PALMER – On the ballot for the June 14 election, five candidates will be vying for two Councilor At Large positions – a three-year term seat and a two-year term seat.

The three candidates running for a two-year term include John M. Comerford, Lucas McDiarmid and incumbent Mark J. Caci. The two candidates running for a three-year term are incumbent Jessica Sizer and Timothy Cienciwa. Incumbent Matthew Lemieux is running unopposed for District 4 Councilor.

Ahead of the election, Reminder Publishing asked all candidates the same series of questions on their candidacies and visions for Palmer. Below are their responses, organized in alphabetical order by last name.

Reminder Publishing (RP): Tell voters about your professional and personal background.

Cienciwa: I was raised on a farm in town, the oldest of four children. I graduated from Palmer High, class of 1998 as an athlete and member of the band. I am the proud father of two boys. Hunter, a Veteran of the United States Air Force became a five palmed Eagle Scout at 15 in a Palmer Scout Troop. My youngest son, Kyle, is an honor roll student and a Patrol Leader in his Troop. I’m currently the Advancement Chair and an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 164 under the charter of Divine Mercy Parish. I am also the Committee Chair and an Associate Advisor for Venture Crew 164 under the charter of Palmer Fire Department. I work as an officer for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. I am in my fourth year there. I love working for Sheriff Cocchi and with my brothers and sisters in uniform. Knowing that I contribute to the safety of this community and the rehabilitation of those who are looking for a second chance couldn’t be more rewarding.

Lemieux: My 9-5 career I am a Business Analyst for TTM Technologies. We are the second largest Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Supplier in the world. We specialize in many different markets, but primarily in aerospace and defense. I am also a call/volunteer firefighter for Bondsville and have been involved as a local first responder for over 15 years. Currently I am also President of the Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce. Personally, I have lived in Three Rivers for about 20 years, married with children.

McDiarmid: I grew up in Palmer. I attended Palmer Public Schools and graduated from Pathfinder Tech, in 2012. I am deeply rooted in Western Massachusetts. After attending college in North Adams, I traveled for work. I was able to experience life in New Hampshire, North Carolina and New York. Ultimately, I decided to return to Palmer. My professional experience ranges from the Massachusetts Judiciary to the nonprofit sector and finally to the legislature. In the non-profit sector, I worked to combat labor trafficking and human trafficking, globally, before working in fundraising, promoting civics education. Since 2019, I have been district director and communications director to Senator Anne Gobi, providing services and advocacy for the residents and communities of Central and Western Mass.

Sizer: I’ve been a Palmer resident my entire life and have multi-generational ties to the community. Ever since I was a student at Palmer High School, I have been committed to leadership and public service. I was the student representative on the School Committee and the class president. When I was in my undergrad at UMass Amherst I completed an internship in the Palmer Town Manager’s Office, which was where I decided that I wanted a career in local government. Fast forward to 2019 when I was starting my master’s in public policy at UMass, I was elected for my first term on the Town Council. Following graduating with my Masters, I began working for a small community in central Mass. as a Town Administrator, as I believe local government plays an incredibly important role in people’s everyday lives. Aside from working in local government, I enjoy staying active with my two dogs.

RP: Why have you decided to run for this position/re-election?

Cienciwa: In my experience working in public service, I believe everyone wants to be listened to. To be given answers or to be connected to someone who has them. To feel they are not in this alone. That is what I want to be able to do for all the citizens of Palmer. I am continuously learning and vow to seek out the answers the citizens of this town are looking for. The commitment to my community, the place I live, raised my children, the town I love, is unwavering. If we as U.S. citizens want to see a change in this world, understand it starts right here in communities like ours. It would be my personal goal as town councilor to get more people to participate in this process. I have regularly attended Town Council meetings over the last year and have had the chance to get to know the councilors and the town manager. There is no doubt this is something I want to be involved in.

Lemieux: I am running unopposed for re-election to the district council seat of Three Rivers. This will be my third term of office. I am running for re-election because I have some personal projects that I would like to see completed and I feel that as a town we can do better.

McDiarmid: I am running for Councilor-At-Large because local government is the heart of our democracy. For all the legislation filed at Beacon Hill and on Capitol Hill, some of the most impactful decisions are made at Town Hall. Palmer deserves a voice and an advocate, who can operate energetically, positively and proactively. I believe that local government should be accessible and approachable for all residents. As Councilor-At-Large, I am committing to holding office hours each month.

Sizer: There is a lot of unfinished business and I believe that the current makeup of the council along with the town manager works really well together and we have built a lot of momentum to make meaningful change. It takes that level of teamwork and commitment to see through the challenges that the town faces. We trust each other that we are going to make decisions with the best interest of the town in mind. Also, with the COVID-19 pandemic there was a lot of uncertainty for the future and we were limited as far as what we were able to do. I would like to make up for that lost time by serving another term. I believe I bring a different perspective than most since I am such a young person. The town has an aging population and we need to figure out how to attract young people and encourage young people to either build a life in Palmer or stay in the community they grew up in.

RP: What do you see as the three largest issues facing the Town Council? How will you address said issues?

Cienciwa: Over the past year the Town Council has faced major issues in our DPW that have had their hands full. The retirement/replacement of their director, mechanical malfunctioning of most of its major equipment that is in need of replacement and the deterioration of Rondeau Road and many of the town’s bridges. The town has also dealt with the rezoning of land parcels to attract interested businesses to commit to investing in our town. I met the new DPW director at the last Town Council meeting who definitely has his work cut out for him and hope to speak to him further. To anyone upset with the condition of our roads and bridges, I would invite them to view our town meetings first. No candidate can promise to immediately fix the bridges in town without taxes going up. Our Town Manager has come up with ways of getting our bridges repaired with federal and state funds, unfortunately waiting for the state to write checks takes time. I will continue to work with our Town Manager to see where we stand in regards to the funding and ensuring the bridges are safe and usable.

Lemieux: The three largest issues facing the Town Council are number one, the town budget; number two, managing and getting ahead of aging infrastructure [roads, bridges, sidewalks, etc.]; number three, increasing benefits to taxpayers – this will help the common question of ‘What benefits/services am I getting for the amount of taxes I pay?’ These are all a main focus for me personally.

McDiarmid: The needs of the town as a whole and the needs of each village create interesting intersections. As I have talked to community members, their concerns have been made clear to me.

Economic recovery- While zoning approvals are important to draw in more business, we need to ensure the commercial environment is viable for existing businesses.

Infrastructure- It is no secret that Chapter 90 funds from the state are not enough to cover the upgrades and repairs needed. In conjunction with the economic development office, there are partnerships that need to be fostered and developed.

Public Safety- I have had multiple discussions with first responders and community members surrounding public safety issues. It is crucial that our residents feel safe in their homes, businesses and school. I am committed to working with all community stakeholders to ensure that needed conversations are being had, and solutions are being found. I am profoundly grateful for the professionalism of and earnestness of the men and women of Palmer District 1 Fire Department, Three Rivers Fire Department, Bondsville Fire Department and the Palmer Police Department. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for the leadership and chiefs of each department and look forward to continuing these meaningful conversations.

Sizer: Limited housing options is a big challenge for Palmer. We have aging housing stock and often not the type of housing for people’s needs. The Town Council needs to consider a housing plan to address these shortcomings, including housing options available for current residents looking for something different along with attracting new residents. Affordable housing is another aspect. Many people recognize that the cost of houses right now is largely unattainable for certain populations. We cannot let the people who already, or desire to live here be priced out because of these issues. Residents frequently tell us that our tax rate is high but the services they receive are limited. One of our goals for the Town Council is to improve the services that we have, create new services and better communicate the ones available. Another issue that I think the Town Council needs to address is our ability to communicate and attract people to participate in local government. Many people are not interested in local government and oftentimes understanding what is being discussed can be a barrier to involvement. I think we can only improve on providing communication, services and making government accessible.

RP: How do you think Palmer can become more economically viable? How will you work to achieve this?

Cienciwa: The town has already taken steps to promote growth by voting to rezone a few parcels of land for commercial use. This topic has created a lot of public interest as the meetings where this was discussed was standing room only. Moving forward, the Town Council needs to make sure the right businesses are set up in our town. This would be something I would pursue if elected. As a first responder I can confidently tell you businesses would want to come to our town for our great police and fire departments and this starts with the good people who put duty to the community first. I will ensure they are given the tools needed to perform their jobs to the best possible level of professionalism.

Lemieux: Palmer has many unique characteristics that make us very palatable for new businesses. We are at a crossroads of major highways making Palmer a destination for travelers and people commuting to surrounding communities. We need to continue work on utilizing the vacant properties in town, while working with prospective new business.

McDiarmid: Economic viability comes in the form of partnership. If elected, I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I have been fortunate to have conversations with state and federal officials, local leaders from other communities, and candidates to hear their ideas. If elected as councilor-at-large, I am prepared to have hard conversations and to fiercely advocate for the residents of this town. As the heart of eastern Hampden County, Palmer should be the hub, the driving force for the region. To accomplish that we need to engage with state and federal delegations, chase down funds, and create a seat at the table for Palmer. I am prepared to support the work of our regulatory boards, the Economic Development office and town departments to ensure that Palmer is a competitive community.

Sizer: Despite the pandemic, we were still able to complete our master plan. The master plan focused heavily on the economic future of the community. I will continue to work on seeing the implementation of the master plan. We have already made decisions that include zoning changes that will encourage business development. I believe that within the next three years the landscape of Palmer will look incredibly different. There are so many projects that are currently in the works that will really change the way that residents can receive services from businesses that have never been in this community before. I am truly excited and motivated by the momentum that we have created over such a short period of time that will truly change the economic landscape of the town. We are lucky to have the right staff currently who have the mindset and skill set to achieve these goals.

Caci did not reply to questions as of press time. Comerford provided the following response to questions after press time:

Comerford: I was born and raised in Boston and educated in Boston Public Schools. I served honorably in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. I married in 1968 and this coming September we will have been married 54 years. We have four children and five grandchildren and have lived in Palmer for about 20 plus years. For the past 12 years, I have been a veterans’ agent for the District of Eastern Hampden County providing eligible veterans with often overlooked state benefits. In 2016, I ran for sheriff of Hampden County and in that race, I received 32,000 votes; an accomplishment of which I am very proud. Your many questions in the article all boil down to one major issue, Palmer has no industry and we need to do a more effective job of enticing businesses to locate here in Palmer. There are too many vacant buildings, and those buildings need to be occupied to help increase our tax revenues; maybe if we are successful in this regard the taxes, we as homeowners pay can be reduced. That is something I intend to work very hard on pursuing. Other issues that may arise [and will] will be addressed appropriately.