> Local News > West Springfield > New legislative caucus to revitalize 'Gateway Cities'
New legislative caucus to revitalize 'Gateway Cities'By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
WEST SPRINGFIELD Last month, State Sen. Stephen Buoniconti announced the inception of a new legislative caucus aimed at revitalizing communities too often overlooked by those on Beacon Hill.
The Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus will focus on the revitalization of 11 "Gateway Cities," once flourishing centers of industrial development.
Buoniconti, co-chair of the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus, explained that these cities Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester have lost one third of manufacturing jobs since 1980. He also noted that residents in these communities represent 30 percent of Massachusetts residents living below the poverty line.
"Too often cities like ours are overlooked by Boston or are pitted against each other when funding and other policy decisions are made," Buoniconti said. "We decided it was time to stop the competition and get these cities working together."
When asked why communities such as West Springfield or Chicopee were not included as "Gateway Cities" for the consideration by the caucus, Buoniconti said future meetings will determine whether or not to add more communities to the list.
He explained that the "Gateway Cities" share common problems such as economic disparity, elevated high school dropout rates, deteriorating infrastructure and lagging economies from decreasing industrial and manufacturing opportunities. Buoniconti noted that West Springfield shares many of these qualities and should be considered by the caucus.
He added that West Springfield is experiencing "crumbling" infrastructure due to decreasing state aid, the rising costs of repairs and the fact that the city has some of the most highly traveled routes in the state, specifically Route 5.
State Rep. James Welch, also a member of the caucus, cited Springfield as the "economic engine" of Western Massachusetts. He explained that if the caucus can increase state aid for Springfield and stimulate its economy, the surrounding communities such as West Springfield will also benefit from its economic spinoff.
"We don't want to be forgotten," Welch said. "We want to reap some of the [financial] benefits that Boston reaps."
Buoniconti noted that a "tremendous amount" of state monies are spent in the Greater Boston area. He added that the mission of the caucus is to "put together some collective political muscle and get money out of the Greater Boston area."
State Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-Newton, also co-chair of the caucus explained that they will be using data collected from a study called "Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities," conducted by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), a research and education institute. He added that this data will better help the caucus in understanding how to stimulate the economies within these cities and throughout the Commonwealth.
He said the caucus will have a "broad agenda" looking into increasing funding through all avenues such as education, transportation, infrastructure and economic development.
|
|
|
|
> Local News > West Springfield > New legislative caucus to revitalize 'Gateway Cities' |
|
