EASTHAMPTON — Mayoral candidate Joy E. Winnie has seen the city thrive, decline and thrive again.
She has served on the City Council for 21 years, representing Precinct 3. She is a lifelong resident of Easthampton. She remembers when downtown was booming with businesses and a time when many shops closed, leaving vacant storefronts. Now, she describes the scene in Easthampton as a “reawakening.”
Winnie said as mayor she would repeat the visioning process that was done in the past, when Easthampton moved from a town form of government to a city. That process led to the creation of a master plan and many changes for the city.
“We built the public safety complex — the first one in the area that combined the police and fire together under one roof, optimizing our dispatch and utilities,” she said. “We bought 50 Payson Ave. (for municipal offices) and we ended up leasing out Town Hall to City Arts.”
She said the list goes on, noting the construction of the Nashawannuck Pond promenade and a newly paved parking lot behind the mill buildings on Pleasant Street.
Winnie said it’s time to do it again. She plans to hire a consultant and gather the community to hear input from everyone, asking all: What do you want Easthampton to look like in five, 10 or 20 years?
“We have a whole new group of voters that are voting now, who weren’t even born when we did this process. So, I’m going to make it my mission to have another ‘visioning,’ ” Winnie said. “It’s time to look forward to see what the next 20 years is going to bring.”
Winnie added that she wants to use that process to unify the perceived division between the “old” and “new” residents of the city. She said those who are living in the community are part of it, no matter how long they have lived there.
Winnie, 57, has lived in the same house at 157 Holyoke St. for all but 10 years of her life. She graduated from Easthampton High School in 1978.
She graduated from Holyoke Community College in 1995 with an associate degree in business administration. She worked as a bus driver for over a decade before becoming the transportation supervisor for the Northampton School Department in 2000.
Winnie said she learned the Easthampton budget from the ground up, participating through the City Council in the community’s transition from town to city. She was vice president of the City Council for 10 years and president for one term, and ran unopposed nine times for her Precinct 3 seat. She also served as a Town Meeting member from 1994 to 1996.
When Mayor Karen Cadieux announced her retirement in July, Winnie promptly decided to run. She had thought about it before, she said, when former mayor Michael Tautznik retired in 2013, but ultimately decided not to run then. Now, she said, it’s the right time.
Winnie has given up her council seat to run for mayor. If elected, she said, she would resign from her job as transportation supervisor.
She has raised and spent far less money than her opponent, Nicole LaChapelle, for the period Jan. 1 to Oct. 20. Campaign finance reports filed Monday show that Winnie raised $11,1160 and spent $5,461, while LaChapelle raised $34,161 and spent $27,288. Most of Winnie’s donors were from Easthampton. LaChapelle raised the majority of her funds from outside the city.
Winnie is backed by Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, of Easthampton, Cadieux and Tautznik. City Councilors Daniel Carey, James “JP” Kwiecinski, Daniel Rist and Joseph McCoy, as well as former state representative Nancy Flavin also support Winnie.
“Joy has the experience, vision and leadership skills to move Easthampton forward,” Sullivan said in a statement. “She has a passion for making a difference for every person in Easthampton.”
Cadieux said Winnie has obtained firsthand knowledge of the city’s operations, procedures and processes.
“As a lifelong resident, Joy is a dedicated supporter of our schools, our businesses and our city departments,” Cadieux wrote in an email. “She has pledged her advocacy for the continued growth of our city while welcoming diversity.”
Winnie said someone filed an ethics complaint against her for a Facebook post she made during the workweek on her campaign page. But Winnie said she was on vacation when she made the post.
Due to that experience, Winnie said she has since kept her distance from social media. Unlike LaChapelle, for example, Winnie did not participate in an “Ask Me Anything” thread on the Easthampton, MA group page on Facebook.
A second ethics issue stems from a complaint that City Councilor Jennifer Hayes said she filed in October after Winnie wore a campaign button promoting her run for mayor at a City Council meeting. But, according to the Massachusetts Ethics Commission, wearing a campaign button does not violate state guidelines.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.