This past year, Aaron had the opportunity to spend a day on the job with the Holyoke Fire Department, the Department of Public Works and the Holyoke Police Department. His first-person accounts of his experiences are a testament to Aaron’s commitment to deeply understanding how our city works and what he can do as your at-large city councilor to keep moving it forward.

• Day on the Job: Holyoke Fire Department
• Day on the Job: Holyoke Department of Public Works
• Night on the Job: Holyoke Police Department

Aaron Vega is honored and humbled to have been endorsed by Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts, AFL-CIO, and several other organizations. [LIST]

As your At-Large City Councilor, Aaron Vega voted to stabilize the tax rate and curb city spending to ensure Holyoke’s economic success. He introduced public comment at every City Council meeting to promote civic engagement. He wrote legislation that strengthens our enforcement of laws meant to ensure clean and safe neighborhoods.

Holyoke City Hall

Holyoke is a city built on big ideas. As a first planned industrial city, Holyoke’s canals, still working today, stand as a testament to the ingenuity of its residents. We are the birthplace of volleyball. People from all over the world come here to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We have a rich legacy of great ideas. We need to tap into our residents now more than ever to nurture that same creativity within the city. We can do that by providing better access to the process, combined with meaningful encouragement and engagement. Equally important, we will be doing a great service to our city by preparing the next generation to lead.

As your city councilor, I have…

• Written an order to allow public comment at city council meetings, bringing Holyoke in line with many other communities by providing direct access to the city council at regular meetings.
• Worked with HG&E and the Clerks Office to improve web access by providing names and compensation for all official city board members and commissioners.
• Collaborated with others to organize monthly meetings to bring residents together with policymakers

When re-elected as your city councilor, I will. . .

• Hold regular town hall meetings in all seven wards, bringing city agencies, elected officials, and other community leaders together with residents.
• Help to educate the community about public comment, which gives them the opportunity to address the city council on a regular basis.
• Secure funding to allow HG&E and the Holyoke IT department to build a 21^st century website that provides residents and businesses easy access to city services and information.

View of one of Holyoke's canals

Holyoke could be poised for economic growth. With our historic architecture and infrastructure, high quality yet inexpensive energy, close proximity to three major highways, abundance of usable space and a diverse workforce, Holyoke has the opportunity to be one of the most attractive communities in New England to prospective businesses. However, this is not the case. Holyoke suffers with high unemployment rates, stagnant growth, and a negative image. We must move towards a plan of smart growth and leverage our attributes to attract new business, while doing everything possible to support the businesses already here.

As your city councilor, I have…

• Listened to the concerns of many residents and the local business community by voting to stabilize the business tax rate.
• Continued to run small business that has created jobs and brings people from all over the region into downtown.
• Worked with the treasurer and auditor to create orders to curb city spending and reduce the city council budget.

When re-elected as your city councilor, I will. . .

• Create the right environment for our current businesses to stay and grow.
• Work with HG&E and the Office of Economic Development to develop comprehensive incentive packages that attract new business.
• Support the growth of an economic driver in downtown that will attract new business, residents, and visitors.

A Clean City

Ashley Reservoir

Check out the news release about my work on the Clean City Act for Holyoke.

Read about my day on the job at the Holyoke Department of Public Works.

If Holyoke is ever going to experience the renaissance I know to be possible, we must work towards cleaning our city. This can only be accomplished by government, property owners, and residents banding together to identify those who illegally dump or allow their properties to become a blight, and hold them accountable to the furthest extent allowed by law. We must also celebrate and reward those residents and owners who are pitching in and working every day to help keep our city clean.

As your city councilor, I have…

• Coordinated with the Department of Public Works and United Water to create a pilot program for updated parking restrictions to allow street sweepers to clean to curb along problem routes.
• Responded to constituents’ concerns about unsolicited newspapers thrown on lawns and sidewalks by writing an order to prevent them and other similar advertising.
• Worked with a number of city agencies to craft the Clean City Act of 2011, a comprehensive overhaul of the way Holyoke deals with the issues of litter and illegal dumping.

When re-elected as your city councilor, I will. . .

• Work with the local business community to drastically reduce the use of common sources of litter, like plastic bags and Styrofoam containers.
• Secure funding to install cameras at illegal dumping sites, and aggressively prosecute offenders.
• Work with the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney to create programs that deal with offenders.

Contact Rory Casey:  (413) 650-2727 or  vegaforholyoke@gmail.com

Holyoke At-Large City Councilor Aaron Vega endorsed by AFL-CIO, Neighbor to Neighbor and more organizations

Holyoke City Councilor Aaron Vega is pleased to have earned the endorsements of the following organizations:

• Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
• Carpenters Local 108
• Young Democrats of Massachusetts
• UAW 2322
• Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts

Each organization and its members responded to Aaron’s message of Moving Holyoke Forward and recognized his hard work ensuring Clean and Safe Streets, Economic Success, and increased Civic Engagement across Holyoke.

Aaron is even more grateful for the individual endorsements from thousands of residents who Aaron met at any of the dozen Meet the Councilor events held at local businesses, retirement homes, and in living rooms, or while knocking on doors in all of Holyoke’s wards.

“It has been an honor to serve the residents of Holyoke over my first term,” said Aaron. “Whether responding to constituent calls, working with department heads, or researching and writing legislation, being a Holyoke City Councilor is my top priority.”

Aaron asks all of his supporters to call, text or email as many Holyoke friends and family on Monday and ask them to Vote Vega on Tuesday, November 8.

And please join us on Election Night at Brennan’s on High Street to celebrate all of the hard work and time our Team Vega volunteers AND supporters have put into this year’s campaign. The Brennan’s celebration is from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., on Tuesday night. Food and cash bar.

The following is Holyoke City Councilor Aaron Vega’s firsthand account of his “Night on the Job” with the Holyoke Police Department.

When I was planning and thinking about my day on the job with the Holyoke Police Department, I imagined running down alleyways after bad guys, or a high speed chase through Holyoke, or maybe witnessing a big drug bust. Alas, it was not how I imagined it, which is a really good thing.

In the few months new chief of police James Neiswanger has been in Holyoke, I’ve been able to talk with him and get to know him. I had told him about my days on the job with the Holyoke Fire Department and Department of Public Works, and how I would like to do a ride-along with the police. He quickly agreed that this was a good way for a city councilor to understand what men and women in uniform go through day to day.

I arrived to the station at 4 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon and checked in with the command officer. He showed me the dispatch center, how the surveillance cameras work and outfitted me in a bulletproof vest. Suddenly things were getting real.

After a few jokes about keeping my head down and getting to see the “real Holyoke,” I was teamed up with patrolman Patrick Leahy. Leahy has been on the force for four years. His older brother is a police officer in Las Vegas, his younger brother is a new recruit on the Holyoke force, and his other brother James is on City Council with me.

Leahy was excited to have me along. We quickly got to talking about his adventures on the force and how it all works. That night, and most nights, there are five patrol cars designated to areas of the city (similar to the ward delineations) and two cars that serve as backups and can canvas the entire city. We were car seven, assigned as a backup. Concurrently, there were detectives and undercover officers on duty throughout the city.

Our first call was to assist an undercover agent who had a road rage incident with a civilian. This is when we got to throw the lights and sirens on and fly up Cherry Street and over Homestead Avenue. It’s interesting how many people don’t know how to get out of the way of a police car with sirens on. Next, we got to assist the detectives and undercover officers by picking up an individual who had been arrested in a drug exchange. We brought the suspect — he was very calm and familiar with the routine — down to the station, and booked him. There I saw the process of getting booked, checked out the holding cells and got the full tour of the station.

We spent the bulk of our night driving through the city. We patrolled Pulaski Park and made sure the “shooting den” there was not occupied. It wasn’t, but there were plenty of needles, baggies and other paraphernalia left behind. We drove though alleyways and recorded the amount of illegal dumping. We waved to some kids and saw others run away. We talked about the difficulty in stopping the drug flow on our city streets. I told Patrick about the calls I get from residents of frustration over seeing open-air drug sales or people who claim to know where drugs are being sold. We drove through some of Holyoke’s higher-crime neighborhoods, but all was quiet.

Each day for the men and women on the police force is unknown. Will there be a drug bust, a robbery or a chase that day? Will the next call be from a resident whose purse was stolen or from someone who is suicidal, or worse?

So what did I learn from my night with the Holyoke Police Department? Let me assure each reader of this story that the police department is working hard to keep our streets safe. They know about the “hot spots” in town and they want us to help them by calling in anonymous tips. Without witnesses, convictions for drug sales and gang-related activity are very difficult to come by. In addition, there are citizen crime watch groups happening all over the city, a joint effort of the sheriff’s department, Holyoke police and city residents.

If you want more information about your neighborhood crime watch group, you can contact Edward Caisse of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department at (413) 858-0225.

The Holyoke Police Department’s anonymous, 24-hour crime tip hotline is (413) 533-TIPS (8477). You can also Text-A-Tip to 274637 (crimes). Start your message with “solve”

Together we can build a safer and cleaner city as we work to move Holyoke Forward.

By Mike Plaisance, The Republican

HOLYOKE – City Councilor at Large Aaron M. Vega had a public comment period established before council meetings.

Vega has done “day on the job” shifts with the police, fire and public works departments to improve understanding of the city.

He said in a press release last week he is running for re-election Nov. 8 to keep making government accessible. He is in his first two-year term.

“I ask the right questions, do my research and work hard for all of the people of Holyoke,” said Vega, 41.

Vega and his wife Debra own VegaYoga and Movement Arts, 4 Open Square Way.

“As a small business owner, I understand the potential Holyoke has to once again be a destination city. Debra and I are very involved in the community,” Vega said.

Vega is on the City Council’s Public Safety and Redevelopment committees. He is council representative to building committees for work on Holyoke High School, the new senior center and renovations to Holyoke Public Library.

He has worked to curb spending and to be an advocate for business while trying to balance the tax burden for all residents, he said.

He has held “meet the councilor” events at local businesses, he said, and takes seriously his vow to listen to residents and take their ideas to the City Council.

In September 2010, when councilors were discussing an urban renewal plan for the Flats, South Holyoke, Churchill and Downtown neighborhoods, Vega said the important point was not the plans themselves but ensuring that the recommendations within them get established.

He has been married to Debra Vega for five years and he has three daughters, he said.

Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, call Tom Schwab at (413) 536-3072