10/27/2021
[email protected]
Dear Precinct 9 Voters,
My name is Derek Helie and I am running as a write- in candidate to represent the Precinct 9 voters as their City Councilor. After learning about Who I Am and What I Believe In, I hope voters will feel confident writing-in my name on the ballot on November 2nd.
Who I Am
The most important aspect of my life is my family. I have been married to my loving and supportive wife for 12 years. She is truly a blessing and without her I would not be where I am today. Her support has always been a guiding light for me and I cannot thank her enough.
Together, we have four amazing children, ages 12, 9, 7, and 3, who all attend Greenfield Public Schools. Three years ago, my wife and I decided to open up our home to kids in need and we became unrestricted foster parents. I cannot explain how gratifying it has been to help these kids through their times of despair and hardship. I am also very grateful for the opportunity because if it were not for that life choice, I would have never met our adopted 3-year-old daughter.
Both my wife and I are very active in the school system. My wife is president of the Newton School PTO and Vice President of the Middle School PTO. I have volunteered many hours on numerous school events including construction of the Newton School playground, reading to children on pajama night, book fairs, and planting trees at Newton School. I have also been an assistant coach for my oldest daughter’s softball team in the Greenfield Girls Softball League.
We moved to Meadow Lane in Greenfield in 2011 after I spent a year and a half in Orville, Ohio as a construction manager for a state of the art jelly factory for JM Smucker. I like to joke with people and say, “Now every time you open a can of jam or jelly you will think about me.” I attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. I am currently a Senior Manager for a large Design-Build Construction Company. Through proper time management and a hard work ethic I have managed to be very successful in my career field while maintaining a family-oriented lifestyle.
What I Believe In
I have lived many places throughout my career and life but none greater than the City of Greenfield. I truly believe the City of Greenfield is a great place to call home and raise a family. I also believe that all great things can be better and that is what I would like to discuss here.
1. Tax Burden- Greenfield Property Taxes have continued to skyrocket since I have moved into my home. We currently have the 3rd highest tax rate in all of Massachusetts and are narrowly behind the race to become the highest tax paying city in Massachusetts. This statistic is mind-blowing and I believe this can be resolved with proper leadership. So many families have left Greenfield or are considering leaving Greenfield due to this issue.
2. GCET for all of Precinct 9- When GCET was announced I placed a deposit to reserve a space. After years of being monopolized by Comcast, I finally felt a sense of relief. However, that relief was short- lived after realizing we may never see it in our area. It has been almost 6 years since GCET was
created and yet we still do not have access to this service. As taxpayers of Greenfield, there is no excuse why this service has not been provided to all of Precinct 9.
3. Bring Business Back to Greenfield- It seems businesses are either leaving Greenfield or not coming in the first place.. I recently constructed a building for a company that was in business in Greenfield since 1945. They moved on to a more “business friendly” town. I would like to change this attitude and bring business back into Greenfield. My goal is to help find solutions to make Greenfield attractive to businesses and bring employment opportunities back to Greenfield.
4. Revitalization of Downtown Greenfield- Let’s face it, in my opinion downtown Greenfield needs a major makeover. How can we work with property owners to revitalize downtown Greenfield? What does everyone envision for downtown Greenfield? I would like to represent your voices and help revitalize downtown Greenfield.
5. Capital Projects- We have some major capital projects ongoing in the City of Greenfield. I would like the voters to understand my beliefs in the major upcoming projects. I think it is fair to be fully transparent with my voters so they fully understand my beliefs. My goal is to use my experience in design-build construction and project management to improve forecasting large capital projects and help reduce the burden on taxpayers.
a. Library Project- As a parent I did vote in favor of a new library in Greenfield. I voted this way because I did agree the current library was too small, outdated, and did not comply with current building code regulations. I do, however, feel due to expiring state grants the library project has been rushed and not properly planned. With proper guidance, the project could have been designed in a more economical manner so a large tax burden was not placed on an already overtaxed community. Fire Station Relocation- Anyone who has visited the fire station with knowledge of municipal finance and assets would have agreed the fire station was undersized, outdated, and in need of major repairs. I do agree that a new fire station is required. However, due to a lack of planning, taxpayers are now burdened with multiple large capital projects in back-to-back fiscal years.
b. Critical Infrastructure Projects- Our infrastructure is crumbling and is costing taxpayers a considerable amount of money. Water main breaks have burdened the city this year. Infiltration issues into sewer mains and structures are causing issues with Greenfield Waste Water Treatment Plants. With proper planning, these projects could have been upgraded year to year, relieving taxpayers of a major financial investment of capital funds in a short period.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to representing all of you and would appreciate your vote on November 2nd.
