Page 14 - BusinessWest March 3, 2021
P. 14

 Community Spotlight
Holyoke Looks to Regain Momentum
By George O’Brien
When he made up his mind roughly
a year ago not to seek re-election to the state House seat he had held for four terms, Aaron Vega had an informal list of things he would like to do next when it came to his career.
Working in Holyoke City Hall certainly wasn’t one of them. But ... things changed, in many ways, and in a profound way.
“We understand scale, we understand supply chain, and we’re going to be bringing that experience to Massachusetts as we build out our cultivation here.”
For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic limited some of the other options he was thinking about professionally, especially those in higher educa- tion, economic development, and workforce development. More importantly, though, Marcos Marrero, the long-time director of Planning and Economic Development in Holyoke, decided that
he, too, wanted a change. And as he went about looking for someone to fill his rather large shoes, he started talking to Vega, someone who obvious- ly knew the city, was heavily invested in its future, and was looking for work.
“Working for the city wasn’t really on my shortlist — and not in a negative way,” said Vega, the former Holyoke city councilor who started his five-year appointment just a few weeks ago. “Marcos reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in taking the position; it came out of the clear blue sky. I was honored that he saw me as someone who could take the reins and keep going.”
He takes the helm in economic development when Holyoke, like most communities, and espe- cially the urban centers, are looking to regain momentum lost due to the pandemic.
And, in the case of the Paper City, it’s a large amount of momentum.
Indeed, over the past several years, Holyoke had made great strides in a number of areas — downtown revitalization, with its cultural econ- omy, with entrepreneurship and new business development, and, most recently, with cultiva- tion (pun intended) of a new and potential-laden industry sector: cannabis. Indeed, with Mayor Alex Morse — who will not be seeking re-election
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    14 MARCH 3, 2021
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
 Holyoke
at a glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1850
POPULATION: 40,135
AREA: 22.8 square miles
COUNTY: Hampden
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $19.04 COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $39.74
Median Household Income: $33,030
Family Household Income: $36,262
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Mayor, City Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Holyoke Medical Center; Holyoke Community College; ISO New England; Hazen Paper
* Latest information available
Learn more at hcc.edu
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