Holyoke at‑large forum spotlights language access, taxes and aging infrastructure

Holyoke Media hosted a bilingual forum for nine candidates seeking city councilor at‑large, where candidates emphasized language access, municipal finance and basic infrastructure as the central issues of the campaign.

The forum, organized with 1 Holyoke and interpreters for simultaneous translation, followed a randomized speaking order and gave each candidate two minutes per question. Candidates repeatedly stressed the need for better outreach to non‑English speakers and for restoring fiscal stability after recent tax increases.

Christopher Donay, a candidate and patent examiner, described a multi‑stage split‑rate tax proposal intended to shift tax burden onto vacant and blighted land and deliver property tax relief to homeowners. “I can give a tax cut to 80–90% of homeowners by only taxing you based on your land, shifting that burden onto blight in vacant lots,” Donay said, calling for a study, referendum and a home‑rule petition to pursue the idea.

Several candidates called aging infrastructure the most immediate, practical problem facing the city. Michael Sullivan, a city councilor, highlighted a new 10‑year wastewater contract he said is worth about $80,000,000 and described stormwater separation work as an opportunity to expand industrial capacity. “This contract is a lot more than just the treatment of wastewater,” Sullivan said, calling the plant a potential economic asset.

Language access dominated a second round of questions. Candidates offered a mix of immediate steps—bilingual signage, translated web materials and interpreter phone lines—and longer‑term proposals, including formal language‑access policies and hiring priorities for bilingual staff. Christopher Donay cited local demographics and urged a formal policy: he said roughly half the city is Hispanic and advocated a language officer when budgets permit. “Translation is not that hard anymore,” he said, arguing for technology and policy change.

Other themes included restoring morale and pay at city hall, with several candidates urging better salaries, training and workplace respect to retain municipal staff; reviving ward committees to improve neighborhood representation; and resisting developments that local wards oppose, a concern raised around the Elmwood Forest project.

Candidates closed by urging residents to vote on Nov. 4. The forum aired on Holyoke Media channels and will be available on its YouTube page for residents who could not attend in person.