AGAWAM – The ballot for the Nov. 2 election will feature two candidates vying for mayor with incumbent Mayor William Sapelli running for another four-year term against challenger Charles Alvanos.

In advance of the election, in an effort to inform voters, Reminder Publishing asked both candidates the same series of questions on their candidacies and visions for Agawam. Their responses are organized in alphabetical order by last name.

Reminder Publishing (RP) Why have you decided to run for mayor/re-election?

Alvanos: The town of Agawam can do better in many areas. I plan to utilize my leadership, professional and business skills honed from running a successful financial planning business for 37 years as well as from my years as a teacher and union leader to re-energize all generations of Agawam constituents and provide the town with a breath of fresh air and a new vision. My goals include reviewing the town charter and developing a Master Plan, establishing term limits for those in office, revitalizing the Walnut Street corridor, and developing more proactive and meaningful communication between the mayor's office and the community.

Sapelli: I was born and raised in the town of Agawam. I went away to college but came back here after graduation. I first began my 40-year-long career in the Agawam school system as a sub, then teacher and so on, until I worked my way up to superintendent for the last six years. When I retired, people thought that through my experiences and skill sets with the school side, I would make a good mayor based on my 40-year experience. Now, I am running for my third term. I care about Agawam going in a positive direction. There are so many things we’ve accomplished and a lot of projects that we’re looking forward to in the long term. For instance, the Tuckahoe property – there’s more we can do; the solar field, which will be running shortly; the continuation of blighting properties, replacing street lights with new LED lights, sidewalks, and so on. We have brought down tax rates and we have the lowest split tax rate around. We’re in the pipeline for a new high school, however this is a three-year process. Currently, we’re in year two. I want to see all of this come to fruition and continue the efforts of making this town the best it can be.

RP: What are some issues within the town that you wish to address?

Alvanos:
• Develop a Master Plan for the town so that there is a comprehensive and strategic plan for Agawam's future success
• Hiring a grants manager
• Term limits for the Town Council and mayor
· Sewers to the neighborhoods that are not connected
• The Walnut Street corridor improvement
• Improved open and meaningful communication with the mayor and the citizens

Sapelli: There are several issues in town that I wish to address, however, one that’s been neglected for years is the stormwater issues. There has been a lot of flooding and back-ups due to faulty piping and catch basins. The infrastructure is old and nobody ever notices it because it’s all underground (out of sight out of mind.) In July, we had 21 days of rain, resulting in more significant storms and weather-related incidents. In order to fix this, some of the efforts include cleaning the catch basins annually and sweeping the streets twice a year. I believe that annually cleaning and repairing the water lines would be a step in the right direction. We have received some rescue money to first address the problem on Leland Ave. and Meadow St. Next, we will address the concrete headwalls and culverts on North St. and North Westfield St. May Hollow on North Westfield St. was temporarily repaired three years ago, by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), however, if we don’t fix it permanently, it will be an issue moving forward. With this rescue money, we will be able to address these four projects which are priorities and then move on from there.

RP: How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in town?

Alvanos: I am very forward-thinking and have already opened up a constituent service office at the Corner Shops on Springfield Street that will serve as a satellite office for the mayor. I plan to open a second satellite office at the Agawam Senior Center to be available to citizens of the town to address concerns they have. I would like to conduct a Town Hall Meeting open to the public every quarter for additional involvement of the town residents. As a town resident for almost 40 years, I understand how having our voice heard by our town leaders in the decision-making process for education, roads and sewers, seniors, and so many other areas need to be improved.

Sapelli: As I have throughout my current term, I plan to continue involving residents in the decision-making process. As the mayor, I am not always found at my desk. If I need something from someone or want to speak with them, I won’t pick up the phone normally … I go to them on their turf. I try to talk with everyone and be as accessible as possible. I always get back to people within a reasonable time. I have a great relationship with the City Council and School Committee; whenever issues are presented, we deal with them together. We have citizen speak time at all of our City Council meetings, allowing for residents to express their concerns and be heard. I plan to continue this in my next term, while I continue to put myself out there and be visible for all.

RP: Traffic has been an issue, particularly near Six Flags. How will you continue to/work to mitigate this?

Alvanos: Neighbors in the Six Flags area have certainly been inundated with traffic and cars travelling at a high rate of speed for many years. At least a part of the traffic problem arises at the main gate to the parking lot where the traffic gets bottlenecked. I will work with Six Flags to improve traffic flow inside the parking lot, looking at ways to possibly incorporate the Twin Silos area for additional space in the Six Flags lots to alleviate the bottleneck on Main Street, as well as to place additional police officers at other strategic points on River Road and Main Street. We can do better in our partnership with Six Flags on the traffic challenges.

Sapelli: As Six Flags traffic has been an ongoing issue, especially during this past summer, I will continue to work to mitigate this in the same way as I have before. This includes adding more police details and getting people off the roads and into the park as quickly and safely as possible. Of course, traffic differs throughout different times of the day, but I will continue to work and brainstorm with local officials, such as the police chief, to find a solution that’s best for everyone. I will work on solving the problem as soon as it’s presented, in an effort to alleviate it moving forward.

RP: What do you think is more important for Agawam: building new homes and commercial space or rehabbing/expanding/better utilizing existing homes and storefronts? How would you like to see the town balance these?

Alvanos: A Master Plan for the town will be the foundation for developing a comprehensive strategy to address these issues. I am a strong proponent of maintaining open space and preserving small farms. The agricultural atmosphere of our community should be an important part of our future. At the same time, there are areas that are in desperate need of rehab and upgrading such as the Games and Lanes and Twin Silos areas. I will work to develop a vision of Agawam that we can all be proud of.

Sapelli: I believe that they are equally as important and you don’t have one without the other. We will address them as they come up, but you can’t put one in front of the other. New homes and commercial space are important to attract new residents and businesses, however existing homes and businesses/storefronts need to be rehabbed to also attract residents and businesses at possibly a lower price point. If you bring in commercial/business, it brings in jobs and expands our tax base. According to the local realtors, Agawam is one of the top three communities to move, purchase a home or own a business in Western Mass. When a house goes on the market in Agawam, there are bidding wars, which is a testament to the desire for people who want to move into town. Agawam has pursued grants to rehab existing buildings and homes to make them more desirable and handicapped accessible.

RP: How can you/the city support small business development and expansion?

Alvanos: The town of Agawam should hire a full-time grants manager to develop a proactive strategy to bring in new money to our town for both business and cultural development. I would establish a Business Development Council to discuss how to best utilize funds acquired for future growth, expansion and improvements for our current and future businesses. Rewarding or assisting businesses to maintain and beautify their store fronts would be part of the overall plan for the beautification of Agawam and the positive business climate. As a small business owner for 37 years, I understand the day-to-day challenges that small businesses can face and would work with many of the partnerships I have already formed to improve the opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive.

Sapelli: In Agawam, we have an Economic Development and Planning Office headed by Marc Strange. This office is constantly advertising space and recruiting various businesses to come to Agawam. We feel we are business friendly. Oftentimes, people claim to be business friendly, but you can’t just talk the talk, you need to walk the walk. One of the things that Agawam has done to be business friendly is to organize the key individuals that make decisions on new developments whether they be residential or commercial properties. These individuals, including town engineers, building inspectors, law department, fire and police, etc., will be present as a team to meet with any individuals planning on building new or expanding existing properties. During the pandemic, we have waived the liquor license and expanded outdoor dining which we don’t normally do. We try to promote businesses, both big and small, in any way we can. Another way in which we support small businesses is welcoming them into the community by hosting a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony, which includes elected officials and the media, and gets them known to the community.

Polls will be open on Nov. 2 for in-person voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information on polling locations by precinct, visit https://www.agawam.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/1573/2021-POLITICAL-CALENDAR or contact the Town Clerk’s Office.

In addition to absentee ballots, no-excuse voting by mail was also extended by the commonwealth and residents will be able to cast ballots by mail until Dec. 15. The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing up to 7 days for ballot delivery. A drop box for ballots has been installed in front of the Agawam Town Hall. Voters using the drop box should place their ballots in the brown envelope, sign it and may return it in the drop box which is checked throughout the day. For more information on absentee or early voting, visit https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleabsentee/absidx.htm.