GREENFIELD — Precinct 5 Town Council candidate Marc Odato says he wants to put his precinct before politics — serving his constituents directly and addressing their concerns head-on.
An 18-year Greenfield resident, Odato, 48, retired as a caseworker and correctional officer from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Before this, he was a legislative aide in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He is a former member of the Greenfield Town Council and School Committee, serving one term on each.
“My political and professional experiences gave me vast knowledge of local and state law. My personal experiences humbled me,” he said. Among those personal experiences he cited was his decision a decade ago to recover from alcoholism and later an inmate attack forcing his early retirement.
Odato said challenges Greenfield faces are its tax rate, a rise in vacant homes, the opioid crisis and deteriorating infrastructure.
“If we make Greenfield a desirable place to own a home, then economic development will follow. The council cannot control what goes where downtown, but we can improve safety, streets and schools,” he said.
Odato said he was inspired to run for the position when the current Town Council voted to cut this year’s operating budget by 1 percent overall.
“If you’re going to cut by such a small amount, then at least examine a split tax rate, and examine creating efficiencies,” he said. “People bemoan a split tax rate, but it doesn’t have to be an exorbitant split.”
Odato said there have also been changes in his neighborhood — including new permit parking spots — and when those changes happened, he didn’t hear from anybody in town government.
“It’s about constituent services, I’m running to put precinct before politics,” he said.
Odato’s priorities include boosting college prep and early education in the school district; improving traffic, road and sidewalk conditions throughout the precinct; providing tax relief through a split tax rate and merging overlapping jobs, like human resources for the town and school district; and providing direct service to residents with any issues they have in the neighborhood or with the town.
He also wants Pierce Brothers Coffee to move to a more appropriate location, Highland Pond restored as a skating rink, and town inspectors given clout to handle vacant and problem properties.
He said downtown improves by dedicating 5 percent of local options meals tax to downtown event and restaurant promotion; making the Davis Street parking lot free; and creating a community development corporation committed solely to downtown.
Odato, who counseled opioid users professionally, said the crisis needs a compassionate approach promoting recovery, not just harm reduction.
“If the council’s only response is to give away needles, then we’ll have more fatalities,” he said.
He said the needle exchange should neighbor the town’s methadone clinic to spur the next phase of treatment.
Odato said he supports new library and public safety complex buildings, but plans to ensure their construction begins after other capital payments end to guarantee no increase in the tax rate.
He said the former First National Bank’s facade needs to survive during the nearby parking garage construction before committing to turning it into a cultural center.