THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU AS YOUR WARD 5 CITY COUNCILOR!
I promise to work hard and do the best job I can for you and Holyoke Professional ProfileContact LindaSupport Linda
Please feel free to contact me by phone 210-6077 (cell) or Email [email protected] with any questions
you may have.
New Events:
Ward 5 Update October 2025
Hello Everyone & Happy Halloween!
October Topics:
1) Jay Whelihan report
2) City Council Update
3) Update on Elmwood Forest
4) Questions & Concerns
October has been a busy month with our election coming up on November 4th. PLEASE VOTE!!
Please see minutes below from my Citizen's Forum, held on October 13th:
Ward 5 Forum Minutes of October 13, 2025 Approximately 25 Ward residents attended my Ward 5 meeting at Dino's. 1) NOVEMBER ELECTION! PLEASE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH Special guests were welcomed and each spoke for three minutes. Thanks to all for keeping to the 3 minutes, allowing for informal conversation later.
Speaking in order of random picks were Jens Michaelson & Aida Oquendo, running for the open school committee seat &
Kevin Jourdain, Howie Greaney & Mike Sullivan running for City Council at Large.
1) Jay Whelihan report, our retiring School Committee member and Chair of the School Finance Committee offered updates on McMahon and Donahue schools, both receiving significant improvements to the buildings including roofs, doors & windows. These important improvements will help to extend the life of each school.
Honorable mentions were made to Mayor Elaine Pluta, first woman to serve as Mayor of Holyoke and a wonderful positive role model for all of us & to Jim Rossmeisl for stepping up to run for the Ward 5 School Committee seat.
2) City Council Update: Mayor Garcia has submitted a supplemental budget. We have no free cash this year because required information has not been provided to the state. We received a DLS letter looking for reconciliations for 2023 & 2024. There will be an important Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday October 15th . You can watch it on channel 15 or zoom in or attend in person if you wish. Of note, the appointment of a qualified Treasurer approved by voters almost one year ago has not yet been appointed. In my opinion we should not be combining the Collector Treasurer positions when the office is in disarray with two years of reconciliations needing completion. We need to appoint a qualified treasurer ASAP.
3) Update on Elmwood Forest: There has been a $50,000 non-refundable deposit made for the approx. 9 acres of land owned by HEDIC and HG&E. Another larger portion of land in the area is in land court due to unpaid taxes. It is zoned RA and would need to receive approval of a zone change before commercial development takes place. This is a public process with notice and public hearings should the project move forward. There are no definite plans available at this time.
4) Questions & Concerns:
Is Homestead Ave going to be repaved? In September I received an email that stated Homestead Ave would be repaved in 2026. However, the street list has changed from time to time, so I will keep checking.
Why has the work on Schermerhorn's stopped again? I don't know a reason, but as of today Tuesday October 14th work was going on at the site.
Why were the raised crosswalks removed from Homestead Ave.? The raised crosswalks were installed in error as the road is a truck route, has too much traffic and a speed limit of 35mph which made the road ineligible for the raised speed humps. We have established a process so that any new raise crosswalks will require a petition and a public meeting before they are installed.
Thanks to all who attended and participated in my meeting!
Please call, text or email ([email protected]) any questions or concerns.
Your Ward 5 City Councilor
Linda Vacon
533-6498 or 210-6077 Finished reading
Recent Events:
Citizen's Forum for Ward 5 Residents
Meet with Linda at Dino's Pizza for pizza & wings
Homestead Avenue and Rt. 202, 'Strum's Plaza'
Monday, October 13th, 5:00-6:00PM
AGENDA
1) City Council Updates
2) November Election: Vote November 4th!
Guests invited to speak for 3 minutes:
Jens Michaelson & Aida Oquendo running for Ward 5 School Committee
Kevin Jourdain, Howie Greaney, Mike Sullivan running for City Council At-Large
3) Questions, concerns & comments
4) Other issues as requested-please email me at [email protected] or text to 210-6077 so I can provide accurate information.
Please call, text or email ([email protected]) any questions or concerns.
Your Ward 5 City Councilor
Linda Vacon
533-6498 or 210-6077
Councilor Vacon RESOLUTION REGARDING BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
City of Holyoke In City Council April 15, 2025:
A resolution of the Holyoke City Council in support of Westfield and the surrounding towns regarding Lithium Battery Energy
Storage Systems (BESS) and a petition before the Mass. Department of Public Utilities ...
Read the Resolution here [PDF]
Breaking News!
Proposal for Lithium Storage facitity withdrawn under pressure from local Activists, Mayors, Republican city committees and Resolutions
Greetings in the New Year! As your City Councilor here in Ward 5, I wish you health and happiness in 2023.
During the last year as we all continued to deal with Covid, I served you and our city as Chair of the Ordinance Committee and member of the Development & Government Relations Committee. We resumed meeting in person while also keeping a remote option to deal with health concerns.
Holyoke city councilor pushing for more regulations after Trulieve employee death
Tuesday night, the Holyoke Ordinance Committee met to discuss the topic. We met up with Councilor Vacon outside Holyoke City Hall prior to the meeting to discuss her efforts.
"I immediately filed an order to try to be sure that if there's any way that we can coordinate and collaborate with the cannabis commission locally, that we would hopefully be able to participate in making sure something like this never happens again," she told us.
Ward 5 Citizens Forum
Sunday, October 16, 2022, 1:00 p.m., at Dino's on Homestead Aveune
for Pizza, Updates, Q & A, & casual conversation
Topics:
Update from Mayor Garcia
Update on Middle Schools and question: Do you want Donahue to be elementary (through grade 5) or a middle school (grades 6-8)?
Time for updates, questions, concerns & comments
Other issues as requested-please email me so I can provide accurate information.
At the Ride to Remember - September 3, 2022, remembering those who gave their all and thanking our police officers who serve and protect
Mayor Garcia, Police Chief Pratt, Councilor Vacon at the podium:
Organizer, retired Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney with Chief Pratt Related article from MassLive.com
Traffic lines to be repainted on Rt. 202 in Holyoke following fatal accident Lines are now painted as of October, 2022
(click above image for video)
Residents can apply for Advisory Council positions through either the English or Spanish landing pages. Additional information on Advisory Councils can on the "Mayor's Office page" at www.holyoke.org.
(HOLYOKE) - Mayor Joshua A. Garcia has appointed seven Holyoke residents to act as Chairs for each of the Mayor's Advisory Councils. The appointments and their respective Advisory Councils are as follows: Community Collaborations & Communications - Cynthia Espinosa; Executive Director, Nueva Esperanza Government Restructure - Devin Sheehan; Fmr. Holyoke School Committee Member & Senior Analyst, Springfield Public Schools Green Holyoke - Corrin Meise-Munns; Assistant Town Manager & Town Planner, Town of Longmeadow Housing - William (Billy) Glidden; Freelance Writer & Housing Advocate Infrastructure & Economic Development - Michael Sullivan; Fmr. City Councilor & Business Owner Public Safety & Public Health - Gloria Caballero-Roca; Academic & Educator Youth Development - Scott Garcia; Educator, Holyoke Public Schools
Each Chair will coordinate the scheduling and agendas for each of the Mayor's meetings with that specific Advisory Council. Chairs were selected based on their background and area of interest. The frequency of which each Council will meet is determined by Council members. Chairs will be replaced on an ad hoc basis.
In November 2021, Mayor Garcia announced the formation of his Transition Team�comprised of 14 community leaders�to oversee the creation of the Mayor's Advisory Councils. Each of the seven Advisory Councils are meant to focus on a set of issues�as determined by the Transition Team�and provide the community a seat at the table during the Mayor's deliberations. The Transition Team officially dissolved earlier this month.
The window during which residents can apply for a position on an Advisory Council ends at 4:00pm on January 31, 2022. Residents can apply through either the English or Spanish landing pages. Additional information regarding the Advisory Councils can be found by going to the Mayor's Office page at www.holyoke.org.
If you have any questions, contact the Mayor's Office at (413) 561-1600.
John Dolan
Aide to the Mayor
413.564.9946 Finished reading
Feeling Grateful!
Thank you to my wonderful volunteers who supported me by participating in the recount called for by my opponent.
To my husband John
To my skilled Counsel Attorney Kevin Jourdain
To my loyal volunteers:
Howie Greaney
Joan Kirschner
Rich Berrena
Keith Davis
Jim Rossmeisl
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Springfield Republican
Thank you to our City Clerk Brenna McGee and our clerks today.
My confidence in our system and the new machines was validated by an orderly recount
that resulted in No Change to the posted unofficial results.
And finally: Thanks again to my loyal voters and my new voters for returning me as Your Ward 5 City Councilor!
Veterans Day Ceremony November 11, 2021
War Memorial Building
310 Appleton Street
10:00 a.m.
Hosted by: United Veterans of Holyoke
for more information: 413-322-5631
It has come to the attention of the Holyoke Board of Health that people in the region have been receiving fraudulent phone calls about Vaccine Registration.
The Holyoke Board of Health and the Holyoke Council on Aging will never ask for your social security number, credit card / bank information or ask you to transfer money.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free. If you are contacted by the Board of Health or the Council on Aging about the COVID-19 vaccine, we will only request your name, date of birth, address, medical history and insurance information.
If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the call, please hang up and call the Board of Health at 413-322-5595 or the Council on Aging at 413-322-5625.
Regards,
Sean Gonsalves, RS
Director of Health
Holyoke Board of Health
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates
More VACCINE locations are opening on a daily basis. If you are currently eligible and need assistance registering to receive a vaccine, you can call the Holyoke Council on Aging at 413-322-5625.
Holyoke Honors US Army Vietnam Veteran Charles Sullivan
I was honored to attend a special event at the home of Charles Sullivan, a US Army Vietnam Veteran, here in Ward 5 today, September 28, 2016.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts brought their Blue Crew of 30+ employee volunteers on a bus from throughout the state for their Annual Company Service Day.
They worked on the home of US Army Vietnam Veteran Mr. Charles Sullivan, landscaping, painting, replacing a broken window, replacing an unsafe kitchen floor and broken kitchen doors.
In addition, they built stairs with railings and a small deck.
To honor his service, the volunteers also installed a new flag pole and presented Mr. Sullivan with a U.S. flag with an honor guard arranged by Jim Mahoney, our Veterans Service Director.
I was pleased to be a part of this special day for a person who served our country and in turn was assisted in his time of need.
Charles Sullivan, to Linda's left
Charles Sullivan, left
Flag pole installation
Letter to the Editor by Councilor Vacon Holyoke residents with private systems should be excluded from water runoff fees
Letter to Editor:
It is NOT fair for residents who pay for private sewer services (septic systems) to be charged an added fee for storm water. As it is, they have been subsidizing the inadequate sewer fee through their property taxes for the last two years. Storm water from the area of the city without a sewer system does not even reach the treatment plant as storm water cannot travel up the Rt. 202 hill to enter the treatment plant.
Those with septic systems want to pay for services they actually receive from the city and that the city is able to provide. It has been stated that there is no sewer service available for approximately 700 homes in Holyoke. Those cities that have a storm water fee probably all have homes on the city sewer system. In that situation everyone is paying for a service they receive. Click here to continue reading ...
Those with septic systems have paid for the maintenance, testing and compliance with Title V regulations since they purchased their homes. There has been no assistance from the City and none is proposed in the Mayor's budget.
Those who receive sewer service have had one increase in the sewer fee since the upgrades were completed at the water treatment facility.
The budget proposed by the Mayor asks that those with private septic systems continue to subsidize the losses in the sewer fund and IN ADDITION pay a storm water runoff fee.
There is no water running off from those who pay for private septic services into the water treatment facility. Again, it is impossible for water to flow up Route 202 to enter the water treatment plant.
To shift the cost of the sewer upgrade to those who have paid the full cost of private septic costs on their own is unfair. Establishing fees on all to help some is just a 'hidden' tax, and one that cannot be written off because it is proposed as a fee. There are certain limited government services that we all pay for that serve the entire community. The sewer service is NOT one of them!
What should be done?
On December 2, 2014, our highly regarded Acting City Auditor put forth a step by step approach to bring the sewer rates in line with the costs. He recommended a $1 increase over time to avoid the shock of a steep increase (that did not pass the City Council as it was too much of an increase all at once).
The Mayor could have included this recommendation in the budget, but instead retained the subsidy and ADDED another fee. This is not a business friendly proposal.
The addition of the storm water fee to those who do not receive sewer service is not a matter of taxpayers paying their fair share. It is a DOUBLE CHARGE to taxpayers who do not receive a service from the city.
It is time for local government to live within its means as taxpayers must. When free cash is certified it should be used to balance the sewer fund, not to further expand local government. Those taxpayers who pay for their own septic systems should not be required to pay any more and our business owners do not need another fee added to their cost of doing business.
NEEDLE EXCHANGE HURTING PUBLIC SAFETY
Holyoke, MA.Today Holyoke Ward 5 City Councilor Linda Vacon announced that she will continue to fight the needle exchange program.
"We need to keep our streets safe. Unfortunately, the needle exchange program that costs taxpayers over $150,000 annually, acts
like a magnet and is bringing more problems into our community.
... Continue reading ....
Aug. 28, 2012
Holyoke Board of Health Chairwoman Ms. Katherine Liptak, RN, promised me references (during the public meeting) of studies the board utilized to come to their decision in favor of needle exchange. There has been no information forthcoming from the Board of Health at the time of this letter, so I have done some research. Click here to continue reading ...
It was shown at the meeting that we currently have approximately 30 drug addicts using needles here in Holyoke with illness, and it was shown that male to male sex with multiple partners is responsible for 40 percent of new cases of AIDS. So, in the interest of public health do we spend $150,000 of taxpayer money for a needle exchange, or spend money to continue to educate people to reduce all high risk behaviors to lower the burden of illness and death for many more?
Meanwhile people who continue with their drug use (the root cause of the problem) will continue to seek money to fund their habit. They often endanger others in the commission of crimes. They will also often die from drug abuse.
Speakers at the Board of Health meeting made assumptions about the success of the needle exchange programs reducing Hepatitis C and AIDS. Scientific studies have shown these assumptions do not hold true. See the Dr. Lucy Sullivan, 1997 study that states "there is no sign of an impact on the rate of decline (of HIV incidence rates) with the introduction of needle distribution in 1992." Also see the Vancouver study by Strathdee, 1997 showing an increase in HIV among drug addicts using needles. Then there is the Montreal study Bruneau J et al, 1995, showing that drug users participating in the needle exchange program were twice as likely to become infected with HIV as those who did not participate.
To those at the meeting who heckled, booed, and chastised speakers who opposed your views or dared to ask questions, such bullying is unacceptable behavior. It dishonors our democratic process as it discourages freedom of speech and public debate. Such actions should not be condoned by city leaders.
Linda Vacon
City Councilor and Candidate for State Representative Finished reading
Needle exchange, an outdated, failed program
Letter to the Editor by Linda Vacon, July 18, 2012
A needle exchange program was approved by the Mayor shortly after City Council meetings ended for the summer. This action is contrary to the campaign rhetoric by our Mayor who promised transparency in our government. The Board of Health appointed by the Mayor voted unanimously to approve this. Is anyone surprised by that? Click here to continue reading ...
This needle exchange program was clearly voted down by our citizens by a significant margin.
A news article stated that the last needle exchange program was approved around 1996. Perhaps that is because this program is outdated and has failed to accomplish the goal of reducing drug addiction. Now it is recast as a program to reduce AIDS and Hepatitis C for approximately 100 city residents, if we are to accept the stated statistics.
While it is a commendable goal to reduce illness, the scourge of drug addiction with its collateral damage from robbery, assault, and deaths, as drug addicted individuals seek any and all avenues to satisfy their drug cravings, is unaffected by this program.
What happened to the image of Holyoke and the marketing for businesses downtown? Who will be the first to open their new business next to the needle exchange? This is hardly the image we need to renew our city.
There is already a needle exchange in Northampton. For those who are drug addicted, syringes are readily available. Let's not enable the very behaviors that take the majority of time and effort by our dedicated police force.
As your Ward 5 City Councilor, I will continue to represent you:
By hearing concerns and ideas from residents. By serving on committees to make things happen. By making informed decisions. By keeping you informed on issues and decisions that affect you.
First: Our local government needs to be affordable, efficient and effective for the residents. Homeowners and small businesses cannot continue to pay more and more, so the size of our local government must fall in line with the available revenues. Rather than increase taxes even more, we need to provide the essential government services, which include police, fire and public works. Other programs need to be evaluated for affordability and value to the taxpayers.
Second: Our City Council is established to represent our city. When Holyoke had 60,000 residents, the fifteen-member Council was large, even then. Now with the population less than 40,000, the size of the Council is disproportionately high.
Third: I favor the establishment of a City Charter review committee. It is a healthy process for us to re-evaluate our current government structure to see if we can better serve our residents. Many believe that the current model results in a high level of in-fighting between factions on the Council and frequent power struggles with the Mayor. Many wonder if the interests of the residents are well served. I am open to hearing new ideas, have set forth some thoughts on the matter in another section of this web site and look forward to input, discussion and vigorous debate on this topic.
Fourth: I will not promise my vote on a matter before I have listened to constituents, considered input from concerned citizens, and become well informed on the subject. When I do decide on a matter, I will share the reasons for my decisions. While it is impossible to please all of the people all of the time, it is possible to conduct public business in a manner that is open, responsive and has integrity.
