GREENFIELD — Precinct 9 incumbent Daniel Leonovich firmly believes that change is most effective when made on the local level, so he decided to run for re-election to the Town Council.
Leonovich, 37, has served on the council for two years and said he still much work to do — in particular, continuing to try to grow business in town. He currently chairs the council’s Economic Development Committee.
He said serving on the council has given him a full understanding of what’s happening in Greenfield, and allows him to work through problems with a group of people who are not always like-minded.
“You can really affect change on a local level,” he said.
Leonovich hopes to continue his work on the Economic Development Committee and work with the Opioid Task Force to find out how the Town Council can best address the opioid epidemic.
“After the last (council) meeting, a heart string was tugged with the discussion of the opioid crisis and really trying to find out what we at a local level can do,” he said. “This is a large problem and I don’t know where the muscle of the council is in trying to deal with it, but at least not being an impediment, not being a restriction on people getting the care they need.”
On the economic development side, Leonovich hopes to support and attract businesses and workers to town. He said doing so would increase the tax base, making Greenfield more affordable. Leonovich said he would also look to cut spending in strategic areas to lower the tax rate.
“I never want Greenfield to just be a great place to sleep. It needs to be a great place to live, and to live you have to work, you have to purchase things for your family,” he said. “You don’t want to have to drive out to Hadley or New Hampshire to buy your goods.”
Although he said Greenfield needs a new library, Leonovich said he’s not a fan of the proposed building’s current design, as he believes the size and scope of the project are too large. He also noted that the fire station would have to be demolished to make room for the building
“All of that has to play out, and I don’t know how it’s going to happen,” he said.
Though some candidates are hoping to revive the Safe City Ordinance, which was voted down by the council in August, Leonovich said he does not plan to change his position on the issue. He was among the majority of councilors who rejected the proposal.
“I’m a firm believer in process,” he said. “Normally, I’m looking at things on a local level, but this is definitely a federal task. The Constitution lays out what the role of the federal government is, and one of those jobs is to establish naturalization. We’re doing this at the wrong end.”