SPRINGFIELD – Counselor and social scientist Dr. David Ciampi is joining the 2023 Springfield mayoral race. Ciampi formally announced his candidacy to the public during a campaign event on Jan. 25 at the Elks Lodge.

Ciampi joins City Councilor At-Large Justin Hurst as 2023 candidates for the mayoral seat. The race is expected to attract the announcement of several other high-profile candidates over the coming weeks. Each of the current candidates are running as Democrats. Incumbent Mayor Domenic Sarno has not yet announced his intentions for the 2023 race.

Born and raised in Springfield, Ciampi brings an extensive background in social sciences to his candidacy. He completed his undergraduate degree at John Carroll University before earning a master’s degrees at the New School for Social Research and Walden University. Ciampi also earned a PhD in media ecology from New York University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Walden University.

Through his professional career, Ciampi has spoken locally and in myriad countries on psychological trauma. The mayoral candidate has also received numerous awards, such as the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Graduate Students Organization from New York University, and written several books on the subject matter.

Ciampi’s expertise in social science is a significant component of his campaign. It also connects deeply to his own experiences growing up. Ciampi was diagnosed with a learning disability during his education at public schools and dealt with bullying and a lack of support from the school administration.

“I was traumatized, and I couldn’t learn … I did not have those cognitive tools to be able to understand anything around me at that age,” said Ciampi in an interview with Reminder Publishing.

Ciampi was enrolled in a new private school after his struggles – an environment that helped him overcome his early school experiences.

“It was incredible the resources available to me … I was able to get back up on my feet,” said Ciampi.

For Ciampi, those positive experiences shaped his vision for a “new model” approaching social conditions, especially in the youth population. He noted that current systems often endorse a cycle where people struggling with issues such as crime, poverty and drug usage are shifted through different mediums without addressing the underlying issues at hand.

“The trajectory our society is going on is not a very healthy one,” said Ciampi.
Ciampi emphasized his focus on creating a non-exclusionary environment in schools and throughout the city. He aspires to develop vocational and emotional skills through academics, with the goal for students to become thoughtful and socially adaptive to the ever-changing world.

Additionally, Ciampi will aim to help mend economic gaps in Springfield. He plans to focus on job creation to help people under the poverty line build a successful career.

“I want to rehab a city where 25 percent of people are under the poverty line … If we can’t do that, then no one is going to have a good quality of life,” said Ciampi.

Another central focus of Ciampi’s is the potential addition of Carnival Springfield. Rooted from the Rio de Janeiro annual carnival experience, Ciampi views a Springfield carnival as a positive economic driver and social event.

“It’s really one of the major economic engines of Rio … It would bring in a lot of money, change the dynamics and bring a lot of spinoff. It’s a great opportunity for economic renewal. You can’t have social renewal without economic renewal,” said Ciampi.

Ciampi said he originally proposed the idea to city leadership eight years ago. He has since received a certified letter of support from the Rio carnival organization to pursue the idea locally.

Securing renewable energy sources is also important to Ciampi. He cited Springfield’s high asthma rates as a central reason for pursuing new avenues outside of fossil fuels.

“This is going to take some capital investment in the beginning, but over time, it will be huge savings,” said Ciampi.

He stressed that creating renewable energy sources will require partnerships with the local, state and federal governments.

“We have to become more aggressive than we have been so we can transition much faster. We have to get off of fossil fuels long before 2050,” said Ciampi.

Reflecting on his candidacy, Ciampi said he will work actively to present solutions for myriad problems facing Springfield.

“This campaign is all about solutions … I want to get Springfield moving again,” said Ciampi.