Meet the candidates: Northampton City Council Ward 2

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On Tuesday Nov. 4, Northampton residents will cast ballots in the general election for mayoral, City Council, and School Committee candidates. Early voting began on Saturday Oct. 18, and scheduled voting hours can be found on the city’s website.

There are currently two candidates running for one City Council seat to represent Ward 2. Their League of Women Voters debate is taking place on Monday, Oct. 27 at the BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity. The Shoestring asked each candidate an identical set of questions in preparation for these profiles, which are listed in the same order as they’ll appear on the ballot.

Debby Pastrich-Klemer

Debby Pastrich-Klemer is the incumbent in the race, having served one term as the city councilor for Ward 2. With experience in grassroots organizing and facilitation, Pastrich-Klemer said she hopes to “bring the temperature down” in Northampton and unite the community.

A New York City native who moved to Northampton in 2013, Pastrich-Klemer spent 40 years working in radiology before getting involved in municipal government. She said her political career began in 2017, co-founding Indivisible Northampton, a grassroots progressive action group. 

“As co-chair, I brought in state and local politicians, candidates, and activists. I organized over 25 marches and rallies with groups such as MoveOn, Public Citizens, and Valley Women’s March,” Pastrich-Klemer said.

As a Ward 2 councilor, Pastrich-Klemer said she co-sponsored 13 resolutions, including one to make Northampton a sanctuary city for transgender and gender diverse people. She highlighted her history of supporting affordable housing and climate goal resolutions.

Pastrich-Klemer said that the growing need for open communication between constituents and the City Council, along with the aging infrastructure of Northampton, are the biggest issues affecting Northampton residents. 

“We’ve had a few pipes burst in my ward this past year, and it’s extremely expensive to repair them and disruptive to tenants and business owners when that happens,” she said. “So, [we need to] try to get more money and resources to the DPW.“

Pastrich-Klemer said she’s spent time over the past two years working with other councilors, the finance director, and the mayor studying the budget to understand it better. She expressed support for the city’s Fiscal Stability Plan, which calls for the maintenance of a stability fund and periodic citywide votes to increase taxes to keep up with inflation. Though the approach, which dates back to 2013, has had the support of Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra during her mayorship, some Northamptonites have argued the city should put more funds towards operating expenses, like the city’s schools. Pastrich-Klemer, however, said she prefers a more cautious approach given concerning policy changes at the national level.

“We’ve seen [President Trump] take money away already and we’re feeling some effects of it,” she said. “I don’t feel that we can drain all of our funds to spend on recurring expenses… Many of my constituents and many people in Northampton can’t afford these outrageous overrides it would take to cover these expenses.”

Pastrich-Klemer believes her recent experience in Northampton municipal government distinguishes her from her opponent, though she acknowledged she still has more to learn. She identifies as a liberal, and said she actively fosters relationships with constituents, department heads, and opposing voices. 

“I’ll talk to anybody,” she said. “I want to make the city better. I don’t want to divide it,”

Ultimately, Pastrich-Klemer hopes to cultivate a sense of trust among residents that the city is “taking care of things here and making the best decisions and keeping things stable.”

Al Simon

Challenging Pastrich-Klemer is Al Simon, an 18-year veteran of Windsor, Connecticut’s Town Council who has lived in Northampton since 2019 and says he feels “called back into action” by the city’s budgeting conflicts.

Shortly after Simon’s move to Northampton, he said the COVID-19 pandemic drastically harmed his business consulting company. During this time, Simon retired and pursued his undergraduate education, earning his degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2021.

According to Simon, one of the biggest issues afflicting Northampton residents is the city’s handling of the budget, especially funding for public education. He expressed disapproval of city leaders’ for passing budgets in the last two fiscal years that resulted in staff and service cuts across the district.

“The city is really focused on things that it wants to do tomorrow, but now it’s coming at the expense of the things that it needs to do today,” Simon said. “If you have a choice to make about money and the choice you make is to prioritize growing your reserves over the education of children, I just can’t accept that.”

He also says that Northampton’s budget plan paradoxically requires higher taxes and service reductions at the same time, even though “for more than a decade, [Northampton has] had unbroken multi-million dollar budget surpluses every single year.” 

“I think most people don’t mind paying taxes,” Simon said. “We do want to get what we’re paying for, and there’s a feeling that that’s not happening.” 

Simon said that his unique experience on the Windsor Town Council helps him stand out in the election. He said that navigating a town council that separated members by party affiliation honed his ability to find common ground and leverage collaboration with unlikely allies. 

Additionally, Simon said his curiosity is a major strength that allows him to create unique solutions. He shared his experience connecting with an independent audit firm that serves 80 Massachusetts municipalities, including Northampton. “They have a breadth of experience,” said Simon, which he said enhanced his plans for the city.

“We need a curious mindset, a willingness to look around at other potential solutions… I think one of the biggest strengths I bring is that I actually have a different perspective. I know there are things we can do differently because we’ve done them differently,” Simon said.

Although he served as a Democrat for the Windsor Town Council, Simon describes his political identity as “somewhere between a social democrat and a democratic socialist.”

“I don’t want the benefits [of democracy] to be based on how much you have in your wallet,” Simon said. “I believe in human equality. Every person has the right to a dignified life free from fear or shame.”