His voice wavering at times, the 55-year-old Gibson said the “24-7 nature of the job” has worn him down
Edward Gibson, West Springfield's first and only mayor, is seen last month during the St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke.This is an updated version of a story posted at 3:40 this afternoon.
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Edward J. Gibson, the city’s first and only mayor, announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to a sixth two-year term in November.
His voice wavering at times, the 55-year-old Gibson said the “24-7 nature of the job” has worn him down and it is now time to recharge his batteries. Gibson said over his decade as the city’s chief executive his family has understood that the job has always come first.
Gibson made the announcement before television cameras in the auditorium of the community’s municipal building. About 25 officials and city workers had gathered there.
The mayor said he chose now to make the announcement as nomination papers for office will be available May 2 and he wants to give candidates plenty of time for their campaigns. Gibson said he is not endorsing anyone’s candidacy, joking that it would be welcomed by some, but seen “as a poison pill” by others.
So far, there are no declared candidates for mayor.
Gibson said he looks forward to devoting himself full time to his work as mayor during the remaining months of his term, which expires Jan. 1. Among his projects will be continuing work toward building a new $93 million high school as well as move forward with plans to build a new library, a project estimated at $13.4 million, he said.
Gibson thanked the voters and his supporters for giving him “the privilege” to serve as mayor.
“We have accomplished a lot,” Gibson said. “It has been a passion for me to serve as mayor of West Springfield here.”
Among his accomplishments that he mentioned were the completion of the middle school building project despite problems with methane gas.
“That was my first challenging problem and probably to this day my biggest headache to overcome,” the mayor said.
Gibson pointed to a $68.8 million state grant recently won to build a new high school and better budgeting practices that have made the city financially stable, something for which he gave credit to his financial team and officials. Other accomplishments he highlighted were installation of traffic lights where there had not been any to make intersections safer and developing more efficient financial procedures. Gibson said dealing with the challenging financial times will be the biggest issue confronting his successor.
“Ed did a very good job in West Springfield, as did Claire in Northampton,” Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said, regarding Gibson and Northampton Mayor Mary Claire Higgins, who is also not seeking re-election.
“It can be a very rewarding job, but it is grueling at times. You have to have passion for this job. Myself, obviously the passion is still there,” said Sarno, who will seek re-election this fall.
“I like Ed,” Higgins said. “We spent almost the same amount of time in office. He was a pleasure to work with on regional projects.”
Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said there are a lot of challenges facing mayors this year, such as a 40 percent reduction in state aid. Nevertheless, he said it came as a surprise to him that Gibson is not seeking reelection.
Bissonnette said that in spite of the long hours and frustrations, he finds being mayor of Chicopee very rewarding and he said he is planning on running for reelection.
“For me, this is part of giving back to the community,” he said.
Holyoke Mayor Elaine Pluta has announced she is seeking reelection. She is facing a challenge from Alex B. Morse, a 21-year-old senior at Brown University.
Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik has announced he plans on seeking a second term.
Mayor Michael A. Tautznik of Easthampton announced in February he would seek re-election to an eighth term.