Hello Everyone,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone was able to ring it in safely. Now that the holidays are over, I’m looking forward to all that we will accomplish in 2024!
This week marked more than just a date change. The cities of Westfield, Agawam, Chicopee, Easthampton, Holyoke, and West Springfield held their inaugural ceremonies, swearing in their new city councilors, school committee members, and mayors. The Town of Agawam welcomed Chris Johnson as their new Mayor and I’m looking forward to working alongside him as well as with all municipal elected officials to best benefit our region.
After spending some time at local inaugurations earlier in the week, I went out to the State House on Wednesday and Thursday to formally kick off the second year of the 193rd Senate Session. The second year of session is always bustling with activity as many bills will receive a committee report and some will even be brought to a vote on the floor. This week the Senate voted on a few great pieces of legislation including two bills to support individuals with disabilities.
I would also like to congratulate the over two hundred students in my district who made the Dean’s List last semester at Holyoke Community College. This is an impressive achievement for all of you, as well as for the community. Thank you all for your commitment to academics and keep up the good work!
Ahead of the new year and in anticipation of first-day hikes, it was announced that the Town of Agawam would be the recipient of $700,000 MassTrails grant for Robinson State Park, and that $6,000,000 would be earmarked for the upkeep and creation of trails across Western Massachusetts. I am incredibly grateful for this investment in our region’s natural resources which was made possible by the Healey-Driscoll administration.
Due to the Holidays, our regularly scheduled office hours in Agawam have been moved to January 8th at the Agawam COA from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Next week we will also be at the Chicopee Senior Center from 10:00am to 11:00am and the West Springfield Senior Center on Wednesday from 11:00am to 12:00pm. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Happy New Year,
John Velis