WEST SPRINGFIELD – Election Day is nearly here for West Springfield. The Nov. 5 contest sees six candidates vying for five town councilor at-large seats and two candidates each in the District 1 and District 4 races. The candidates for Districts 2 and 3 are running unopposed.

Reminder Publishing reached out to each of the candidates for a contested seat on the town council to answer the question in 250 words of less, “What are the most pressing issues facing West Springfield and how do you plan to address them?” Their answers are below in no particular order.

Councilor At-Large:

Brian J. Clune

The opioid epidemic. I think teaming up with Sheriff Cocchi and D.A. Gulluni to make sure our community of addicts are being helped. Just sitting down at the table, whether it relates to criminal activity or someone who has just fallen to the throes of this terrible disease, we're definitely on the hook to help them.

Addressing sewer rates. We made some drastic changes to the sewer rates to address some problems that have been going on forever, but the way we did it hurt the taxpayers so we have to take another look at it.

I pride myself on constituent services and my relationship the mayor and my relationship with the local delegation and Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito.

Brian J. Griffin

There’s a couple of issues on the front burner. Sewer rates, which the town council will be taking up on Nov. 13. The town council rules allow us to take them up on odd years. They need to be lowered. Rates are crippling for those on a fixed income and the elderly.

Second is that of public safety. I think we need a law enforcement unit structured around Rt. 5. The Riverdale corridor is a tough area of town, a lot of transients. We need to clean that area up. I’m happy to have the mayor’s approval on that and working with Sheriff Cocchi and D.A. Anthony Gulluni. I think it’s important to stress that the West Springfield police department will be the leader of it.

Always, there is a concern when it comes to playing fields in our town. I’d like to see an all-turf athletic complex. I’m glad to have the support of Mayor Reichelt.

 George R. Kelly

Many of the kitchen table issues surrounding traffic, water and sewer rates, and responding to the legitimate needs of people.

In the older parts of the community, we have some sewer pipes that are well over a hundred years old.

Unfortunately, water and sewer if the system is working there’s no reason to fix them.

We’ve got two bad instances in West Springfield where the sewer main has caused somebody’s house to flood with sewer. One on Cityview Ave, where the city had to settle with the people.

Tighe and Bond issued a report in 2016 of our sewer system – We decided to come up with a plan to fix them. To do them on an emergency basis is very expensive.

We have changed quite a bit since the change in the town charter in 2000. If we had these problems back when town meeting was here we would have bonded for it and had it done.

I’m chagrined that the council has passed the higher rates. The council is probably going to lower sewer rates

We have had over 12 deaths in traffic in the last years. Twelve officers have been hired, but they have to go through training. They won’t be ready, probably, until January.

 Some people are upset with us because we didn’t approve recreational marijuana but I think that if people want to use these products, they can go to Westfield or to Springfield and get their needs met. We do have medical marijuana.

Sean Powers

I would almost prefer to look at them as how we can help the people of West Springfield. I think the infrastructure needs attention.

Continuing to focus on small business making it easier for them to shop in West Springfield. Currently, if a business has a sidewalk abutting a roadway they can’t use that space for patrons. The bill I submitted, which is in subcommittee right now, would allow someone like bNapoli or Sorrento or Calabrese Market to utilize that space.

I’ve also suggested changes to home occupation with people not really needing storefronts. Those are two ways I've tried to help West Springfield grow. If you have a good small business base, typically your community is going to be stronger. It does help build a sense of community.

 Robert M. Mancini

I’ve lived in West Springfield, MA for over 40 years. My wife Andrea and I have been married 22 years with three children. I currently have two children who are in the West Springfield school system. I’m proud of all three of my children. Sabrina, Marissa, and Michael.

West Springfield is becoming more unaffordable for us all, especially for our senior citizens. I’ve seen what has happened over the last few years with issues such as water and sewer rates along with public safety problems. I know many residents are upset at the direction we are heading in overall. As a homeowner in West Springfield, I feel the pinch too with the higher costs and they will continue to increase.

I decided to run again because I know I can make a difference. I’m accessible to all residents in town and I will be your voice on the council. I want West Springfield to be affordable and safe again for all residents!

Many people run for office so the city can work for them! I am running for office so I can work for you and be your voice! I ask for your vote Nov. 5 so I can get to work for all the residents of West Springfield, MA!

 Edward C. Sullivan

I look at it in terms of community service, giving back. You have to be a good listener.

You always want to continue improving your school district. That is a major factor in attracting new people to the town.

Residents are not happy with the rate increase for the sewers that the council voted in.

Infrastructure. You have to fund technology for our police and fire departments.

There are projects in the recreational area. We have Bear Hole, which has won an award. I’d like to see Park and Rec trails behind the Irish Cultural Center. There’s more work to do and we can improve the recreation opportunities.

District 1:

Michael Scott Eger

Our biggest issue is our un/willingness to listen to all the citizens that live here. I did not feel heard on a local level, so I ran for office. Listening at a grassroots level is a lost skill, and actively listening for feedback helps me to better represent the citizens I serve. When you actively listen, you will hear voices others will miss and will be able to adjust to make a greater majority happy.

For an example of what can happen, [when] you don’t listen, please study [the] protests to our dog park before I was elected. www.facebook.com/votemikeeger/videos/2595083580630770/

I want to improve transparency and empower citizens to speak with us. I believe in open-sourcing the town’s finances so any citizen can audit spending down to the check level. This would be a greater level of detail currently offered the town councilors when we debate and vote on the budget. Currently, many software options exist to publish what we spend online formatted in a way a layperson could understand. This would empower our citizens and business people to find new efficiencies to save the taxpayer's money.

William E. Forfa

I feel the most pressing issue is the increase in sewer rates. We had the lowest rates in a long time. I feel an open dialogue is important.

Another pressing thing is making sure our school stay strong. I want to make sure our schools maintain that. I am very pro education.

I’m also very pro police. We need to coordinate with the powers-that-be to address issues and I want people to know that they can come to me.

Another thing is code enforcement, as far as houses that may not be abiding by the rules, houses that may be a little dilapidated and homeowners may not feel they can do anything about it. Or with too many cars in their yard or someone running garage out of their house. I think code enforcement is important.

And I think we need to do a better job monitoring the air quality coming off of railroads. CSX hasn’t always been the most helpful neighbor, but we need to make sure our air quality is healthy for people.

District 4:

Daniel M. O’Brien

One of the most important and contentious issues facing the Town is the increase in the rate charged for sewage treatment. The City Council is responsible for setting sewer rates. We were given a comprehensive analysis of the present financial position and the deficits being run in the sewer enterprise fund. The sewer rates had not been raised in a steady predictable fashion over the years, as a result, we managed by catastrophe.

The rates were not raised previously because it is politically unpopular. The Council and the Mayor made the difficult decision to raise the rates to cover not only current operating costs but to have money available for preventative work and repairs. We also approved approximately 12 million dollars in bonding to completely renovate each pumping station and repair infiltration into the sewer lines. I have proposed dual metering and “winter averaging” of sewer rates as a solution to ensure residents only pay for their actual sewer usage.

My long term vision is slowing the increase of the City’s budget where possible, a special zoning district in the Merrick and Memorial neighborhoods, becoming more business friendly by changing zoning and sign regulations and resisting all attempts to allow retail marijuana sales in the Town of West Springfield.

David A. Higgins of District 4 could not be reached for comment.