RACE I WOULD LET THOSE GENTLEMEN AND
WHOEVER ELSE GOT IN THE RACE BATTLE IT OUT AMONGST
THEMSELVES.
MY FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON BEING THE NEW MAYOR OF THE CITY OF
WESTFIELD.
>> WHAT DID YOU LEARN DURING THIS POLITICAL CAMPAIGN THAT YOU
FEEL WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU AS YOU BECOME MAYOR OF YOUR
RESPECTIVE CITIES NOW?
ROXANN?
>> WELL, IT WAS NOT SO MUCH LEARNED, BUT CONFIRMED.
GREENFIELD IS A VERY CREATIVE, VERY RESILIENT AND VERY
POLITICALLY ACTIVELY ENGAGED, SOME DAYS FOR BETTER, SOME FOR
WORSE.
PEOPLE IN GREENFIELD CARE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEY CARE
ABOUT WHO LEADS THEIR COMMUNITY AND THAT JUST BECAME ABUNDANTLY
CLEAR TO ME THE MORE I WAS OUT TALKING TO CITIZENS AND THE MORE
I TALKED TO CITIZENS ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY CARE ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY, EVEN THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T CONTINUE RAISING, YOU KNOD
JEOPARDIZING OUR TAX RATE.
HAVING TO RAISE IT.
SO THE MORE I TALK TO THEM, THE MORE I WANTED TO BE MAYOR.
I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN IN THE RACE IF I HADN'T, BUT YOU GET
CONFIRMATION THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE ASKING TO BE
THE LEADER OF.
>> YEAH, MAKING THE DECISION TO LEAVE THE SENATE WHICH WAS A
FAIRLY SAFE PLACE FOR ME.
I COULD HAVE STAYED THERE FOR A COUPLE OF TERMS, I ENJOYED THAT
JOB VERY MUCH, BUT GETTING OUT AND TALKING TO THE CITIZENS, MY
FRIENDS IN WESTFIELD, THE MORE I TALKED TO THEM THE MORE I
REALIZED THERE'S THE WAY FOR ME.