Northampton mayoral candidates answer election questions

NORTHAMPTON — With the Nov. 4 general election now under a month away, Reminder Publishing sent questionnaires to mayoral candidates on the ballot.

This year’s mayoral race has been narrowed down to two candidates: incumbent Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra and local business leader Jillian Duclos.

Reminder Publishing asked each candidate the same three questions so readers can get a taste of who they are and what they hope to accomplish if elected. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

More coverage of the upcoming Northampton election will appear in future editions.

Reminder Publishing: What are one or two things voters should know about you and why you’ve chosen to run?

Duclos: I am a thoughtful and intentional decision maker who understands that working collectively is the key to solving problems. As someone who has built my life from the ground up, with twenty years work experience that spans every sector, I have learned that to understand how to best solve problems we must rely on those who live or work on the ground as they understand best what works, what doesn’t work, and have the knowledge and ideas to improve systems. I believe we need to be working this way — and we are not. This is why I am running.

Sciarra: I fell in love with Northampton 35 years ago when I first visited Smith. Later, I moved back and ever since I’ve looked for ways to give back to the place that gives me a sense of home. In 2007, I ran the successful $2 million capital campaign to save the historic First Churches building. For eight years I served on City Council. Since 2022 I’ve served as Mayor. I’m running because I believe in public service, I’m proud of our accomplishments to date and I want to keep working with the Northampton community to build on our success.

RP: With the mayor serving as chair of the NPS School Committee, what would you say are the two most important issues facing the schools / district over the next year? (Note: the Northampton mayor also serves as a Trustee of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, but the question focuses on specifically the Northampton Public Schools School Committee.)

Duclos: One important issue facing our public schools is an insufficient budget that has decreased staffing and overall resources resulting in increased class sizes, cuts in essential class offerings, and reductions in critical support services for our most vulnerable children resulting in special education violations. Another is having a strategic plan that is not student centered because it was devised by a small group that didn’t bring the experience of various administrators, educators, caregivers and students to the table to understand what is working, what is not working, and how to best chart a path forward based on their recommendations.

Sciarra: We have a legal and moral obligation to students with Individualized Education Programs. A state investigation found that full implementation of IEPs for all students was not met last year. We have begun implementing the corrective actions mandated by the state and must follow through effectively. Declining public school enrollment is a nationwide trend. We can buck the trend with a coordinated effort to celebrate our strengths, including our dedicated educators, creative curricula, and record of student achievement. A third is the threat of federal funding cuts, which we’re preparing for by maintaining financial reserves in accordance with state recommendations.

RP: What is your overall message to voters ahead of the election?

Duclos: I want to build a stronger Northampton — together. I want to meet people where they are and ensure that the people of this community have their basic needs met — because to me, this is the role of local government. I know that as your next mayor I’ve got the skills, heart, and experience to lead our city. I want to help bring to life the vision of the people who live here and work here — the people who chose to raise their kids here and live out their best decades here — and I can make this city work for us.

Sciarra: I’m proud of the positive change we accomplished in my first term, including the new Division of Community Care (providing unarmed crisis response to nearly 1700 people so far), the new Climate Action department (already reducing municipal building energy use by about 20%), 282 new affordable housing units, eight new firefighter positions, a 32% increase in annual appropriation to Northampton Public Schools, a fivefold increase in sidewalk funding, and an 83% increase in road funding from fiscal year 2024. I’m asking for your vote again so we can build on these successes and make Northampton more affordable, equitable and accessible.