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Northampton Media

Bardsley Issues Campaign Statement

by Guest Columnist | Oct 24, 2009 8:23 am

Posted to: Mayoral Race, Michael Bardsley

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With over 15 years of experience in Northampton city government, I’ve learned how the political process works from the grassroots up. As a native New Englander from a working-class background, and a resident of Northampton for nearly 40 years, I understand the struggles that many of us face. I want to work with all our citizens to find solutions to keep our city strong.

We are facing an unpredictable economic climate where old strategies are no longer enough. New leadership is needed to bring about greater openness in city government, creative initiatives for economic growth that will produce good jobs, and protection of our natural resources. That is why I am running for Mayor.

I represented Ward 4 as City Councilor for three terms, then served as an At-Large Councilor for five terms, representing the entire city. My service includes eight years as Council President. During my three decades of working as a high school guidance counselor, I was a member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and served on its statewide board for six years. These positions required someone who could listen to a wide variety of voices and find common ground.

I share the concerns of Northampton voters who want to improve the transparency and accessibility of the political process. Most recently I served on the Best Practices Committee, which released its final report this past March. Our recommendations included:

· conducting an independent review of the Office of Planning and Development, in light of several controversial project approvals;

· making a detailed line-item budget available to the City Council and the public;

· posting timely and accurate agendas and minutes of public meetings to maximize transparency, accountability and citizen participation;

· expanding broadcast coverage of city government;

· giving the Council greater oversight of appointments to city boards and committees, to ensure that our hiring process reflects the diverse views and interests of the community.

Our political decision-making suffers when citizens can’t find an appropriate forum to weigh in on the issues that affect them. We need to begin implementing these recommendations.

Northampton’s highly educated population is one of our greatest strengths. We must do a better job of leveraging this asset to attract firms to the city—and to help launch them here—that will create good jobs, including green jobs. This task will be one of my top priorities as Mayor.

I will protect our public schools so that they are not held hostage to annual budget fluctuations. As Mayor, I would work closely with the Northampton School Committee to keep all four elementary schools open. Drawing on my professional experience as an educator, I’ll seek out new supplemental funding options—federal, state, and private.

Discussions of our city’s infrastructure and job-growth opportunities have focused on 20th-century technology—factories, rails and housing construction. I believe we need an equal emphasis on 21st-century technology. Extending high-speed Internet access to local businesses and residents is a strategy that has helped other Western Massachusetts communities, such as Holyoke and the Berkshires, transition from an agricultural and manufacturing base to a more knowledge-based economy. Opportunities beckon in next-generation networks such as that now enjoyed by the Five Colleges. Faster and more widespread Internet connectivity enables businesses and workers to shrink their environmental footprint through telecommuting and live-work spaces. I would work to develop it here.

Our growing awareness of global warming and energy scarcity has sparked a city-wide debate over the meaning of sustainable growth. While most residents agree that sprawl is unattractive and resource-intensive, there’s less agreement about what good “smart growth” should look like. I’ve heard from many residents around the city who feel shut out of the urban planning process. It seems to them that the quality of life in their communities takes a back seat to the interests of a few powerful developers.

Currently, the planning and zoning boards have insufficient power to reject construction projects that clash with the character of a neighborhood. As Mayor, I would support the enactment of infill design guidelines so that new growth harmonizes with the character and density of our existing neighborhoods.

It is time for the city to place a higher value on our natural resources, including in-town greenspace, wetlands and water supply. Infill development is best directed to already-cleared land—vacant lots, parking lots, and unused buildings—rather than paving over what greenspace remains near downtown. Our urban woods and wetlands buffer against floods and reduce summer temperatures, and their beauty helps attract and retain residents.

I would urge the City Council to revisit the wetlands ordinance that was passed in 2007, which encourages developers to encroach as close as 10 feet to wetlands in several in-town districts. This measure, which was intended to give homeowners more leeway in building minor accessory structures, has begun to be misused to permit extensive new developments that threaten water quality and put homeowners at risk of flooding. Scientists find that buffer zones of 50 feet are necessary to give wetlands lasting protection. I support returning Northampton to this standard—which is more in line with wetlands ordinances in other Massachusetts communities—while allowing for modest exceptions for small accessory structures, driveways and landscaping.

We must resist the temptation to patch holes in the city’s budget with large projects that may lead to expensive remediation problems later. I’ve raised questions about the proposed expansion of the city’s landfill, which could contaminate an aquifer that serves 60,000 people from Northampton to Westfield. Some in this administration have claimed that the landfill poses no health risks to neighboring residents, but the state Department of Public Health has warned that this conclusion cannot be reached from the currently available evidence.

I am committed to exploring other, more forward-thinking options for Northampton’s waste-disposal needs. Current state policy leans towards discouraging landfills and incineration, favoring recycling and other methods to get us closer to “zero waste”. By contrast, the landfill expansion plan gives the city a financial incentive to entomb more waste. Without enough tons coming in, the landfill will lose money. Since 2001, Northampton’s recycling rate has slid below the statewide average, according to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) figures. Meanwhile, over the same period, several other Western Massachusetts communities have improved their rates. We must do better, but it will take leadership by a Mayor who prioritizes this issue. I will launch an aggressive program including composting and reuse.

Election season brings out our differences and sometimes our frustrations with life in Northampton. It’s good for us to have this vigorous debate about the challenges ahead, but also to remain hopeful that together we have the resources to thrive in difficult times. We don’t all have to agree in order to make this vision a reality. What matters is our shared commitment to this diverse, creative, one-of-a-kind city we call home. As your Councilor, I’ve worked to conserve the best of Northampton’s heritage while seeking out new ideas from every group of citizens, and I hope to continue that service as your Mayor. For more on my principles and positions, please visit MichaelBardsley.com, and please give me your vote on November 3.

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