Happy June Everyone,
Summer’s almost officially here and graduation is right around the corner for many of our students this time of year. I was lucky enough to attend the Westfield High, the Westfield Technical Academy, and Agawam High school’s graduation ceremonies this week. I would like to congratulate all of our students who have reached this milestone in their lives. This a special time in your lives and I hope that you all cherish it.
This past Monday marked Memorial Day. As a Veteran myself, this holiday holds a particular place in my heart. I had the honor of speaking at multiple events that day throughout our community. One was at the Agawam Memorial Veterans Cemetery. I also attended a flag raising in the Agawam town green. Later in the day, I was also able to attend a parade in Russell. Thank you to all members of the military—active, retired, and those no longer with us.
Last week the Senate passed its version of the FY23 budget. This version is not the final one, however. The Senate’s version must go into conference committee with the House version to be reconciled and after that, it will be sent to the Governor’s desk for final approval. I’m proud of the many amendments my team was able to secure for our district and have been highlighting the many pieces of funding all week on my social media.
Wednesday evening, I attended a virtual town hall with the Southwick Democratic Committee. We spoke about the many issues facing this community, chief amongst them being the new policies surrounding the Congamond lake system. Just this past week they received the green light by the National Resource Conservation Service to the clear out the Great Brook and Canal brook, two very important outflows for the lake. This project would dramatically improve water quality in the lakes; something that has been an issue for a very long time.
I also met with several city councilors from Holyoke this week to hear about news at the municipal level. Holyoke is the second largest city in my district and it’s always important to me to maintain strong relationships with all our local officials.
Our office also welcomed our summer interns this week. I’d like to put out a formal and warm welcome to Logan from Westfield State and Camryn from UMass Amherst! I know they’re going to do great things and I look forward to working with them this summer.
As always, if there is anything I can do to assist you, please never hesitate to reach out to my office. I can be reached at my email: john.velis@masenate.gov or by phone: (413) 572-3920 and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com where you can also sign up for my newsletter!
Sincerely,
John Velis