AGAWAM — Ever since the weather’s been good, Mayor Christopher Johnson’s office has received complaint after complaint of unwanted solicitors going door-to-door, pushing products onto residents.
He’s even seen it himself.
“I’ve personally experienced it myself, where you say, ‘I’m not interested,’ and they just sit there and keep at you,” he said.
That’s what the bulk of residents complain about, the pushiness and intrusiveness of these solicitors. Johnson said some complained of solicitors visiting them as late as 9 p.m.; one resident said a solicitor ignored a “no soliciting” sign and rang the doorbell.
“I had one gentleman call and say, ‘I was working in my garage and all of a sudden this person comes walking right into my garage trying to sell me something. Scared the daylights out of me. Then, when I said I wasn’t interested, kept trying to push and push and push,’” Johnson said.
City councilors and the police have also received complaints, he said.
“I get it. They’re trying to do their job, but we just need to have a better system than we have now,” he said.
Currently, the city requires solicitors to register with the police. It does not require background checks or a solicitation license.
“When I looked at it, our ordinance hasn’t been amended in decades and didn’t really address the issue,” said Johnson.
Johnson said he then did research on surrounding communities and came up with some ordinance amendments with Police Chief Eric Gillis and his staff.
Councilor George Bitzas, a sponsor of the amendments, did not respond to two phone calls requesting an interview on the matter. Johnson said Bitzas was one of the first councilors to complain and worked on the amendments, too.
As written, the amended ordinance would require solicitors to apply with the police chief for a license at least 15 days before they intend to start soliciting. The police chief would then conduct a background check before giving or denying the solicitor a license.
“It would be in the form of a lanyard that you wear around your neck so people can see you’re vetted,” said Johnson.
Solicitors must also respect “no soliciting” signs and restrict activities to after 8:30 a.m. and before 8:30 p.m. The police would enforce these rules and issue fines as necessary, said Johnson.
A number of groups would be exempt from the ordinance, including religious, political or educational organizations. It also allows the mayor to designate certain groups for exemptions, though Johnson said he doesn’t currently have any groups in mind.
The City Council will begin its discussion on the proposed amendments at its Sept. 4 meeting. Ordinance changes require votes at two separate meetings. Should the council approve the amendments, Johnson said the town will set up the application process in time for the ordinance to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
