Eleven candidates for Holyoke City Council at-large appeared at a bilingual candidate forum hosted by Holyoke Media and 1 Holyoke CDC in Holyoke to discuss taxes, language access, municipal staffing, infrastructure and neighborhood development ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

The forum brought together incumbents and challengers to explain how they would prioritize citywide needs while representing distinct neighborhoods. Candidates focused on four consistent themes: municipal finance and a split-rate tax plan promoted by one challenger, expanding language access and translation services, improving recruitment and retention for municipal workers, and neighborhood-level development decisions such as the debated Elmwood Forest project.

Christopher Donay, a challenger and patent examiner, pressed a split-rate tax plan that he said would shift more property tax burden onto vacant and blighted parcels while reducing taxes for homeowners. "I can deliver a tax cut to 80 to 90% of homeowners by only taxing you based on your land," Donay said, adding that the proposal would require a study, a referendum and a home-rule petition. Donay said the change is intended to create revenue to pay for hiring and improved city services and to reduce blight.

Kevin Jourdain, the longest-serving councilor on the stage, emphasized protecting neighborhoods from development he said would harm residents, using the Elmwood Forest project as an example. "I will always be on the side of the residents," Jourdain said, arguing that development can be redirected rather than imposed on a neighborhood that opposes it.

Several candidates prioritized language access and services for Spanish-speaking residents. Jennifer Keat, a former city hall employee, said, "Language should never be a barrier to participating in your community," and urged departments to adopt language-access policies and translated materials. Christopher Donay and others suggested using machine translation and eventually hiring a language access officer if budgets allow. Candidates cited citywide demographic figures given in the forum: roughly 51–54% Hispanic, about 47% of residents speaking Spanish and roughly 12% of households speaking only Spanish.

Municipal staffing and morale featured repeatedly. Tessa Murphy Ramboletti, the council president and incumbent at-large, and former city employees described low morale, understaffing and workplace conditions as barriers to retaining qualified municipal workers. "When you're not willing to pay people what they're worth, you're overloading them," Jennifer Keat said, describing repeated office moves and building problems she encountered while working in city hall. Multiple candidates called for better wages, training and working conditions; Kevin Jourdain and others added that increased local aid from the state would be needed to fund salary and infrastructure improvements.

Infrastructure and an expiring contract also drew attention. Michael Sullivan, a current councilor who said he served on a mayoral ad hoc committee, flagged a new 10-year, $80,000,000 wastewater treatment contract and tied infrastructure investment to economic development opportunities that could broaden the tax base.

Candidates repeatedly urged voter engagement. Michael Sullivan and Mimi Panitch stressed turnout and asked voters to watch meetings and evaluate actions, while many emphasized community outreach, regular office hours and meeting ward leaders to ensure neighborhood voices are heard.

The forum included opening and closing remarks, timed answers with simultaneous interpretation, and a randomized order for questions. No formal motions or council votes took place at the event; remarks were campaign statements and policy proposals ahead of the Nov. 4 municipal election.

The bilingual forum was recorded and distributed by Holyoke Media and will be available through the station and its online channels.

(For the record: the forum moderator was Darobi Rosa, Director of Community Engagement and Resident Services at 1 Holyoke; Kerry Baker served as board clerk for Holyoke Media.)