FITCHBURG — Candidates running in several contested races for Fitchburg city government recently discussed their concerns, objectives, and goals ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
On the ballot, voters will see contested races for mayor, Ward 2, Ward 3, and Ward 5. Other races in the election for the 1st Ward, the 4th Ward, and the 6th Ward have candidates running unopposed.
Mayoral Race
Stephen DiNatale
Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale is running for re-election and hopes to retain the office for a third term in Fitchburg so he can continue to build on the accomplishments of the past four years.
DiNatale, 67, said he was seeking re-election primarily because he wants to continue to have a positive impact on the city.
“I think we’ve accomplished a great deal in the city of Fitchburg,” he said. “My direct staff and the people who work for the city still have that fire to make changes to improve everyone’s life here. I still have the drive to give to public service.”
DiNatale likes to think of himself as a “hands-on” mayor; so when he sees something that needs to be fixed, he said he’s immediately ready to find a solution to repair it.
He said his most noteworthy accomplishment this past term has been the increased growth and development of Fitchburg. Specifically, DiNatale pointed to the current City Hall project, the Fitchburg Arts Community, increased housing stock, and the redevelopment of Main Street as examples of growth.
According to DiNatale, several real estate publications have even said Fitchburg is one of the fastest growing communities in Worcester County.
If reelected, DiNatale said he wants to continue that development which would ideally provide greater funding to tackle the city’s poor roadway conditions.
“That’s really where we’ll be able to make significant changes in our road conditions,” he said. “I think the best way to attack that problem is to increase revenue through growth.”
Even in his fourth year, DiNatale admitted he still had room for improvement and said he wants to make a better effort in diversifying the people he appoints to the city’s boards and committees.
DiNatale said residents should vote for him if they want to continue down the positive path he has set in the first two terms.
“I think they see the advances that have been made and understand that I have been in public service over 25 years,” he said. “I know how things work, I know how to get things done, and I think we have demonstrated that. I’m hoping voters give me another two years to make even more improvements to the city.”
DiNatale is a Navy veteran who first took the mayor’s office in 2016, after close to a decade as the 3rd Worcester District state representative. He previously served on the City Council and School Committee, and currently chairs the School Committee.
Evelyn Island
Evelyn Island, a newcomer to city politics, is running for mayor because she believes the city needs to make some major changes, and she’s going to try to spark that change herself.
“I’ve always been a part of Fitchburg and I really feel that this is the year that change needs to come,” she said. “Fitchburg has come a long way, but I feel like we can do better.”
Island said she’s bringing several new ideas to the table, including ideas to bring businesses back to the city and to revitalize the downtown area.
She plans on finding ways to streamline the permitting process in the city, which would remove some obstacles for business owners hoping to invest in the city.
“I love supporting local businesses, but I feel like we need more,” she said. “We have so much opportunity that we can take advantage of but we have to be open.”
She said focusing on education would be a top priority, if elected. Her attention on the schools would be focused on improving after school programs, offering drug prevention programs, and boosting their funding so the facilities don’t fall into disrepair.
Island said she believes the homelessness issue in Fitchburg needs to be taken much more seriously; and that starts with funding sober homes in the city.
“I want to help the owners build more houses in the city of Fitchburg so we can help more people that are having challenges with drugs,” she said.
Island said Mayor Stephen DiNatale has not done enough to promote development and growth in his past term.
“I have not seen many improvements or changes in the city,” she said. “There are a lot of businesses leaving the city, and we have to work together to find a solution.”
Island said voters should elect her to the mayor’s office because “change can happen in the city of Fitchburg.”
“If you want change, then you will vote for change,” she said. “Do you want someone in a leadership position that will listen to the people of this city? Someone that will bring equal opportunity to this city? Together we can make a difference.”
Island is originally from Brooklyn, New York, but she came to Fitchburg when she was a child with her family. She’s a graduate from Fitchburg High School and has two degrees from Fitchburg State University.
Ward 2
Paul Beauchemin
Incumbent Ward 2 City Councilor Paul Beauchemin is running for re-election on Nov. 5 because he’s excited to continue supporting the residents and representing their voices.
“I want to keep doing what I like doing to help people in my ward and in the city,” said Beauchemin. “I like keeping it clean and to make a difference.”
Beauchemin said the ward is a lot cleaner now than when he first took over the job six years ago.
When asked how he would rate his performance this past term, Beauchemin jokingly said he was “the best there is.”
“I think I’ve done a very good job for the people of Fitchburg. I’m very satisfied with how I’ve done.”
If re-elected, he said he plans to continue his efforts to improve the ward, which includes personally pulling weeds and cleaning up trash on the city’s streets.
Beauchemin said the biggest challenges facing the city are education, water and sewer separation, storm water programs, and the worsening condition of Fitchburg’s roads.
To improve the education system in Fitchburg, Beauchemin says that everyone needs to take an active role to jump-start those improvements.
“Our education system has to be better than good,” he said. “If you have a really good educational system then people will be knocking on our door to come to our schools.”
Beauchemin said these projects and initiatives are important, but not cheap. He added that it is difficult balancing act between the city’s wants and needs, and a seasoned councilor knows when to spend and when to hold back.
Beauchemin said the current City Council has done a good job working together to tackle the city’s biggest challenges.
Beauchemin, 69, is a graduate from St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High School with additional training at Worcester Boys’ Trade High School. He was a machinist at Swissturn in Oxford.
Jorge “Georgie” Rodriguez
Jorge “Georgie” Rodriguez, a Ward 2 City Council candidate, said he’s running because the ward needs to be revitalized.
“Ward 2 has been, at some point, maybe even neglected or forgotten,” said Rodriguez. “achieve great things in life, change is necessary and change is always good.”
Rodriguez said there seems to be a lack of public interest and strong leadership in the ward, and he wants to change that.
According to Rodriguez, businesses used to flourish in the ward, but things have come to a near complete stop in recent years.
If elected, he wants to focus his attention on public safety during his first two years on the City Council.
“I believe that our ward has a safety issue,” said Rodriguez. “We have certain spots in our ward where residents say they’re concerned about their safety.”
To address the issue, he plans on reviving local crime watch groups and crime stoppers groups.
“We’re going to get the community involved and we’re going to take our streets back,” he said.
Once the streets are safe again, he said the next step would be focusing on the closed and abandoned businesses in the area. He also wants to revamp the ward with several beautification projects to turn “gray spaces into green spaces.”
“It’s going to take a lot of effort and it’s going to take a lot of work, but there’s nothing that’s impossible,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said voters should choose him on election day because he will be an ally to the ward and to the city.
“I ask the voters to consider me as a new voice,” said Rodriguez. “Our city is in the moving forward business now and you have to move with it — you can’t stay behind.
Rodriguez has worked in public service for nearly 35 years. He’s a member of the Fitchburg Council of Aging, a minister at the New Life Spanish Christina Church, and a radio and television personality.
Ward 3
Alyne Butland
Alyne Butland might be new to the politics of city government, but that doesn’t mean she’s unprepared to take a seat on the City Council.
“I think it’s important to have a new faces in politics,” she said. “I’m from Fitchburg, I know the issues and I know the people. I hope to bring a new perspective to the office because this is my first time running.”
For Butland, running for the City Council was the right opportunity at the right time. After catching wind that incumbent Joel Kaddy wouldn’t be running for re-election, she decided it was time to give her dream of politics a shot.
Butland believes the biggest challenge facing the city is the outside perception of Fitchburg. She said that, if elected, she would work toward improving that image because she believes in the city.
“Fitchburg is a great place to live, I’m proud of being from here,” she said. “We are a city on the rise. We have so many assets that make Fitchburg unique and I think we need to discuss the assets more.”
Butland said the council should seriously look into rezoning the city to make Fitchburg more business friendly. By doing that, she says, the city would be increasing jobs in the area, something that residents have been hoping for.
She also said that many of the Fitchburg schools are hurting because they don’t always have enough money to pay for much needed facility fixes and curriculum updates.
“Parents are concerned about the quality of education their children are getting and the conditions of the facilities,” she said. “We need to make sure our students are getting the same education as in Boston.”
Butland moved to Fitchburg from Everett when she was six-years-old and made her way through the Fitchburg schools, and graduated from Fitchburg State.
It was not long before she discovered her interest for legal studies, went to law school, and began working for local law firms as an attorney. Butland currently works as a compliance officer for the US Department of Labor.
Joe Bowen
Despite being a newcomer to the political arena, Ward 3 City Council candidate Joe Bowen said his work on several projects across the city has given him the experience necessary to get the job done.
Bowen has worked on projects such as the Fitchburg Dog Park, the BF Brown project, and the recently unveiled Activate Mill Street initiative.
“I try to foster projects that would make Fitchburg more of a destination location,” he said. “I find that to be very rewarding but I also believe it will help our city bring in more business.”
According to Bowen, the work he’s done on these projects inspired him to take his commitment to the next level and run for City Council.
The biggest issue residents want the city to tackle has always been the roads, said Bowen.
“We’ve just been putting money into repairs and we rely on the state to do everything else,” he said. “I think it would be a good thing for us to create a line item in the budget just to get things started.”
Bowen wants the city to do everything it can to attract more businesses into the city. He recognizes there has been a recent increase in business, but said it simply isn’t enough.
“We need to bring people in for different events so that businesses are attracted here,” said Bowen. “We also need more businesses for people to go to.”
Bowen said he is dedicated to the city. Whenever he is not working, he spends the vast majority of his free time on projects that would benefit residents, he said.
Though it’s his first time running for City Council, Bowen says he’s prepared for the job.
“I’m ready to hit the ground running,” said Bowen.
Bowen, who grew up in the city of Melrose, earned his degree in business administration from Bentley University in 2005.
Though he’s held several positions across many different fields, Bowen likes to say he’s worked in the entertainment industry for the past 30 years. He’s currently the director of the IT department at UMass Medical School and is the sitting chair of the Fitchburg Cultural Council.
Andrew Couture
Andrew J. Couture was born on a small farm in Templeton and spent most of his weekends with his family visiting the city.
Couture, 55, eventually moved to Fitchburg while he was working his way toward a degree from Fitchburg State University, the place where he met his wife. He moved on to law school, passed the bar exam, and began practicing with several major firms in Boston.
Now, he’s moved back to the city, opened up his own practice in Leominster, and represents people from across the commonwealth.
This is not Couture’s first bid for city government. He first ran for mayor in 2015, and threw his hat into the ring for city councilor at-large in 2017, but came up short in both outings.
It’s persistence, he says, that brought him back to the world of politics, and the hope of representing the residents of Ward 3.
“I have always wanted to help out the community, I’ve always wanted to be involved with Fitchburg, said Couture.
Couture says that if he’s elected, he wants to focus on addressing the ongoing issue with roads in the city.
“I want to work with Sen. Dean Tran and start trying to push the state for more money,” said Couture. “It’s either increase the taxes, which nobody wants, or get more Chapter 90 funding.”
Couture says he wants to emphasize bettering the city’s safety and emergency management. He recalls that during the 2008 ice storm his family was without power for 13 days; meanwhile, his neighbors had no issues with power.
“That stuff can’t happen,” he said. “The city of Fitchburg needs to expand its emergency management for situations like that.”
Couture said he isn’t afraid to get dirty, sometimes literally. He’s had his hand in cleaning up the Gateway City Park garden and helped clean up trash left on Oak Hill Road.
“I’m not afraid to put in the hard work and get dirty in order to make our work cleaner and safer,” he said. “It’s also important to know the issues, know your people, and understand what the issues of each neighborhood are.”
Ward 5
Marisa Fleming
Marisa Fleming, incumbent Ward 5 City Councillor, is running to retain her seat because she enjoys helping the residents of Fitchburg find solutions to their everyday problems.
If elected for another term, Fleming said her top priority would be the roads because the residents deserve better.
“We know it’s not going to be an easy fix but we’ll continue to get our representatives to advocate for money from Boston,” she said.
As the chair of the redevelopment committee, Fleming said promoting growth and development should be a focus for the entire city.
“Redevelopment is what brings people to your city, it could mean an economic boom, it helps out tax base, and it also helps with our property values,” she said. “If you build it, they will come.”
Fleming said she is excited to see how much Fitchburg can grow in the next five years alone.
“I see Fitchburg thriving in five years because I believe Boston is pricing itself right out of the market,” she said. “We’re in the right place right now. We’ve already seen an increase in our real estate and people now know where Fitchburg is.”
Fleming said her past term on the City Council has been both effective and productive.
She said residents should choose her on election day because she has proven herself time and time again on the Council.
“I proved that I am accessible, I really like people, and I care about people,” she said. “I love watching the city move in the direction we’re trying to bring it.”
Fleming, 57, who served on the School Committee for six years, has worked in sales and merchandising at Maki Building Centers in Gardner for 25 years. She is married with two adult sons.
Fleming grew up in Arlington and moved to the city with her family 33 years ago.
“Fitchburg is my home,” she said. “This is where my kids were raised and I have no intentions of ever leaving.”
Stephen Seney
Local business owner Stephen Seney is running for Ward 5 City Councillor because he believes businesses in Fitchburg have been neglected and says the city needs a candidate willing to work for the people.
“I think that having that understanding about business and what a business has to go through, especially in the city of Fitchburg and the region, will be of value on the City Council,” said Seney.
Seney said he’s also focused on families and investing in what they can offer the city.
“I think that families are one of the most important things that Fitchburg can invest in,” he said. “Strong families equals strong neighborhoods equals a strong city.”
If elected, it would also be his priority to improve the city’s care for veterans of war.
To promote business growth in the city, Seney believe the City Council has a duty to create the right environment for businesses to thrive. That starts with retaining the businesses the city already has and streamlining the permitting process, he said.
Seney said voters are primarily concerned about the roads, but added that the bigger conversation should be on the economy in Fitchburg.
“With a stronger economy, essential services will be much easier to fund so growing the economy should be the number one priority of everybody in the city,” he said. “The roads are so important because you need to have great access for any community for economic development to happen.”
Seney said voters should elect him as their new Ward 5 City Councilor if they want someone who works diligently for them.
“The voters feel like no one is listening to them,” said Seney. “I’m going to work for them. It’s there seat on the City Council and its my objective to make sure their needs are represented.”
Seney has owned Seney Construction Corp for over 26 years and is a graduate from Fitchburg State University. He ran for Ward 4 City Council twice before, but came up short in both races.
