Velis listens to concerns from Granville residents

Jan. 14, 2020 | Amy Porter
amyporter@thewestfieldnews.com

John Velis hears from Hilltown residents Jan. 7 during a Town Hall event in Granville. Velis, a state representative from Westfield, is seeking the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate seat.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter

GRANVILLE – State Rep. John  Velis fielded questions about his Senate campaign and his thoughts on Granville issues Jan. 7 during a Town Hall meeting in Granville.

Velis is seeking the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire Senate District seat that became vacant when former Sen. Donald Humason Jr. was elected Westfield’s mayor.

Velis, a Westfield Democrat, is facing Southwick Republican John Cain for the seat. No other candidates have come forward yet, and nomination papers and signatures are due later this month. An election is slated for March 31.

Velis was invited to speak during the Jan. 7 event by Granville residents Sarah and John Meiklejohn of Voices Rising Together, who said their Indivisible group was formed in March of 2017 following the election of President Donald Trump. They said similar groups were formed in congressional districts around the country to promote progressive policies.

Sarah said Voices Rising Together is focusing primarily on carbon pricing and climate change. She said they have been active and have sponsored programs at Westfield State University and other locations in Westfield, including a Better Angels workshop, which has spun off into its own group.

Velis, who introduced himself to the residents as a moderate, conservative Democrat, and votes and supports legislation and candidates on both sides of the aisle, was asked why he ran as a Democrat.

Velis said political parties go through shifts, and he has supported issues on both sides.

“A big platform of their [Democrats] policy is that government can and should be a safety net for people,” he said, adding that sometimes they can also get into trouble and enable.

Another resident asked what kind of conversations he’s been having in small towns like Granville. He said earlier in the day in Russell he had visited the Senior Center and had heard about their difficulty in getting food help to seniors in need due to lack of transportation, which he said was not right in 2020.

Another resident commented on the difficulty of having local officials attend meetings and hearings in Boston and asked whether such meetings could be held by teleconference, so people don’t have to spend the money and time to travel to Boston.

Arend “Addy” Overbeeke of Tolland spoke about his frustration at having fiber optic on the telephone pole near his residence for the last five years, and the town not being able to get the last mile hookup. He said, although recently retired, he had served 39 years in the aviation industry and often had to drive to Windsor Locks to take a work call because he couldn’t get the fiber optic hookup.

Overbeeke said he had a list of 100 issues for Velis to look into, which he promised to send to him.

A former Select Board member spoke about the town having replaced 13 failing culverts while he was in office, and then having been forced by the Department of Environmental Protection to redo the whole project at double the cost due to wetlands consideration. He said in the end, the only difference was cutting six inches off one pipe.

Velis asked whether throughout the whole culvert process if the residents had a state legislator standing with them, backing them up. The resident responded they had not, and it was “very frustrating.”

“The main part of our job is to be an advocate for the people we represent,” Velis said.

Velis spoke about his military service and deployments to Afghanistan in 2012 and again in 2018, during which he was promoted to major in the Army Reserves. He said even during the conflict and chaos overseas, he would hear about the conflicts at home between the Republicans and Democrats, which he called “warring groups.”

He said he made a pledge to vote for bills that would benefit the people of Westfield first over party, and his voting record, which he called “all over the place,” demonstrates that commitment.

Velis said in 2018, when he was called up again to Afghanistan, which had been labelled the most violent country in the world, he was on duty in both Kabul and Qatar for the talks with the Taliban that had been ordered by Trump.

“I saw more of a willingness and desire for compromise and concessions among the Taliban than among folks here at home,” Velis said. He said he came back to a country with a division unlike any he’s ever seen in his lifetime and renewed his pledge to serve the people first.

Velis then said that for a long time, Western Massachusetts has not received its “fair share of the pie,” something he has been hearing while knocking on doors throughout the district. He said he is running to represent all 11 cities and towns of the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District, which includes Agawam, one district in Chicopee, Easthampton, Granville, Holyoke, Montgomery, Russell, Southampton, Southwick, Tolland and Westfield.

“I got into politics because I want to help people,” Velis said.

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