In the News – Page 3 – Senator John Velis

October 19, 2020

Velis carries bi-partisan record from House to Senate

October 10, 2020 – The Westfield News – The Westfield Newsroom

BOSTON – Before state Sen. John C. Velis won his election to the Massachusetts State Senate on May 19 of this year, he served as state representative for the 4th Hampden district in the House of Representatives since 2014. In his time in the house, he was widely known for having one of the most bi-partisan and independent records in the state legislature, and frequently voted across party lines.

Velis has carried his independent record from the House to the Senate, and in the fourth months since being sworn in, he has crossed party lines several times. In his four months in office, there have been 96 roll call votes in the Senate on either a bill or an amendment. Of those 96 votes, 16 have been contested with 15 being split on party lines. Of those 15 votes split on party lines, Velis has crossed over to vote with the Republican delegation 10 times. The remaining 80 votes were either unanimous, where Republicans and Democrats voted together, unanimous except for one legislator, or related to procedural matters.

When asked about this pattern, Velis stressed the importance of viewing a piece of legislation on its merits, not by what political party brings it forward: “When I am voting on a bill or amendment, I am always thinking of what the legislation will actually accomplish and what is best for my constituents and our district,” said Velis. “My job is not to simply follow what others in my political party are doing, and I firmly believe that both a Republican and a Democrat are capable of coming up with a good idea.”

The 15 roll call votes in question covered a variety of different issues, from mail-in voting processes, to police reform, to transportation funding. One of the more contentious votes was on amendment #230 in Senate Bill 2813 – An Act Authorizing Accelerating Transportation Investment. This amendment would have removed a provision from the bill that enables local and regional transportation ballot initiatives for imposition of tax surcharges. This is more commonly known as an override of Proposition 2 and ½. Velis was one of only four Democrats to cross over and vote with the Republican delegation for this amendment, which would have protected cities and towns from this possible increase in taxation. With 36 Democrats in the Senate and only four Republicans, many wondered if Velis might be pressured to side with Democratic leadership in more contentious debates, as it is unconventional for newly elected officials to cross party lines early on in their first term. When asked about this, Velis stressed that the key to maintaining strong relationships in the legislature is by being transparent and open.

I am always up front with my colleagues about concerns or issues I have with legislation,” said Velis. “In my humble opinion, the most important is compromise. My experience and my years in politics have shown me that the people we represent are better served when Republicans and Democrats work together.”

This voting record demonstrates that Velis has continued his bi-partisan nature from his time in the House to the Senate, and establishes him as one of the most independent legislators in the State of the Massachusetts. The current legislative session continues throughout the end of this calendar year.

October 19, 2020

Velis collecting torn, tattered American flags Oct. 29

WESTFIELD-For area residents who have an American flag that is torn, faded, or damaged, state Sen. John C. Velis and his legislative aides will be collecting them curbside on Oct. 29 at the Westfield Senior Center.

Flags may be dropped off from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. For seniors who are picking up a meal that day, they may bring their flag with them and drop it off when they come through the lunch line from 11 a.m. – noon. All others can bring their flags from noon – 1 p.m.

“The flag is a symbol and representation of our great country, and should always be in pristine condition,” said Velis, who has served in the Army Reserve for 11 years. “When it is in a condition that is no longer fitting for display, it should be retired in a dignified and appropriate way.”

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“I can say without reservation that I think America is the greatest nation on the earth, and the flag is a symbol of that,” said Velis. “People have died, have been maimed, and have been permanently maimed in defense of the flag and everything we hold dear in the country. To me, the flag means everything.”

For more information on the flag retirement collection, call the Westfield Senior Center at (413) 562-6435.

October 2, 2020

Lawmakers want seniors-only option at western Mass. RMVs

September 16, 2020 – Daily Hampshire Gazette – Bera Dunau

Area lawmakers are calling on Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to reopen Registry of Motor Vehicles offices in Greenfield and Easthampton and offer dedicated service hours to older drivers across the region.

Special hours for those 74 and older to renew their licenses in person were recently added at the RMV Service Center in Springfield, but that’s not enough for some members of the western Massachusetts delegation.

“This is just another example of something that is fundamentally unfair to the western part of the state,” said Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield.

In Massachusetts, those 75 and older must renew their driver’s licenses in person. Initially, when the RMV announced on Sept. 1 dedicated service hours for those 75 and older renewing their licenses in person, no western Massachusetts locations were included. The RMV locations included in that initial announcement were Danvers, Leominster, New Bedford, South Yarmouth and Watertown, with Watertown offering the hours starting on Sept. 2 and the other locations offering the hours starting on Sept. 9.

On Wednesday, the Springfield RMV debuted a half-day of dedicated service hours.

In response to the announcement, 13 legislators, including Velis, signed a letter to Pollack. “We are writing today to request that you reopen the RMV locations in Greenfield and Easthampton and provide dedicated service hours for customers who are 75 years of age or older at three sites in western Massachusetts: one in Berkshire County, one in Franklin County and one in Hampshire County,” reads part of the letter.

Others signatories included Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland, Rep. Dan Carey, D-Easthampton, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton.

October 2, 2020October 2, 2020

Western Mass. legislators urge Governor to look to the west when appointing a justice to the Supreme Judicial Court

September 29, 2020 – MassLive – Jeanette DeForge

A total of 18 legislators who represent the four counties in Western Massachusetts are joining the effort to urge Gov. Charlie Baker to fill at least one of two vacant seats on the Supreme Judicial Court with a resident from Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden or Hampshire County.

The senators and representatives sent a letter to the governor arguing that the state’s highest court does not have any justices who have served or lived in the western part of the state and called for more regional balance in the state’s highest court.

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Those who signed the letter are Sens. Jo Comerford, Eric Lesser, Adam G. Hinds and John Velis. The Representatives are Aaron Vega, Natalie M. Blais, Joseph F. Wagner, Brian Ashe, Nicholas Boldyga, Michael J. Finn, Mindy Domb, Susannah Whipps, Todd Smola, John Barrett III, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Lindsay Sabadosa, Jose Tosado and Daniel R. Carey.

September 11, 2020

Westfield honors 9/11 dead, including 3 city natives

Nineteen years ago, three Westfield natives were among those killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, and their hometown remembered them Friday in an annual ceremony at the memorial erected in their honor.

The 9/11 Memorial Park is dedicated to Westfield natives Tara Shea-Creamer, Brian Murphy, and Daniel Trant, who died in the attacks launched on Sept. 11, 2001. Shea-Creamer was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11, the first of two planes to crash into World Trade Center towers in New York, while Murphy and Trant were at work in the World Trade Center.

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The ceremony was led by Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr., and included speakers U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, and state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, all of whom spoke of the need to never forget 9/11, the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost that day, and the resiliency of our country.

Velis said it is critical for the citizens of Westfield and the rest of the country to always remember the importance of 9/11, which left a profound effect on world affairs to this day.

“Here in Westfield we don’t forget the day that changed America forever,” he said. “I wonder if the cowards who are to blame anticipated that 19 years later we’d still be here today.”

August 25, 2020

Sheriff’s office, partners to hand out 2,000 filled backpacks to schoolchildren

August 20, 2020 – Daily Hampshire Gazette – Michael Connors

LUDLOW — As students across Holyoke prepare for a new school year, the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative will be handing out 2,000 backpacks filled with supplies to the city’s schoolchildren.

Unable to distribute the supplies at its traditional back-to-school event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative will instead hold 11 individual “grab-and-go” events at schools across Holyoke beginning this week and lasting until school begins in September. Dates and times for those events will be communicated to families by the individual schools as they are finalized, said Edward Caisse of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, the director of the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative, which is overseen by the sheriff’s department.

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State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, said that the supplies in the backpacks are “absolutely critical.”

“This right here, these books, these backpacks, this education, this is the key — this is the foundation to everything,” Velis said. “If you have an educated population … anything is possible.”

August 25, 2020

Governor takes 1st step to renovate and expand Holyoke Soldiers’ Home: Calls for expedited planning and building

August 17, 2020 – MassLive – Jeanette DeForge

HOLYOKE – The state announced it has hired a Boston-based architecture firm to conduct a fast-tracked assessment that will be the first step in renovating or expanding the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

Payette, of Boston has been awarded a contract for the first phase of what is being called the “expedited capital project to reimagine the future of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke.” The firm was given 12 weeks to complete a needs assessment and meet with stakeholders to discuss the improvements, according to a statement from Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.

The company has been charged with identifying a “sustainable, public health-centered, implementation roadmap to provide significant upgrades to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home,” the statement said.

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State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, who has been a strong veterans advocate, applauded the decision to move forward with the plans and said he supported the idea of hiring Payette because of the firm’s experience with the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

“We need to make sure that there are appropriate infection control strategies in place for the rest of this pandemic,” he said. “We also need to make sure there are enough beds, resources and accomodations for the growing veteran population that will rely on the home years down the road.”

He called for the study to also look at what will be the needs of future generations of veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In order for the home to be sustainable for years to come, the needs assessment has to be wide-ranging and comprehensive so that our veterans get the quality of care they deserve,” Velis said.

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020

Velis ‘proud’ to represent Southwick

June 29, 2020 – The Westfield News – Hope E. Tremblay

SOUTHWICK – State Sen. John C. Velis, D-Westfield, is “proud” to represent the town.

Velis met last week with the Southwick Select Board via Zoom to say hello and offer his assistance to the community.

“Since I was sworn-in, I have been going to all 11 cities and towns [in the 2^nd Hampden and Hampshire Senate District] and checking in,” Velis said.

Velis, a Westfield native, said he has been a neighbor of Southwick his entire life and it was “an honor” to be representing the town in the Senate.

“I want you to view me as an allie,” he said. “Don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Velis said he plans to work closely with the Select Board.

“When local, federal and state government is working together, we get a lot more done,” he said.

Board members did not hesitate to immediately share some concerns about the Congamond Road project. Selectman Joseph Deedy said he would email Velis by the next morning with the issues facing the town with that project.

Selectman Russell S. Fox asked Velis where he stood on Chapter 90 funding, which is state money given to communities for road and infrastructure.

“We came in at $300 million,” Velis said of the Senate vote on Chapter 90 funding. “The House came in at $200 million.”

Velis said he hopes the Senate funding stands.

“It has been loud and clear where you’re coming from and I’m for the $300 million,” Velis said. “Chapter 90 is a big part of this ‘listening tour’.”

Velis said both Chapter 90 and Chapter 70, which is funding for schools, is a priority for the district.

Select Board chairman Douglas Moglin told Velis Southwick was voted the “best place to live in the Pioneer Valley” last year.

‘”We’re hoping to keep that moniker, with your help,” Moglin said.

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020

For first time in the city’s history, Pride flag flies at Westfield City Hall

June 26, 2020 – MassLive – Manon L. Mirabelli

WESTFIELD — It was a historic moment Friday morning when retired Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice John M. Greaney raised the Pride flag at city hall on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Greaney, a Westfield native and Saint Mary’s High School graduate, authored the concurring opinion in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health in 2003 in which he agreed with the majority opinion that denying couples the right to same-sex marriage was discrimination.

The ruling made Massachusetts the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

“This is one of the most momentous occasions in our history, and represents the progress we’ve made,” Greaney said Friday. “When we did this in 2003 I never thought it would sweep the nation the way it did.”

The flag raising saw city and state officials gather on the front lawn at City Hall to recognize the city’s LGBTQ community.

City Councilor Kristen Mello, an event organizer, said the decision to hold the flag raising came after the recent Black Lives Matter protest against racism and police brutality held on Park Square Green.

“Someone asked if it would be difficult to raise the flag, so we got together and created an event,” she said. “We didn’t know how quickly the project would come together.”

The event, held on the heels of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this month barring LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace, was a joint venture between the newly formed Westfield Pride Alliance and city officials, including Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. The mayor said he supported the flag raising and what it represents.

“Although we may all be different, it is our differences that make us stronger,” he said in his remarks.

Westfield Pride Alliance organizer Dennis Aikens hosted the event, and said the organization is the first-ever in the city. “The gay community wouldn’t be anywhere without its allies, without you,” he told the crowd.

Aikens said he attempted to have a Pride flag raising in the past, but it never came to fruition. He thanked Humason for supporting the cause.

“My brothers and sisters of color, gay, lesbians, and transgender people have been under an oppressive weight,” he said. “This is happening today under this mayor.”

Aikens, an advisor to state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, lauded the senator for seeking a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ community, the struggles it faces and the personalities behind the movement.

“I’m so proud he wanted an openly gay man as an adviser,” Aikens said. “Being a straight man who didn’t understand, John Velis asked me to explain our life difficulties. He is a warrior, a major in the United States Army. I knew in John Velis we would have a warrior working for us.”

Velis called the event “and absolutely awesome occasion” and spoke of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military that banned openly gay service members until 2011.

“I thought it was an antiquated notion of humanity,” he said. “Every person should be proud that they are who they are and never run from that.”

Alexander Campurciani also spoke. He said that as a young, gay man of color, he wants to create a community action group to help gay people come out. He told the story of coming out to his father, who supported him. He also spoke of his difficulty in coming out while in high school.

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020

Velis secures $7.5 million for district roads

July 18, 2020 – The Westfield News – Hope E. Tremblay

BOSTON – Funding for Westfield, Southwick and surrounding communities was included in a $17 billion borrowing bill approved July 16 by the Sente for transportation and infrastructure improvements.

State Sen. John C. Velis, D-Westfield, helped secure $7.5 million for transportation projects in the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District, which is comprised of Agawam, Easthampton, Granville, Holyoke, Montgomery, Russell, Southampton, Southwick, Tolland, Westfield and part of Chicopee.

“At the end of the day, what matters most to me is being able to bring my work on Beacon Hill back home,” said Velis. “Advocating for our improvements to our roadways and transportation infrastructure will always be a major priority of mine, and I am proud that I was able to secure $7.5 million in the Senate Bond Bill for transportation projects across our cities and towns. I am thankful to all the local officials who worked with my office on this bill, and hope that the Governor now taps these projects to be included in his capital plan.”

The bill passed 36-4, with the Senate’s four-man Republican caucus voting in opposition. Explaining why he would not support the bill, Minority Leader Bruce Tarr cited the inclusion of a business-opposed provision to allow municipalities to increase local taxes and use the funding for transportation projects, reports Sam Doran of State House News Service. An amendment by Democrat Sen. Diana DiZoglio which would have struck that section was defeated 8-31. Sen. Susan Moran, who joined the Senate after a May special election, gave her inaugural speech on a successful amendment to add $350 million in funding toward replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. Also Thursday, the Senate and House worked in concert to send to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk bills addressing mosquito control and take-out cocktails during the COVID-19 era.

Velis secured the following local funds:

$2.5mil for Northampton St./RT.5 in Holyoke

$870,000 for Greenway bikeway in Southampton

$600,000 for Congamond Road in Southwick

$1mil for roadway improvements in Westfield

$2.53 mil to be shared equally in Agawam, Easthampton, Granville, Montgomery and Russell for road improvements.