State Rep. Angelo Puppolo
Reminder Publishing file photo
State Rep. Angelo Puppolo told Reminder Publishing that he is confident and very prepared going into his 10th reelection race for the 12th Hampden District seat, stating that this is “nothing new.”
Puppolo is currently in his 19th year of representing Wilbraham and parts of East Longmeadow, Monson and Springfield, and sees his first Democratic primary challenger since 2006 in Springfield resident Michael Lachenmeyer.
The primary is set for Sept. 1 with the general election on Nov. 3.
Puppolo’s 2006 challenger was write-in candidate James Driscoll, who received 375 votes to Puppolo’s 3,667.
“I am seeking reelection to the House of Representatives to continue the progress we have made,” Puppolo said in a press release. “I have the experience and the relationships in the legislature to continue bringing more resources to our area, and I am not afraid to speak up and fight when it comes to advocating for our district. I have been able to make generational progress on some of the biggest challenges facing our district and the commonwealth, but that work continues, and we need a proven leader who knows how to get real results. I’m energized to continue working for our district and be your voice fighting for all of us — as it’s important that we continue to have experienced, strong leadership in Boston — now more than ever.”
He added in the press release that he believes it is incumbent upon elected officials to be accessible and responsive to the people they serve, which is why he established a full-time local constituent service office in Wilbraham on day one. He stated he is “always available to respond to constituent needs and concerns and to help.”
Puppolo told Reminder Publishing that one of the biggest things to focus on for the remainder of this term and for the next year, in the case he is reelected, would be to make sure strong leadership is continued, especially during “uncertain times.”
He said it is “critically important that we have a strong leader that knows how to stand up and fight, but can also be listened to,” adding that his experience allows him to get his points across and get real results.
“It’s not easy to begin with, but with all of the changes and all the uncertainy coming out of the administration in Washington, D.C., we need to make sure that we are prepared for unexpected, sort of, changes that normally would not occur,” Puppolo said.
Finishing the PROTECT Act is also on Puppolo’s radar, which he said the House passed to protect citizens from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or other unforeseen acts. The act is a civil rights and immigration package that establishes statewide standards defining how local police, courts and government agencies interact with federal immigration authorities.
“[The PROTECT Act] does a number of things in terms of making sure we have internal protections in there for citizens that are here, and making sure that the federal government and our ICE agents do not overreach.” Puppolo said. “If the person’s a criminal or habitual offender, that’s a whole different ballgame, but to target innocent people I think is wrong. We had a number of positive work related results with that, in terms of working with law enforcement, working with other agencies.”
Puppolo is also a strong advocate on establishing the West-East Rail, which he cites as a “game changer for economic development.” The rail would bring a 171-mile passenger train route along the corridor of Pittsfield, Springfield, Palmer, Worcester and Boston.
“It’ll open up a number of opportunities for growth, for jobs, for employment,” Puppolo said. “I think it’s gonna be a huge benefit for Western Massachusetts to be able to get that done, but it’s got to be done right. It’s got to be a reasonable time frame to get to Boston and it’s got to have, obviously, stops but stops that are targeted to make sure that it allows for a relatively quick transit, quick commute to Boston. We’ve got everything out here, you know. Great housing stock, it’s a lot more affordable, I think you’re gonna see people going both ways, in terms of working here and living out in Boston, vice versa.”
He said one of the things he is most proud of during his time in office is the marriage equality vote, which has been a “critically important bill moving forward for individual rights.”
He added that a lot of the environmental bills and reforms that he’s worked on have been able to expand clean, green renewable energy and that he’s proud to have established a connection to his constituents.
“We get a tremendous amount of calls every week, and that’s where I’m really most proud to be able to help residents when they really have nowhere else to turn,” Puppolo said. “They get bundled up in a lot of the red tape. They don’t know how to navigate the system, and that’s where I leap in and help with the constituent services … I work very, very hard to make sure that I can do all that I can for my constituents.”
Puppolo is also still very active in establishing increased funding for education, special education and school transportation, expanded access to free community college and high-quality affordable preschool, no-cost school meals and increased programs and support for seniors and veterans.
He also pushes to prioritize public safety and support of police, firefighters and EMTs, expanded access to affordable health care and housing, equal protection for all and marriage equality, increased cybersecurity privacy laws and guide rails for AI usage and protection.
