Bourque served as the council’s vice president for four years and has been on all of the council’s subcommittees
West Springfield Town Council President Kathleen Bourque will be seeking a sixth term on the council in Novemberâs election. WEST SPRINGFIELD – Town Council President Kathleen Bourque has announced her intention to seek a sixth term on the council in November’s election.
“I’m extremely committed to the town of West Springfield. I think I have proven that,” Bourque, 56, said this week.
In a press release, Bourque said it is a challenge as a municipal leader to balance reducing spending but maintaining services in times with less state aid, smaller local revenues and residents struggling to stay in their homes.
“Over the past 11 years, I have worked hard to continue to offer the maximum services to our residents while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” she stated. “As a homeowner, a former member of the Board of Assessors and a real estate broker, I believe I have brought to the council a true understanding of the relationship between property values, the town budget and the effect on property taxes. We must continue to investigate ways to increase revenues without overburdening the taxpayers of our town.”
Bourque served as the council’s vice president for four years and has been on all of the council’s subcommittees. She has chaired the Budget and the Human Resource subcommittees and the Traffic Safety Committee.
“Our residents who watch or attend our meetings see the council deal with the major issues such as the budget, the tax shift, a new high school and the possibility of a new library,” she stated.
Helping people makes the job satisfying and is why she continues to serve, Bourque said.
A real estate broker and a member of the Pioneer Valley Association of Realtors, Bourque is past president of the West Springfield Chamber of Commerce. She served as the chair of the chamber’s scholarship committee from 1998 to 2009.
A graduate of St. Thomas School and West Springfield High School, she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University oof Massachusetts at Amherst.