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Candidates back Quimby Street redesign and call for downtown small‑business supports
Summary
Candidates supported the Quimby Street one‑way pilot and urged coordinated programming and business outreach to strengthen downtown vibrancy, while flagging parking and permitting as persistent concerns for local merchants.
Quimby Street's reimagining and downtown vibrancy were frequent topics at the forum, where candidates endorsed the flexible, test‑and‑measure approach used for pedestrianization and urged stronger coordination with downtown business groups.
Vic Pinketturaman, Ward 2 candidate, described the Quimby plan — which the current council approved — as "flexible in nature" and said the project should be evaluated by measuring sales lift and pedestrian counts. "We should pair our design with programming efforts," he said, suggesting school marching bands, performances and other events timed to seasons.
Jason Sevets and other candidates recommended targeted small‑business supports such as restaurant week, permitting concierge services and a tighter partnership with the Downtown Westfield Corp (DWC) and Westfield Chamber of Commerce to attract local, mom‑and‑pop businesses rather than national chains.
Several candidates said parking remains a fundamental constraint: lack of convenient short‑term parking discourages lunchtime and evening patronage. Speakers proposed a mix of short‑term fixes (promotion campaigns, events) and longer‑term planning (permitting improvements, parking studies).
Ending: There was broad agreement on an iterative Quimby pilot, active merchant engagement, and targeted promotions to revive downtown activity; no council votes were held at the forum.
