Cathy Wauczinski

Candidate Precinct 5 City Council
Hot issues:
There are zoning changes being reviewed by the Ordinace committee there is not currently one scheduled. I will keep you posted. These changes increase traffic on or roads, double the allowable building density in our precinct, place our aquifer at risk and bring the politically correct language into our zoning. I have been monitoring and advocating against many of the changes like removing the word “family.” For over a year.
You need a voice on the Council that is why I am running.

Cathy's Letter of Appeal to the City for Charging Excessive Fees for Records - [PDF]

Fiscal responsibility means understanding the data behind the fiscal challenges. One major factor driving our City budget problems is the cost of health insurance. Let me be clear our staff deserve quality health care and insurance at the best price available. The city went to the Hampshire County Health Care Trust because it was supposed to save us money. It has not!! The cost to both the city and our employees has increased dramatically and is scheduled to increase again.

I did a records request to the Insurance trust. They responded quickly and are working on additional information. There are very specific items driving the cost overages. Knowing what is causing the overages can help us advocate for potential changes and find ways to adress health issues for our city employees to manage future costs.

For example the shots like ozempic, "The Trust is currently spending $500k+ a month in GLP-1's strictly for weight loss." I am not saying the only solution is to not pay for this medication, it may be that there needs to be pressure put on the pharmaceutical companies for this outrageous cost.

What is important is knowing the components that make up a problem in order to solve it. That is one skill I will bring to city council, I understand budgets, I know how to analyze a problem and work with stakeholders to develop solutions.

Top Three Issues

Accountability and Transparency:

Elected officials and paid city employees are accountable to the current residents and future generations. Deliberation and decisions need to be made within that framework. To be accountable, transparency is required.

It appears that the city has difficulty with transparency—including fulfilling records requests, providing a clear, easy-to-navigate website, and posting complete agendas within the 48 hours required by open-meeting law. In my own experience, they sent me an invoice for nearly $54,000 to be paid before they would complete a public records request. By several accounts, requests are only partially met, are heavily redacted, or come with a high price tag. What is being done that needs to be so closely guarded? I have heard from many Precinct 5 residents and others across the city that they have had no idea what is happening in the city, and when they try to find information, the website is too convoluted. Unfortunately, when citizens do provide input, they are typically ignored. I will advocate for transparency, a website that is easily navigated, and accountability to all citizens—not just a small, loud minority.

In May 2023, my friends and I created Easthampton Active Citizens. We had been more heavily engaged in advocacy at the city level and discovered it was difficult to find information. Due to this frustration citizens were less engaged. Easthampton Active Citizens was formed to promote local civic engagement. Our focus has been information sharing about Easthampton City Government operations and increasing the involvement of citizens in the process of governing. To further that mission, I also started holding monthly Coffee Chats and Pizza and Politics. Prior to the election on November 4th, I will hold Precinct 5-specific events that I will continue after I am elected.

Fiscal Responsibility and Affordability:

Spending of city funds should be determined primarily by the health and safety of citizens and the efficiency of the infrastructure(such as roads, water, sewer, fire department, and police). Fiscal decisions need to be weighed by what is necessary and how it will impact the fiscal stability of the citizens now and in the future. Previous generations have worked in the local factories and have been able to buy a home in the Plains. Now, some of our residents are unable to hold onto those homes because of the ever-increasing expenses. The majority of people working in the remaining factories would find purchasing a home in the Plains out of their reach. Affordability needs to be addressed on many levels. We are stewards of the public trust and managing funds as a limited resource is part of that trust. The tough questions need to be answered: Why have prices skyrocketed for homeownership and rental? What is the city spending money on that is not necessary given limited resources? What steps can be taken as elected officials to ensure that our city remains affordable for those who have built this amazing community? These are complex questions with solutions needing to come from local municipalities, state level legislative/policy changes and federal legislative/policy changes. I will work with local residents to identify areas we can change locally, and advocate for change at the state and federal level.

Preserving our Community and its Resources:

My responsibility as a City Councilor is to the citizens that live in our community. City Councilors need to take that role seriously and approach each meeting, decision, and constituent contact as a solemn opportunity to preserve this community that we cherish. When I say preserve our community, I am speaking of layers of preservation. We have a semi-rural city that still retains some of its agricultural roots. The agricultural resources need to be protected and fostered. As we know, the closer the source of our food is to our community, the better it is for the environment, and the healthier it is for us.

What catapulted the economic growth of this city was the manufacturing base that so many citizens have relied upon for generations to achieve that American Dream. For a variety of reasons, much of the manufacturing in town is gone. We do, however, have a few strong manufacturing anchors that offer employment opportunities not found in the growing service sector. These manufacturing jobs need to be preserved. The city needs to find a way to preserve these businesses and support growth that will provide those stable jobs that built most of the town.

The previous administration expended a great deal of energy, city resources, and taxpayer funds (both CPA and grant funds) on developmental projects. Some of these are amazing, while others have squandered prime farmland, placed a heavy burden on city resources, and put our natural resources at risk. Many of the proposed zoning changes coming out of the Affordable and Fair Housing Partnership places our aquifer at risk, increases the density of housing, and would urbanize our community beyond recognition. These changes would impact Precinct 5 by doubling the allowable density in the neighborhoods of our Precinct. Traveling across town is already frustrating, current and pending projects will increase traffic by more than 8,000 trips per day, the proposed zoning changes would increase traffic even more. Preservation means protecting our aquifer (our sole water source), protecting farmland and natural resources, and protecting our small semi-rural community from urbanization.