HOLYOKE – Since state Rep. Aaron Vega announced he would not be seeking reelection to the 5th Hampden District seat, two candidates have come forward asking voters to consider electing them to the position in November.

Both Patrick Beaudry, a 32-year-old Holyoke resident who works for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), and Patricia Duffy, Vega’s former legislative aide, have started campaigns. Reminder Publishing interviewed both candidates to find out why they decided to seek election, what they feel makes them qualified and why they believe voters should elect them as the 5th Hampden District representative.

 Patrick Beaudry

 Beaudry said he grew up in the city and is “fourth-generation Holyoke.” He said, “A few years ago I bought my first home in the Oakdale neighborhood,” the same neighborhood where his mother grew up. Additionally, he said he went to Holyoke Public Schools from kindergarten until he graduated high school. After graduating high school he went on to earn both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree.

Currently, Beaudry serves as the manager of Public Affairs for the PVPC. He said the choice to seek elected office was not a “causal decision,” but “Vega is leaving big shoes to fill in a city that needs representation.”

He said he feels as though, “you can’t learn on the job if you’re going to be a Holyoke state rep[resentative].”

“We are in a moment of crisis on a number of really important issues in the city,” he explained. To address those issues, he said, a representative must know “the legislative process, what the budget looks like, how to run a top notch constituent casework, and leverage those connections within agencies and departments to get answers.”

Having served as a legislative aide for three former senators, including Vega’s predecessor Michael Kane, Beaudry said he thinks he “understand[s] what the job looks like from first-hand experience.” Additionally, he said the PVPC “works very closely with Holyoke and all other 42 cities in the Pioneer Valley” which gives him a unique perspective.

Some issues Beaudry wants to be “hyper focused” on if elected are ones he says he hears when he “engages with voters.”

“Our public schools, fighting for resources, fighting for swift control, public safety, economic development,” he said are just a few. “We want to be a business friendly community and make sure there’s not state barriers to local progress on that front.”

He plans to “run an old school, door-to-door campaign.” Beaudry said in his experience he’s found voters “don’t have a lot of time,” and going door to door allows him to engage with them in the spare minutes they may have.     “I want to be that person that will grab a minute of your time on your way to soccer practice,” he said. Beaudry added he believes, “the best way to represent a community is to ask them yourself what they want to see out of state government.”

He said, “I’m willing to take both my excitement and passion for my hometown and be that candidate that can get that job done for the city.”

Patricia Duffy

Duffy, who currently serves as Vega’s legislative aide, said she first decided to seek election after Vega informed her he wouldn’t be running for reelection. The more she thought about it, she said, seeking election was what she wanted to do. “Once I really thought about it became clear, I’ve been doing the work for six years with him. We’ve had great momentum, great legislative victories,” she said. “I’ve built a ton of relationships working with people and I just decided I wanted to continue. Holyoke is so compelling and I really just wanted to continue the work.”

Duffy is a self-proclaimed “Air Force brat” who “grew up everywhere.” She said while she didn’t grow up in the city, her current home in Holyoke is the longest she’s lived anywhere, making Holyoke her home. “I chose Holyoke,” she stated.

If elected, Duffy said she plans to continue the work started by Vega, but focus on other issues as well. Issues she plans to continue are public education funding, criminal justice reform and addressing housing in the Commonwealth and Holyoke. “Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield are like the last three affordable places to live in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts I feel. So that’s untenable, it’s all about equal access,” she said.

Duffy said while she plans to continue to address state-wide issues, there are also Holyoke-specific issues she intends to focus on as well. “I love it, it’s a beautiful, welcoming place, but we have unacceptably high levels of poverty,” she said of Holyoke. One of the reasons for this, she said is isolated neighborhoods.

“You see people, they sort of get in isolated neighborhoods. People really get isolated, cut off from opportunities and resources,” she stated. As a member of the Redevelopment Authority she said she’s seen progress in the area of South Holyoke, but more needs to be done. “If you look at South Holyoke there are apartment buildings that aren’t in good condition and also tons of vacant lots. Let’s fill that in,” she said.

One way she plans to do this is by drawing on her “strong community relations,” “making sure that bringing as many diverse voices to the table and thinking about people coming together for solutions.” She continued and said while Holyoke has faced a number of “divisive elections” over the years, this just means the residents are passionate and want the same things.

“You’re talking about housing, schools, people get passionate about that stuff. So, I know that we all want the same things and I think there’s a way of bringing people together and hearing out different solutions,” she explained.

Duffy said she feels as though she’s “been doing a lot of that work already,” and feels qualified to continue doing the work based on her background, should she be elected. She plans to draw from her community organizing experience working in the labor movement and the research skills she acquired while getting her Master’s degree in sociology. “That combination of policy and community organizing, that’s the legislature for you. I love it,” she said.

She said she also plans to draw on relationships she’s built while working for Vega and within the community over the years. “Those relationships are really strong and I’ve got them, and they’re ready and waiting for me should I be so lucky to be honored by the people of Holyoke,” Duffy said.