Hello Everyone,
We hope you all had a great week! While the winter holidays may be over, there were plenty of celebrations across the district this week!
At the start of the new year, communities across the Hampden and Hampshire District held various events to swear-in School Committee members, Town/City Council members, and Mayors as they commenced their new terms. This week, Team Velis was honored to attend inauguration ceremonies in Agawam, Easthampton, Holyoke, and Westfield. Congratulations to all the newly sworn-in local officials, Senator Velis and our team look forward to collaborating with you to support our communities!
On Tuesday, Bridget joined community members in Agawam as the final beam, signed by students, educators, and elected officials, was placed atop the new High School. Last year, Senator Velis was proud to work alongside the Massachusetts School Building Authority to ensure that Agawam received $96.8 million in state funding to help with the construction costs of this new school building. All of us on Team Velis are excited to see this important project taking shape!
On Wednesday evening Mark was back over at Westfield Gas & Electric to join the Municipal Light Board in celebrating the retirement of Commissioner A. Edward Roman. Mark was proud to share a citation from the Senate on behalf of Senator Velis in recognition of the Commissioner’s 18 years of dedicated service to the Light Board and City of Westfield.
Speaking of community service, have you ever thought about how you might be able to make an impact on your community in a meaningful way? Local boards are an excellent way of getting involved in your community and to learn more about local government. It just so happens that one of Senator Velis’s very first roles serving our community was as a member of the Commission for Citizen’s with Disabilities in Westfield. Currently, several of Westfield’s boards and commissions have openings, including the cultural council, zoning board of appeals, and parks and recreation; check out the City’s website to learn more and apply!
In case you missed it, the Senator’s annual “Senate Wrapped” newsletter was sent out this week to look back on all his accomplishments and memorable moments from 2025. If you haven’t signed up already, be sure to check out the Senator’s website to join his newsletter list!
This week Team Velis held office hours in Agawam. Next week, we will be hosting office hours at the Chicopee Council on Aging from 10:00AM to 11:00AM on Tuesday and again on Wednesday at the West Springfield from 11:00AM to 12:00PM. If you are unable to make office hours, you can continue to reach us by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 572-3920, and online at senatorjohnvelis.com.
Sincerely,
Team Velis