SPRINGFIELD – With less than two months until the annual city elections, 10 residents have submitted nomination papers for five open, two-year City Council At Large seats.

Sean Curran, Justin J. Hurst, Jesse Lederman, Kateri B. Walsh, Tracye L. Whitfield, James Ryan, Juan F. Latorre III, Michael Kelly Lee, Juan J. Caraballo III, and Debra Fletcher are the candidates running for the at large positions.

Reminder Publishing reached out to each candidate, asking for a self-written introduction to present to the city. As we move closer to the election, Reminder Publishing will be conducting a question-and-answer interview with each candidate to discuss specific city issues and their viewpoints on each issue.

Juan J. Caraballo III

The city of Springfield is at an important crossroads, and I believe that my dedication and community involvement will be a key asset to the City Council. I was born and raised in Springfield calling it home, having graduated from Central High School. I served my country in the armed forces as a Marine Corps Sergeant doing a tour of duty in Iraq. Currently I am a financial analyst and consultant. Along with others I have been a volunteer of the Team Rubicon Crisis Response, being deployed to areas hard hit by natural disasters across the United States and Puerto Rico. I want to take that activism and community involvement and bring it directly to the City Council.

Supporting our law enforcement, and firefighter professionals is an important issue of mine and nearly all of these professionals want to see greater funding and training to keep our community safe. We need to support our seniors and veterans and support housing initiatives using the existing Community Preservation Act recently implemented by the city of Springfield. As well as rolling out programs that will help assist the small business owners that have seen significant impacts by the COVID-19 pandemic. The most important job of the Springfield City Council is putting together an annual budget and I would want to see a smart and fiscally responsible budget. I humbly ask for your vote on Tuesday Nov. 2 and encourage voters to reach out to me through Facebook and on my website. https://www.caraballoforspringfieldcitycouncil.com/.

Sean Curran

Attorney Sean F. Curran is running for Springfield City Council. I am running for an at large seat. This will be my second term on the Council. My priorities in my first term were to fight for reasonable water bill rates. In 2020, the Water Commission attempted to raise rates 17 percent.  That was unacceptable. I fought that rate increase and was able to ultimately defeat its passage. In my second term, I hope to emphasis that we need to pay for our water and sewer infrastructure through federal and state funding, not simply rate increases on city residents.

Springfield needs to emphasis the expansion of UMass Springfield. As a state representative, I fought to bring a UMass Campus to downtown Springfield at Tower Square. The campus needs to be expanded. Springfield needs educational opportunities for its students, The state spends millions on UMass in Worcester and Boston, we need that same commitment to Springfield. UMass Springfield could become the biggest economic development driver in the city, it helped turn around Worcester, and I believe it can do same for Springfield.

Springfield needs to look to Patriot Place in Foxboro, and come up with a retail, restaurant, basketball themed development on the riverfront so that we can rightfully reclaim the mantle of Hoop City, USA. We can begin that process by marketing the Basketball Hall of Fame as a destination for youth basketball tournaments from around the country. This would bring in thousands of tourists to Springfield. Springfield invented basketball, yet we let the State of Connecticut steal the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony last year.  That makes no sense! The city needs an innovative, aggressive marketing plan for our Hall of Fame.

Justin J. Hurst

I was born and raised in the city of Springfield, and I am a proud graduate of the Springfield Public Schools. I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Virginia in 2000 and a Juris Doctor degree from Western New England College School of Law in 2004. I also taught secondary English in the Springfield Public Schools for many years and served as an administrator in the district prior to opening a small investment business in the city.  

In 2013, I campaigned for a seat on the Springfield City Council, and I am now serving in my fourth term. I continue to be committed to attracting and retaining families invested in our city by focusing on issues that will make Springfield a safer and more attractive place for our residents. It has been a pleasure serving on the City Council and if elected to serve for another term, I will continue to speak out on difficult issues that matter most to our residents.

My platform is as follows:
• Ensure that the $127 million that the city of Springfield received from the American Rescue Plan Act is invested in our neighborhoods.
• Fight for Covid-19 merit pay for all city employees who continue to serve on the frontlines as essential workers during the pandemic.
• Advocate to make Springfield, women and minority-owned businesses a priority when distributing over $90 million in city contracts.
• Save taxpayers millions of dollars each year by implementing a Police Commission for more accountability and increasing the number of women in law enforcement, which has proven to lead to safer communities.
• Audit city departments more regularly as chairman of the Audit Committee to protect tax payer dollars from being misused or spent frivolously without oversight from the City Council.

Juan F. Latorre III

It’s an honor, as a lifelong resident, residing in Sixteen Acres, to introduce myself. A graduate of Central High School, UMass Amherst, and Western New England, I work as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. My work requires attention to detail, problem solving, and team building – skills that I will bring to our Council. I volunteer with multiple non-profits, including the same Boy Scout Troop where I earned my Eagle Scout rank 18 years ago.

My service to our city has prepared me to serve. As a member of a Council Young Professional Sub Committee, I worked alongside residents to encourage employers to offer first-time homebuyers incentives, and to simplify food truck permitting. I then helped establish Springfield Restaurant Week. An annual event, Restaurant Week encourages dining at restaurants in every city neighborhood.

I want our council to be business friendly – we need jobs. I will promote startup incentives, STEM businesses, and reducing the commercial tax rate. I’ll support investments in our students and teachers to provide them opportunities to excel. I’ll fight for clean air and water, and solar infrastructure on city buildings. Our Police and Fire Departments keep us safe – they deserve someone who will support new training and equipment, while raising the level of discourse on reforms. I want more investment in our streets, sidewalks, and intersections, to prevent accidents before they happen. I will return our council to real debate on the city budget after years of fighting. Springfield must remain a place where young families can afford to buy their first home, and retirees can afford to stay in their homes.

I ask for your vote on Nov. 2 to elect me to an At Large seat on the Springfield City Council, and to return civility to our civics. Please visit www.votelatorre.com to learn more.

Jesse Lederman

I am a lifelong Springfield resident and a graduate of the Springfield Renaissance School. I earned my bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst, and am employed as an advisor for the UMass Amherst University Without Walls program in downtown Springfield. My wife Emila and I restored our first home in Forest Park, and recently purchased a home in the McKnight Neighborhood, a few streets from where I grew up.

As a two-term City Councilor I’ve focused on building coalitions and relationships to deliver results for every neighborhood.

Halting the construction of a polluting biomass waste incinerator, passing legislation to limit hotel-style rental companies in residential neighborhoods, holding public utilities accountable for fixing gas leaks and street lights, standing up against unfair internet data caps, expanding our Responsible Employer Ordinance to ensure jobs for local residents on tax-payer funded projects, and pursuing the highest standards possible in policing and public safety through a nationally recognized accreditation process are a few examples of how we have worked to deliver results on the City Council.

Serving during COVID-19 has meant fighting for transparency, equity, and resources to keep our community safe, from testing sites to vaccine clinics. It’s also meant working directly with neighbors and constituents, sharing information through Virtual Town Halls and assisting resident’s one-on-one with accessing resources related to housing and unemployment.

I’m running for re-election because I believe that working together, we can recover from this pandemic and tackle some of our longest standing challenges. From public safety to housing and infrastructure, now is the time to think big and toward the future as we work to responsibly direct the unprecedented influx of federal funds to our community.

I humbly ask for your support again. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime at 285-3041 or visit www.JesseForSpringfield.com.

James Ryan

Just like the rest of my neighbors, Springfield is my home. It’s where I bought my first house, it’s where I began my teaching career and helped open a school, and it’s where my wife and I are raising my daughter.

But just like the rest of my neighbors, I watched our community get hit hard by COVID-19. Too many of us have lost our lives, our jobs, our homes, and our close friends and family members. As someone who has dedicated my life to community service – whether it be as an Eagle Scout, a public school teacher, or a union leader – I could not sit back; I had to at least try to do something. With several years of experience in public office under my belt – working on issues of small business growth, housing development, public health, sustainability and environmental preservation, and public safety – I would like the chance to bring that track record to City Hall.

I want to make sure our city promotes local business, addresses the housing shortage, fixes our roads, and strengthens our infrastructure.  I want to make our community healthier, with cleaner air and water, safer living conditions, healthier food, and racial equity in our public health systems.  Finally, I want to see safer neighborhoods, where community-based organizations are supported, safe recreational opportunities are available for everyone, the community trusts its Police Department, gun violence is eliminated, and our reentry programs have everything they need to keep families safe and rebuild lives.

I am committed to going to City Hall to do the peoples' work, and do what I can to ensure that we not only recover from this crisis, but rebuild our community stronger than ever.

I hope that I can count on your vote on Nov. 2. Visit ryan4springfield.com.

Kateri B. Walsh

Kateri B.Walsh is one of two women serving on the Springfield City Council. She is married to retired USMC Cap. Daniel M.Walsh and they have the distinction of both serving as City Council presidents.

Kateri and Dan have raised seven children in the city of Springfield and are grandparents of 11.

Councilor Walsh’s priorities as a member of the Council are public safety, economic development and jobs. She is a strong advocate for quality schools, protecting our seniors and supporting our veterans. She supported local, state and federal investments that bought projects that have brought jobs and activity into our neighborhoods.

Kateri served as president and vice president of the Council and has chaired several major committees. She brought women’s issues to the forefront as chair of the Springfield. Women’s Commission and as an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

She is currently chair of the Maintenance and Development Committee that oversees the Department of Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Capital Assets.

Kateri was the lead sponsor for the implementation of the Brave Act that provides financial security for city employees while on active duty. She is a co-sponsor of the re-establishment of the Police Commission and believes accountability is a top priority. She states “every citizen in every neighborhood must have equal protection and treatment from our Police Department.”

Kateri supported  the arts and culture in the city by sponsoring  a resolve creating the Springfield Central Cultural District. Their objective is to bring arts, cultural events and opportunities to local artists throughout the city.

Kateri stated she is running for re-election to continue these initiatives and service for all Springfield residents.

She is a graduate of Emmanuel College and holds a master’s degree from Springfield College.

Debra Fletcher, Michael Kelly Lee and Tracye L. Whitfield did not respond to Reminder Publishing by press time.