At a bilingual candidate forum hosted by 1 Holyoke and Holyoke Media, candidates for Holyoke City Council urged stronger protections for renters and new city services to address affordable housing.

Richard Purcell, a candidate for Ward 4, said affordable housing must be a top priority and called for rent control and a new city office to defend renters. “Housing should be a human right. Just like health care, it should be a human right,” Purcell said, adding, “We should create a housing rights office in city hall for renters to go to for housing concerns.”

Jenny Rivera, the Ward 1 city councilor, agreed that housing is urgent for her neighborhood and listed sidewalks and housing among top needs. “Housing is a big issue. Rent control is a huge issue as well,” Rivera said, and urged pursuing community development grants to support housing work.

Anne Thalheimer, a Ward 3 candidate and renter, told the forum rising rents compelled her to prioritize lowering the cost of living and establishing an office for renters’ rights. “We need an office of renters rights,” Thalheimer said, adding that community development funding and other local funding avenues should be explored.

Candidates tied housing concerns to displacement and past fights over local housing stock. Purcell referenced prior local organizing to preserve housing and warned against gentrification that could displace long-term residents.

The forum covered several wards and the candidates repeatedly framed housing as a citywide issue that will affect the composition of the council after the Nov. 4 election.

No formal policy or ordinance was adopted at the forum; candidates presented proposals they would pursue if elected or re-elected.