CHICOPEE- Three high school students come over to Joe Morissette as he is conducting an interview about his candidacy for mayor in the Chicopee Panera Bread. He knows the students by name, asks how they are doing and reminds them he’ll see them the next day in school.

The short interruption illustrated Morissette’s roots and reputation in the city that he hopes to lead.

Morissette took out nominations papers for mayor last week. So far, he is the city’s only definite candidate. City Councilors Shane Brooks and Joel McAuliffe confirmed to Reminder Publishing they are not intending to run for the job at this time.

Political watchers in the city are speculating about several other people, but Morissette is only one who has actually stepped up saying he wants to tackle the job.

Morissette, a Chicopee native, Navy vet, former police officer and currently a vice principal at Chicopee Comprehensive High School told Reminder Publishing he has been thinking about running for mayor for a “long time.”

He added, “It never seemed like the right time.”

Now with incumbent Mayor Richard Kos making the decision to leave at the end of this term, Morissette is moving forward.

He served in the Navy, from 1982 to 1986, aboard the Carrier USS John F. Kennedy  and aboard the USS Ulysses S. Grant submarine. After his Naval service at sea and honorable discharge, Morissette returned home to Chicopee, where he served on the Chicopee Police Department from 1988 to 2012. He was a patrol officer, detective in the Narcotics Division and as the school resource officer for Chicopee Comprehensive High School.

Morissette also served as the city of Chicopee’s citywide 911 coordinator. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. He has been the vice principal of Chicopee Comprehensive High School since 2012.

Looking at the city, Morissette said he doesn’t agree with everything the current administration has done, but added he believes it is becoming better in terms of economic development and other issues. He is worried about “regression” with the end of the Kos Administration.

Morissette’s sincerity in wanting to serve the city as mayor in underscored by the fact he will see a pay cut if he is elected. He said he and his wife would manage with less money.

Speaking about issues facing the city, Morissette said he is worried about the on-going financial problems of the city’s school district. He is worried the funding gap might cause some teachers to leave, people he praised.

He said we have to build a better relationship with teachers and other city employees so they “feel vested in what goes on in the city.”

Morissette added he wants all city employees to feel “valued.”

With the schools, Morissette would increase the effort to seek out and apply for state and federal grants, as well as implement additional cost-savings measures.

“We have to be more creative,” he said.

Acknowledging the city’s high poverty-rate – 75 percent of Chicopee students qualify for the free meal program in the school – Morissette said, “Parents are hurting.”

He added, “We’ve got to get the best bang for the buck.”

While Morissette praised the renewed retail corridor of Memorial Drive, he said as mayor he would want to make sure the road can actually handle the traffic and he would pay close attention to the traffic flow. He doesn’t want traffic to impede business activity.

He said he would also want to work to better use the civilian side of Westover ARB and the air terminal there.

As a former police officer he said he views the position of mayor as “the ultimate boss” of the Police Department and he will be able to “say ‘no’ to the chief.”

Morissette added, “I have great faith in [Police Chief] Bill Jebb. I’ve known him for a long time.”

Communication was a theme Morissette returned to several times in the discussion. He intends, if elected, to speak to every department head on a regular basis to understand their needs and issues.

“The team needs to be tight,” he said. “We need to communicate with each other and support each other.”

He also said he is aware the electorate wants a mayor who can work with the City Council.  He said he appreciates “spirited discussion” and people who are passionate about issues, but he wants to work with people to address issues in the city.

Morissette will have a formal announcement of his candidacy at 6 p.m. on April 3 at the Knights of Columbus Elder Council 69 on Granby Road.

“I love the city and think I’m going to do a great job running it,” he said.