Ward 4 City Council candidates Kenneth Barnett (left), Beverly Savage (middle) and Willie James Naylor (right).
Reminder Publishing photos by Ryan Feyre
SPRINGFIELD — On Aug. 27, Focus Springfield hosted a “Meet the Candidates” event at the White Lion Brewing Company’s “PrideLands on Main Street” inside Tower Square Park.
Moderated by former Reminder Publishing Executive Editor G. Michael Dobbs, the event gave residents a chance to learn more about the City Council and School Committee candidates before the Sept. 9 primary and Nov. 4 general election.
Each candidate was given a minute to answer questions that were submitted by Springfield residents. The questions were randomly picked by Focus Springfield.
Although most Springfield races this year will be resolved on Nov. 4, there are a few that will face the September primary before marching to November. In this edition, Reminder Publishing focuses on the candidates participating in the primary election.
A story about candidates partaking in the general election will come in a later edition.
Ward 4 City Council race
The Ward 4 City Council race is the most crowded, with incumbent Malo Brown facing challengers Kenneth Barnett, Willie James Naylor and Beverly Savage on Sept. 9. Brown did not attend the Focus Springfield event, nor did he answer general questions submitted by Reminder Publishing through email.
The three challengers, however, did attend, and answered three questions ranging from why they are running, pilot in lieu of revenue agreements and attracting young professionals to the city.
Both Naylor and Savage argued that Springfield needs new leadership on the council, particularly in Ward 4. Naylor said he’s lived at the same address in Springfield for 38 years.
“This is not an office of entitlement to maintain the status quo, but this is an office where we walk with purpose to create legacy in order to be effective to bring about change,” Naylor said. “And I see that change is needed in Ward 4.”
Savage said she believes there are secrets inside President Donald Trump’s recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill” that Springfield can extract to bring monies into the city.
“I believe I’m the candidate to do that,” Savage said.
A former president of the Bay Area Neighborhood Council and graduate of American International College, Barnett focused his attention on the experience he had working with the family members that struggle with addiction and other abuse.
He said he wants to continue his community work on a larger scale.
“The reason I’m running is simply to continue the work I’ve already done,” Barnett said. “I’ve done the job, and I want to continue doing the work on a larger scale.”
When it comes to attracting younger professionals to the city, Naylor said he would want to focus on AI and computer education, if he were to become a councilor. He said that he thinks that the city’s educational institutions could offer specific education and training opportunities that “go in line with the innovative workforce that’s being developed on the scene now.”
Savage emphasized the importance of training programs for young professionals all across the spectrum.
“I believe it’s a collaborative effort with all young people of every social class,” Savage said. “Just like it is in this diverse community of Springfield, Massachusetts, for all of us to be together coming from all different social classes and diversity.”
Taking a different approach to his remarks, Barnett said Springfield will retain its young professionals by making housing fairer and more equitable. He mentioned the old Firestone Building, which has been vacant for many years, as an ideal place where the city can draw graduating students.
“I’d start there with housing, and again, health services,” Barnett said. “Make it affordable.”
Ward 6 City Council race
Incumbent Victor Davila is being challenged by Charles Whitaker Battle and Mary Johnson for the Ward 6 seat in this year’s primary race. Whitaker Battle did not attend the Focus Springfield event, nor did he respond to questions from Reminder Publishing. Davila and Johnson, meanwhile, attended the event and also answered general questions from Reminder Publishing.
When asked why he is running for his seat again, Davila said from the time he was 15 years old and homeless all the way up until today, Springfield has made him into the man he is. He shared that he wants to continue to reduce the city’s crime, litter and cost of living.
“I’m running for reelection … because it’s the least I can do to give back to this great city,” Davila said.
Johnson, a decade-long public interest lawyer, argued that Ward 6 issues are ongoing, and said the city needs a new voice and leadership in the seat. She added that she is running as a mother that is raising her kids in Springfield.
“The old ideas just simply aren’t working,” Johnson said. “We deserve neighborhoods that are clean, safe, and affordable … I plan on taking our litter issues to multiple city departments to find out what they are doing to clean up our sidewalks and streets and what they are going to do next.”
As the chair of the City Council’s PILOT New Revenue committee, Davila said he would support finding more city revenue through PILOT contracts that the city has. He said the city currently only gets $19 million in payments in lieu of taxes, or 1% of those who are property tax exempt.
“We’re going to continue knocking on the door, and then we’ll open the door, and we will get the money, the revenue, that we need to continue providing the services we should be serving,” Davila said.
Johnson said she is really excited to explore this issue because Springfield could conservatively receive $10 million in revenue from pilot programs every year, “far and above any amount that you could get” from fines.
“One way to [increase revenue] is to increase the PILOT agreements the city has with nonprofits such as colleges and hospitals,” Johnson said. “Exploring whether some of our most important institutions would be willing to engage in reasonable PILOT agreements to support our residents is long overdue.”
District 3 School Committee race
The other big primary race on Sept. 9 will be the District 3 School Committee contest, which features incumbent Christopher Collins facing off against newcomers Steven Carosello and Rosa Valentin.
Collins said he is running again because the work is not finished, including efforts around MCAS.
“One of the best things that we’ve done, and we need to continue that, is get the focus off the people who aren’t in the middle of the schools and dealing with children, and get finances pushed right to the schools,” Collins said. “I’m running to make sure that that stays in place, and to support the new superintendent.”
A 35-year veteran of Springfield Public Schools, Valentin said she is running for the District 3 seat because she cares deeply about the children and teachers, arguing that the latter is the backbone of the school system.
“I’m running for School Committee … because we need to support our superintendent, and we need to continue the great work that Springfield is doing,” Valentin said. “I’m running because I believe in our children, in our teachers, and also in our families.”
Carosello, a state worker, said he hopes to bring his community outreach to the District 3 seat by helping families and their children find the support systems that they need.
“I know exactly what our students need in the city of Springfield,” Carosello said. “I was a social worker in the city of Springfield, so I’ve seen firsthand what happens when our system fails. But what happens when we get it right? So that’s what I hope to do, is get it right on the School Committee.”
The three candidates were also asked about Superintendent Sonia Dinnall’s performance following her first school year at the helm. Carosello said, if elected, he would want to evaluate the position by looking at test scores, after school programs and how best the residents’ needs are being met.
“We need to meet people where they’re at, and I think we need to start doing that in school to give them the opportunity to stay in Springfield,” Carosello said. “So, looking at those opportunities and what new opportunities can come about is how I would evaluate her position.”
Valentin, meanwhile, said Dinnall is the first superintendent in awhile that has been “available and accessible” to Springfield families.
“I can sit here and tell you that I know the district from top to bottom,” Valentin said. “Springfield is the third largest school district in Massachusetts, and she’s making sure that every voice is heard, teachers’ voices are heard, students’ needs are met and families [needs] are met.”
Collins said the amount of improvement he has seen in the district since Dinnall took over is “unbelievable.”
“She has, in my opinion, rose to the challenge,” Collins said. “She is very visible. She is a great advocate for the students, great advocate for the staff. She gives a great message every time she speaks. And she is keeping things going the way they were. She does a great job.”
Readers can find more about election season reading additional Reminder Publishing coverage.
