Jynai McDonald announces candidacy for Ward 4 City Councilor

Feb. 1, 2021 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Jynai McDonald will run again for Ward 4 city councilor.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

SPRINGFIELD – Jynai McDonald will be running again for the Ward 4 City Council seat she came close to winning two years ago and in part it is the attendance record of Councilor Malo Brown that is motivating her campaign.

Brown, McDonald said to Reminder Publishing, attends only 40 percent of the council’s meeting.

“The basic function of a city councilor is to show up,” she asserted and added Ward 4 has had a “failure of representation.”

Her campaign has also been a response to people in the district telling her they want a change.

She believes that little has happened in the ward, which has “a lot of potential and great people.”

She added, “The district doesn’t look any different than when this councilor took office.”

McDonald is a life-long resident of Springfield and a graduate of Bay Path University. She is currently the Family Child Care Coordinator for SEIU Local 509, where she leads the department in providing representation, training, and services for approximately 2,400 Family Child Care providers throughout Massachusetts. She also currently serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC).

In her campaign announcement, she said. “The residents of Ward 4 deserve a councilor, who will be present at meetings, which is one of the most basic functions of a City Councilor. Additionally, residents need an advocate with a clear vision for neighborhoods and businesses as opposed to a councilor who refers to the area they represent as the ghetto during official City Council meetings. There will always be work to do, but Ward 4 is a vibrant and critical part of Springfield. With Mason Square’s historic sites, colleges, and other rich history, the district has a lot to offer and plenty of economic potential.”

McDonald is concerned about a housing project on Wilbraham Avenue that will be displacing residents as well as concerned that contractors of color and the building trades are having difficulty being included in ongoing projects.

With the pandemic still a factor, McDonald said one other challenges will be getting in front of voters, but she said the last election cycle showed her how social distanced door-knocking, additional use of phone banks, and the use of texting and post cards can get out the word.

Most of all, she is hopping for opportunities to debate Brown. She added that at one debate during the last election for the seat he did not turn up.

For more information about her campaign, go to https://www.facebook.com/votejynai.

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