Copyright MassLive
HOLYOKE — Kevin A. Jourdain is one of nine candidates vying for six slots in the election for at-large city Councilor. Slamming Mayor Joshua Garcia for mismanagement, Jourdain complains citizens are overtaxed, and he’s campaigning to be a City Hall watchdog. Ahead of Tuesday, The Republican reached out to all candidates for the opposed City Council seats to answer a short questionnaire. Find more candidates and responses in the past week’s print editions or online at masslive.com/topic/election. Name: Kevin A. Jourdain Age: 54 Address: 18 Raymond Ave. Profession: Attorney at law Position running for: City councilor at large Introductory statement: I am an independent voice and the most senior member of the City Council. I have been a councilor for nearly 30 years and was president of the council for six years. I work hard for little pay because I want to give back to Holyoke, my lifelong home, where I grew up and raised my family. Holyoke voters deserve qualified councilors. I am a very effective councilor and understand municipal finance. I am an attorney and finance professional. I hold a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics, a master’s degree in business administration and a juris doctor degree. I’m calling for common sense to keep Holyoke affordable. I fought to repave High Street and put ShotSpotter in to catch criminals and protect residents, which is one reason why Holyoke police officers endorsed me. I made sure a new Peck Middle School was built without a tax increase. Question 1: What is the biggest problem in the city, and how would you address it? Fiscal mismanagement by the mayor and the unqualified treasurer he got appointed three years ago. The public voted for a qualified treasurer almost a year ago, and the mayor and his rubber stamps continue to obstruct the will of the voters. I am pushing for a real treasurer. I also support the commonwealth opening the books and completing our reconciliations, as they offered, as the first critical steps to getting us back on track. Question 2: The City Council always struggles to keep taxes low, while providing needed services and making advancements. How specifically will you balance the three? We need to stop the excessive spending and inefficiency of the mayor and his rubber stamps on the council who have raised taxes 19% over the last four years — that’s more than our city did in the prior 10 years. We also need to fight for more state aid, because Holyoke cannot keep overtaxing our residents because Boston does not give us our fair share. Boston sits on billions of dollars while Holyokers struggle. Question 3: The housing crisis continues to take a toll on residents and those who want to move to the city. How should the city attack the problem? Holyoke needs to do a more effective job partnering with developers to build new housing on empty lots and rundown buildings. We also need the commonwealth to invest in more infrastructure funding in cities like Holyoke that do not have the tax base to offer the needed incentives to foster more housing. We also need to keep our tax rate affordable for residents, so they have more money to reinvest in their homes. Question 4: What types of development would you like to attract to the city, and how would you do it? The effort to save Elmwood Forest is a classic example of poor city planning by the mayor. Instead of tearing down this beautiful forest and harming the adjacent neighborhoods to build a sports complex, the project should be built at the old Kmart Plaza, or downtown, where it is needed. We need more manufacturing and quality jobs. The hiring of our new economic development director, who has a comprehensive strategy, is going to be key to our success.
