WESTFIELD — Republican state Rep. Kelly Pease and his opponent, Democratic candidate Bridget Matthews-Kane, are both focusing on community needs in their campaigns.
They define those needs differently, however.
Pease, who has occupied the 4th Hampden District seat since 2018, said he’s delivered for Southampton and Westfield on state aid for the largest expenses on municipal budgets.
“I think I have a very good record to run on. I get out there and meet the people, and fight for more money for roads and schools,” said Pease, who said those have been his priorities since his first campaign. He said schools are the biggest budget item in cities and towns and are what drives property taxes, and roads are what people complain the most about.
Matthews-Kane, a Westfield city councilor, said she’s spent her summer knocking on doors and learning what voters want from their state representative. The district includes all of Southampton and almost all of Westfield.
“Being at the doors has confirmed what I’ve heard in the past year,” she said. “Affordability is increasingly the No. 1 issue of my constituents. Housing affordability, medical care affordability are the two big issues I hear most about at the doors. We really have to come up with ways to make it affordable to live in the commonwealth, to make sure seniors can stay in their homes, and people can get the medical care they need.”
Both candidates were unopposed in their primary elections. They will face each other on the general election ballot on Nov. 5.
Speaking about his priorities, Pease said that although the Student Opportunity Act to boost school aid was enacted before he was elected, Westfield’s share of state funds has increased from $37 million to $44 million during his tenure in office.
Road money has also gone up, by $150 million statewide since he was elected, though much of that has been in programs for which local communities have to apply. Pease said he would have preferred to see more of an increase in general highway aid, known as Chapter 90, and has been speaking with transportation leaders on Beacon Hill to adjust the Chapter 90 funding formula to make it more favorable for Western Massachusetts. He said every Democrat voted against a proposal to increase Chapter 90 funding this year.
Matthews-Kane, who is running her first contested race after being elected to the Ward 3 council seat with no opponent in 2021 and 2023, said her experience as a local government candidate is helping her on the campaign trail this year.
“I am canvassing all the time — going door to door,” she said. What’s new in this race is that she has been introducing herself to voters in Southampton, where she is not as well known.
“The concerns are identical; what people talk about is different. People in Westfield know me or my work and want to talk about the City Council. In Southampton, that is rare, and they want to talk about national issues, and how the race in the 4th Hampden District intersects with national concerns,” Matthews-Kane said. “It’s more of an introduction in Southampton, where in Westfield at the majority of doors, people know who I am. Not everybody, but the majority.”
Matthews-Kane has served on several City Council subcommittees, including the past three years as chair of the Finance Committee. She said that experience of hers is resonating with the people she talks to in both communities.
“I have overseen budget hearings and helped to guide financial decisions — because of that I know a lot of families are struggling right now,” she said.
Pease said he’s also been listening to Southampton and Westfield during his time as state representative.
He said after the Southampton Town Meeting discussed developing land for a new public safety complex, he was able to designate $150,000 in the state economic development bill to aid that project. He’s also designated $50,000 for affordable housing land in Southampton, another priority mentioned at a recent Town Meeting, though in both cases the funds are part of bills that are currently stalled in the Legislature. He was also able to secure $25,000 for a police cruiser. He said before his district was redrawn to include Southampton in 2022, the town went two years without any earmarks in the budget.
Also in the economic development bill, Pease added $200,000 for Westfield for work on South Maple and Pleasant streets, and $50,000 for capital improvements for the Greater Westfield Boys & Girls Club. He also got $50,000 in state funds for the Parks and Recreation Department to help construct the new Elm Street Plaza, another $50,000 for the Westfield Little River Levee project, and $25,000 for Westfield on Weekends, he said.
“I always said I was going to work hard — I like to think I do work hard for my constituents,” Pease said.
Pease, who is originally from Chester and now lives in Westfield with his wife Serena and son Riley, is a retired Army officer with 20 years of active duty, a bachelor’s degree in political science from Westfield State University and a master of law degree from Western New England University. Prior to running as representative, he served as a legislative aide to former state Sen. Donald Humason Jr.
Matthews-Kane said she has a list of priorities on her website at www.bridgetmatthewskane.com, which include education and youth, housing and inflation, seniors and veterans, traffic and roads, good jobs and businesses, the opioid crisis and mental health.
Matthews-Kane grew up in Westfield and graduated from St. Mary’s Parish School and Westfield High School. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Tim Matthews, and they have four children. Besides serving on the City Council, she also serves on the advisory board for Blue Star Families of New England, an organization devoted to supporting military-connected families in New England.
The election is Nov. 5. State representatives serve a two-year term.
