Springfield native John Lysak is running for City Council. Following are his answers to a series of questions I sent him via email.
The interview is part of an attempt to reach most, if not all, of the candidates for City Council this year and learn more about their background, unique qualities, and thoughts about the city. Those candidates I have not reached, and would like to be interviewed, are invited to drop me a line.
INTERVIEW WITH JOHN LYSAK
Neighborhoods
How has Springfield changed since you were a kid?
It has changed in that when I was a kid, you used to be able to walk around the City, and you would be safe. That isn’t the case anymore.
How has it stayed the same?
It is the same in that we keep electing the same types of politicians, who come up with the same tired solutions to our problems, with the same results, causing the decline of our city.
What do you miss most from your childhood years and what do you like best now, as an adult and a parent?
I miss the fact that my kids can’t wander around our neighborhoods, like they could when I was a kid. As a parent, I love bringing my kids to Forest Park. It’s a beautiful area with many great programs for children.
How would you describe your neighborhood in the city, and how does it compare to other neighborhoods?
We are in the Boston Road neighborhood. My wife and I like that it is racially well-balanced, it has good schools, and is convenient to work and shopping.
No one place is perfect. Why do you choose to live where you do, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of your particular location?
For the schools, and the convenience to work and shopping, are the reasons we moved here. The drawbacks are that there is a lot of traffic, and there are poor road conditions.
On your Web site you mention major sections of the city being ignored for a long time. Which sections?
Large sections of the city are being ignored. They are Indian Orchard, Pine Point, East Springfield, and the Boston Road corridor.
In contrast to that, which sections of the city do you believe have received a lot of attention? What kind of attention is it, do you think, and what do you believe has been the net effect of that attention?
Downtown is receiving a lot of attention, in an effort to bring more businesses into the city. This is a good thing, but we are using the same methods as before and seeing little results. We need leaders and visionaries who will come up with new ideas in order for downtown to see some real improvements.
While we spend so much time worrying about downtown, other areas of the city have fallen into disrepair. When the neighborhood residents complain, the city either fixes a few potholes or sends an extra patrol into the area for a limited time. Then they expect the residents to stop complaining.
Public safety
You mention an auxiliary police force for the city on your Web site as a method to enhance public safety. Are you referring to the Guardian Angels, or is an auxiliary force something different? What surrounding towns have this, and how does it work?
The Guardian Angels are different from an auxiliary police force. The Guardian Angels are a volunteer organization, made up of local citizens, who receive training. They operate almost like a neighborhood watch, and they have no arrest powers.
An auxiliary police force is made up of people who have received academy training, but are not hired by a police department yet. They maintain their own uniforms, already have the training in place, and work for free. This is a win-win for both the auxiliaries and the city. We gain more of a police presence without the higher cost of putting more police officers on the payroll, and the auxiliaries gain experience that could help them when seeking employment with a police department.
I would use the auxiliaries to handle quality of life issues, like noise complaints, which would free up our regular officers so that they could handle more serious crimes. Some other cities and towns that use auxiliary police forces are Ludlow, West Springfield, Southwick, Holyoke, and many major cities throughout the nation, such as New York City.
What other ideas do you have for how public safety can be enhanced, maybe with the police and citizens working together somehow? What do you know or observe about the effectiveness of beat management team meetings, for instance, and how they can be put to better use, or innovated to work better somehow?
I support the Guardian Angels coming to Springfield, because part of the reason why we have so much crime is that we need more of a presence in the neighborhoods. We also need citizens who are not afraid to report crimes to the police, and will testify in court against criminals. While the Guardian Angels are not the police, they will report crime to the authorities and will testify in court. Hopefully, having them here will encourage others to report crime and take a stand against the criminal elements in the city.
What do you think about the level of crime in the city, and the talk about perceived fear and reluctance to go downtown? What creates the reputation, and what are some of the real obstacles the city needs to overcome?
We should never be complacent about crime; we must always try to fight it to keep our neighborhoods safe, decent places to raise families. That being said, I think that we are perceived to have a lot of crime. This perception comes from the fact that we are more urban than many surrounding communities, so it is unfair to compare our crime to crime in the suburbs. You also have a strong neighborhood perception, where residents feel that as long as they stay in their neighborhood, they will be safe. All of these factors contribute to the belief that downtown is a dangerous place. My family and I have been downtown many times, and we have never had any problems.
Racial and ethnic harmony
What is your reaction to the racial bias class action lawsuit recently brought against the city by eight municipal employees?
It is a very serious accusation. It must be thoroughly investigated; depending on the results of the investigation, appropriate action must be taken.
What is your sense of Springfield’s status in New England as a community made up of many cultures and ethnicities? How are we doing, and what can we do better?
I think that Springfield has a great mix of people. My wife and children, for example, are Hispanic. What I would like to see happen is more multicultural events, where residents and visitors could come and learn about each other’s cultures in a friendly, welcoming way.
Teamwork
What would you say are some personal or professional qualities you bring to the table in group settings such as committees and in consultation with colleagues?
I have worked with a lot of non-profits, and as the head of many committees. I am a great listener, and I am able to connect with many different types of people.
What are some of your experiences working in groups? What lessons have you learned about how to work together with other people of differing opinions?
I have worked on scholarship programs and with charities for both the Freemasons and the Shriners. Through my work with these groups, I have learned to listen to other people’s opinions and actively encourage their input.
How do you approach problem-solving in your family or work life? Do you have a particular technique, or maybe a favorite philosophy of any kind?
I always try to get all sides of an issue, and I try not to make rash decisions.
Civic participation and the media
What are your thoughts about how well the city of Springfield is served by its print, radio, television and online news presence?
I don’t think that there is enough coverage of local political candidates, which only helps incumbents get re-elected. The online bloggers have helped this situation, but the papers, radio, and television need to follow suit.
What have you observed about how city residents think or feel about their city as it is presented to them in the media?
A lot of residents are ashamed to say that they are from Springfield because of the way that we are portrayed in the media. They tend to focus on the negative, while the positive news doesn’t receive prominent coverage.
What do you like or dislike about the city’s Web site, and how easy or difficult it makes access to information for residents?
The city’s Web site is great. It’s very user-friendly. For most things, you don’t need to go downtown anymore. It is a great use of technology.
How can the city improve its level of civic participation in meetings, important decisions, electoral participation, and volunteerism?
If the City Council is going to make decisions about a neighborhood, it needs to hold meetings in that neighborhood (i.e. in the schools or libraries). I also think that if we have come to a decision, we need to go to the neighborhoods and hold information sessions and open forums. We should explain our decision-making process to our constituents, and we should make it convenient for them to get this information.
Physical landscape of the city
What do you think about the recent talk about changes to the city’s zoning ordinance, as exemplified by the new State Street Interim Overlay District, for instance? Do you think the city needs better and stricter land use guidelines, or should it be more flexible, with uses and aesthetics determined by business and not government?
I think that the city should be able to say what businesses go where. And they should regulate aesthetics, so that new buildings maintain the look and feel of the neighborhoods that they will be located in. However, I don’t want the city to overzealously regulate businesses. We want to create a business-friendly atmosphere while maintaining neighborhood integrity.
You mention on your Web site the need to streamline Code Enforcement. What ideas do you have for how this can happen? What problems do you think exist in the department that slow down response time to difficult or dangerous properties?
Currently, reports of code violations are done via the Web site. We need to make sure that up-to-date technology is being used to make the reporting process more efficient. We also need to evaluate the different job duties that the employees have, and from there make changes to work loads and procedures to make the whole process flow more smoothly. We also need to set up and enforce strict turn-around times from the time a complaint is registered to the time the investigation occurs.
What other factors contribute to blight in Springfield besides absentee landlords, which you have already acknowledged as part of the problem?
For starters, illegal dumping and litter; we need to actively ticket people who trash our neighborhoods. This is where the auxiliary police force could help. Secondly, we need to do a better job of tearing down buildings that are uninhabitable due to lack of repairs or fires. They bring the whole neighborhood down, and become havens of illegal drug sales and use.
What aspects of Springfield do you think are most beautiful? Most ugly? If you could wave a magic wand and change one huge thing about its appearance, what would it be, and why?
I love all of the trees that we have in this city, and we have some of the most beautiful architecture around. Especially some of the older homes in Forest Park, the Old Hill neighborhood (pictured), and Maple Street.
I think that some of the uglier sights in Springfield are all of the boarded up and burned out buildings that are allowed to sit, and the many empty storefronts that add to the perception that we are a dying city.
If I could change one thing, I would put I-91 on the other side of the river. Then we could have kept the Barney Mansion and had an accessible riverfront.
Name one of Springfield’s “best kept secrets” in your opinion.
All of the history of our city. I am constantly shocked at how many residents don’t know what an important part our city played in the war for our independence, among other things. I think that if more people educated themselves in local history, they would find a great sense of pride in being from Springfield.
What was your impression of the Urban Land Institute’s visit last year to the city, and the resulting report (PDF)?
Many of my positions are in sync with the recommendations made by the Urban Land Institute. I support the implementation of many of its recommendations.
Jobs and business
What goes into a business-friendly attitude on the part of the city, in your opinion? How can the City Council play a role?
The Council needs to go and talk to businesses and actively promote Springfield as a place to do business, including offering tax incentives. Many businesses are getting priced out of Boston and eastern Massachusetts; we could provide them with a better environment, cheaper real estate, and an educated workforce thanks to our many fine area colleges.
What are some examples of how City Council decisions have helped or hindered the city’s job or business growth in the last two years?
I wish that I could give you some examples of City Council decisions or plans for job or business growth, but I haven’t heard them say or do anything other than the fact that they all say they support economic development.
What unusual ideas might you have about types of jobs or businesses to try to attract to Springfield?
Everyone talks about developing the riverfront as a means to revitalize Springfield. In talking about that, many people look to Northampton as a source of inspiration. What they forget is that we have two riverfronts; the second one is on the Chicopee River, in Indian Orchard.
I would like to turn the Main Street section of Indian Orchard into a Northampton-style “village,” with lots of shops, bistros, theaters, and a place where artists and craftsmen can set up shop. There are many empty storefronts, a lot of parking, and it is set up to be a great walking area.
There is also the Indian Orchard Mills, which has established businesses and could house others. There is also a lot of old property along the riverfront which could be converted into market-rate condos. Property there is cheap now, making it a more affordable alternative to businesses and homeowners than Northampton would be. It is also convenient to the Mass Pike and downtown. The Indian Orchard Neighborhood Council has been doing their best to make this happen, but they need the city’s help. It’s time we gave it to them.
