GREENFIELD — The two women vying to become the 1st Franklin District’s next representative squared off in a candidates forum Wednesday evening in one of their final attempts to appeal to voters before the Nov. 3 election.
Democrat Lora Wondolowski and Independent Amy Lavallee were allowed three-minute opening statements before fielding questions from Shelby Brock, managing editor of the Greenfield Recorder, and Marie Gauthier, president of the League of Women Voters of Franklin County. Ashfield Town Moderator Stewart “Buz” Eisenberg moderated the discussion at the Greenfield Community Television (GCTV) studio.
“Speaking to folks all across this district every day, I hear from people who are concerned about [the] rising cost of health insurance, finding somewhere to live or how we’re going to fund our schools,” said Wondolowski, who currently serves as Greenfield City Council president. “I’m running because Franklin County towns deserve representation that understands the challenges facing both our residents and our municipal leaders, and can lead with creativity and experience to get results through collaboration.”
Lavallee, the Whately town clerk and a Franklin County Technical School Committee member, said she would represent the district the same way she handles her office — by working with people regardless of political affiliation.
“I am a fourth-generation Whately resident. I have had my children grow up in the public school system here. I am running as an Independent not as a political strategy, but [because] I am nonpartisan to my core,” she said. “I believe it’s very important for the people of Franklin County to have a voice that doesn’t look through a party lens, but can be able to reach across both sides of the aisle and work with anybody that has a good idea that will help the people in Franklin County.”
The 1st Franklin District seat in the state House of Representatives has been vacant since Natalie Blais’ resignation on Jan. 19. House Speaker Ronald Mariano chose not to call a special election, and whoever wins the Nov. 3 election will be sworn in next January.
Brock kicked off the series of eight questions by mentioning that work as a state representative often involves problems pertaining to a variety of topics, and asked each candidate how they would educate themselves on an issue before they legislate on it.
Lavallee said it is vital to talk with people affected by the issues and State House colleagues who are knowledgeable about them.
“I am also a wild deep diver, and I don’t make any decisions without thoroughly researching something,” she said. “But my biggest thing is talking with the people on the ground that it affects the most, and listening to what they have to say and their ideas.”
In her answer, Wondolowski mentioned she became the founding executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley, a nonprofit that identifies, develops and connects diverse leaders, without ever having taken a leadership class. That, too, involved educating herself by reaching out to colleagues with experience in leadership development.
“As a legislator, I would do some of the similar things to what we’ve done in Greenfield,” she continued. “We had some issues on noise issues. We brought together a community forum with community members to learn about how they wanted to approach the issue, what their biggest concerns were, what would be the unintended consequences.”
The questions posed by Gauthier were submitted by the public. She asked the candidates how they would ensure that western Massachusetts communities are treated fairly by Boston bureaucrats.
Wondolowski called this “a perennial challenge.” She mentioned Somerville alone has two representatives, whereas the 1st Franklin District’s 18 communities have one.
“I would approach this similar to how I approached things throughout my career — it’s about coalition-building. It’s about finding commonality,” she said. “We need to find where there are other legislators and other communities who face similar issues, so that we can work together to solve some of those problems.”
Lavallee said this is the main reason she decided to run for the vacant seat.
“As a town clerk, I am the forward-facing person for our municipality, and as an elected town clerk, the people that live in my town are my boss, so they come to me with whatever they need, and I see firsthand how decisions that are made in Boston don’t necessarily translate well here,” she explained, “and I see how we have to try to be creative to make it work out here.”
When asked about east-west rail, a proposed intercity passenger rail line connecting Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield, Lavallee said she has supported the idea from the get-go and would try to get on a relevant legislative committee if elected.
“I think it will open up a lot for the people in this region, but not only that, for the people in the eastern region to come here and see how amazing our area is,” she said.
Wondolowski smiled as she said she loves trains. She recounted how she and her children rode from Greenfield to Northampton when the Valley Flyer expanded its service, and said rail infrastructure is important for employment opportunities and to help reduce vehicle emissions on highways.
During her chance for a rebuttal, Lavallee mentioned that she, too, rode the Valley Flyer when it opened, and took it from Northampton to Greenfield. She said she has also ridden it to New York City and up to Vermont.
Gauthier asked the candidates their stances on the upcoming ballot’s Question 3, which would eliminate political party primaries for state elections and establish a single, all-party primary, as well as Question 9 pertaining to gun control.
Wondolowski said she is opposed to the initiative at this time because other states with an all-party primary, such as California, wind up with an enormous number of candidates on the ballot, “and it often favors those with the most money.” She said she would rather have ranked-choice voting.
In a ranked-choice election, voters list candidates in order of preference. If no one’s first choice wins at least 50% of the vote, an “instant runoff” would be triggered: the least popular candidate is eliminated, and the votes for that candidate go instead to each voter’s next choice. That process repeats until a candidate gets at least 50% of the vote — a true majority.
Lavallee said she has a strong opinion on Question 3 but declined to comment on it because she had not heard back from the State Ethics Commission regarding whether it is appropriate for Whately’s chief election officer to take a stance on it publicly.
Wondolowski pointed out, however, that an opinion has been published on the Facebook page for Lavallee’s campaign, stating she intends to vote “No” on Question 3.
When asked to speak about their thoughts on gun control, Lavallee said she is a gun owner and avid outdoorswoman.
“I appreciate our Second Amendment. It is our right to bear arms. However, I have no issues with common-sense gun laws,” she said. “Licensing, background checks and training are things that I think anyone who is going to use a firearm as a tool should have.”
Voicing her support for Question 9, Wondolowski began her response by reflecting on growing up in the Midwest and having tornado drills as a kid.
“My kids are in the schools having active-shooter drills,” she continued. “They are going under their desks. It breaks my heart that they have those challenges and have that reality in your school.”
The full candidates forum can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=MosDLs_VW_U.
