The race to represent Massachusetts 5th Hampden District is between the six year incumbent Pat Duffy and Dori Dean, a longtime political consultant and lifelong resident of Holyoke.
Dean said she decided to run just in February, winter after watching numerous Holyoke City Council and ordinance meetings.
"It's concerning the way they function or don't function or how things get shelved and not worked on, and I think we have a lot of work ahead of us to straighten out the ship," Dean said.
But she was adamant, she has no interest in running for city leadership.
“No, no, no,” Dean said laughing. “Absolutely not.”
More than a decade ago, Dean was former Mayor Alex Morse's campaign manager and briefly his first chief of staff.
She's running now she said because she wants to bring Holyoke back to its greatness.
“We need to create an environment where we can bring everybody together, not just a small clique here and another clique there,” Dean said.
Dean, who has added green energy consulting to her work, said if elected, her goal is to address the district's quality of life issues — from Beacon Hill.
“High unemployment, limited career pathways and significant commercial vacancies,” Dean listed, also mentioning the need for road repairs, addressing absentee landlords and finding funds for additional police presence on the streets .
Among her solutions is to redevelop Holyoke's downtown and its once prosperous mill buildings, those that can still be used.
Some of Dean's campaign promises are already part of city and state initiatives. Dean says she would build on them.
Dean is is not watching State Representative Pat Duffy’s campaign, she said, but she finds faults with Duffy’s legislative efforts.
Holyoke has been underserved Dean said.
Campaign coffers
During Dean’s brief campaign, she said she’s been meeting and greeting residents, seeking their support.
“I'm taking it to the streets,” Dean said. “I just don't think you can beat going door to door, and actually having those conversations.”
But contributions to her campaign have been underwhelming, with a total of less than $7,500 according the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
“I'm outspent, let's be very realistic about that,” Dean said. “I've probably barely raised $10 grand with $3000 of my own dollars, you know, lent to it.”
As of last month, Pat Duffy, who was at one time an aide to former state Representative Aaron Vega, had more than $20,000 to spend on her campaign.
Duffy first ran for state representative and won in 2020, after Vega left the seat (he is now the president of the Western Mass Economic Development Council).
Obvious dedication of both candidates
Both candidates clearly overlap in their desire to serve the area’s residents, both mentioning their commitment to the district's veterans.
After the deadly COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 at the Holyoke Soldier’s Home killed nearly 80 veterans, Duffy said she advocated for millions in state funding for a new Soldier’s Home in Holyoke.
Both candidates also acknowledge the challenges of state legislation under the Trump administration.
Duffy said she’s hearing from constituents that affordability, of everything, is a huge issue.
“There really are national and international pressures that are making gasoline costs more, groceries cost more, health care costs more-- because of federal policies and [Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act],” Duffy said.
Affordable housing is another issue for the district.
Duffy said she is proud to put on her list of accomplishments several new developments, as a member of the Holyoke Housing Authority.
“We've got Appleton Mills, which is a 55-plus [community and] has a large percentage [of units] that have income requirements, not just low income, but also middle incomes,” Duffy said.
Maybe a sports complex
Both Duffy and Dean spoke about the need for more businesses to open in the district, especially in Holyoke.
In the last few years, the city has been hearing about the potential development of a multimillion dollar, state of the art sports complex that spearheaded by Mayor Joshua Garcia and a local entrepreneur.
The complex promises to "invigorate the local economy," according to the city.
Dean says there's not enough information to warrant the millions of dollars Duffy has requested in a proposed bond bill.
"I don't think they've been forthright on exactly what it is they're doing, how it'll bring a tax base back to us," Dean said. "Is this just another project we're going to throw money at it and we're not going to get a tax revenue? I don't think that's been really clear, and Pat [Duffy] is not being clear...[about the proposed location]."
Duffy said she the sports complex project is bigger than just Holyoke.
"I put in a $2 million bond authorization that would go to the city of Holyoke to help them prepare a site," Duffy said.
Regional marketers talk about all the reasons why Holyoke would be a good place for the complex Duffy said.
"It would be great economic development. I want Holyoke to have a shot at that," Duffy said.
When the bill gets to Governor Maura Healey's desk, part of her Capital Investment Plan, Duffy said there will be thousands of other bills.
The funding is not a shoe-in, and Duffy clarified the funds would not be released unless there's "united local advocacy" around the location.
A key tension has been where the sports complex would go.
Holyoke, the state's poorest city
Duffy or Dean will represent an entire district, with a demographic of home and business owners, longtime residents and young professionals, and nearly 30% of Holyoke residents living at or below the federal poverty line.
According to the city, per capita, Holyoke has more homeless school children than the three largest cities in the state.
Holyoke Public Schools just recently regained local control after a decade of state governance, an effort to improve the district's underperforming schools.
In November, the winner of Tuesday's primary will face off against Jose Candelario Gonzalez, who is running as an independent.
