Michael C. Bloom: City Council Candidate

By Susan Bush
12:00AM / Thursday, October 06, 2005

Incumbent City Council candidate Michael C. Bloom

North Adams – Michael C. Bloom, 46, of 176 Bradley St., sees himself as a team player, and said he is ready to tackle an eighth term as a city councilor.

“I still have the drive to do it,” Bloom said during an Oct. 4 interview. “I enjoy serving the city. I enjoy helping make the decisions that guide the city in the direction it’s going. This is a wonderful city, a wonderful community, and I feel good about participating at this level.”

Bloom is among eight incumbent city councilors and seven challengers vying for nine city council seats during a Nov. 8 election. City Councilor William Donovan announced in September that he will be moving from the city and is no longer seeking reelection to the
council.

Bloom owns the Key West pub on State Street and also owns numerous residential and commercial rental properties in the city.

Youth Sports and Recreation

He has coached numerous city youth athletic teams and has also served as an assistant ice hockey coach at St. Joseph’s High School in Pittsfield.

Sports and recreation programs are vital to the city’s youth, Bloom said.

“I’m passionate about that,” Bloom said. “I’ve coached ice hockey, Cal Ripken baseball, girls softball, soccer; it’s fun to watch the kids play and grow. Sports are so important. It creates well-rounded individuals and teaches life skills.”

Bloom said that renovations and improvements to the city’s athletic fields and parks are projects that have his unwavering support as a councilor.

“When it comes to making improvements at the fields, I will always be all for that,” he said.

He is very proud of the city’s Joe Wolfe Field and the progress at the Daniel Alcombright Field, he said. Plans are in the works for remaining city parks, and children will benefit from the improvements, he said.

“I hope that people realize how important the local government believes recreation opportunities are, and that’s from the top down,” he said.

"I Am A Survivor"

Bloom said that the caring spirit of the city was delivered right to his door earlier this year, after he was diagnosed with squamous carcinoma cell cancer that affected his throat.

“When I got sick, I received so many cards and notes – I have a stack that’s over a foot-and-a-half high- and some were from people that I didn’t even know,” Bloom said. “I spent the summer getting treatment and my doctors predict a complete recovery.”

Treatment required surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and Bloom was unable to actively serve his elected term as city council president. City Councilor Gailanne Cariddi presided over city council meetings as interim council president in Bloom’s absence.

If reelected, Bloom will serve “on the floor,” meaning that another councilor will be elected to a council president term after councilors are sworn into office in 2006.

“I would be back on the floor and it will be good to get back into the conversation, back into the debate,” he said. “When you are on the floor, people know more directly what you are thinking. I look at myself as a councilor who can be a team player and a leader.”

He believes himself to be a survivor as well, he said.

“These things [illness] happen to people,” he said. “There are a lot of cancer survivors out there, and I am a survivor. I plan to be around for a long time; I have three kids.”

Bloom is married to Lorrie Bloom.

There to Work

He is proud of the city and the work accomplished during recent years, he said, and cited the Veteran’s Memorial Drive project, the improvements in public school student MCAS scores, and the laptop computers destined for use by Silvio O. Conte Middle School sixth-grade students.

“The schools are doing a good job,” he said. “The MCAS scores are going up and Supt. Montepare [North Adams Public Schools Superintendent James Montepare] is constantly drumming up grant money for our schools, and that benefits our students.”

Infrastructure improvements include the city’s transfer station and water filtration system, Bloom said.

“And it was all done without a Proposition 2½ override,” he said. “It’s all made the city a very attractive place. I get the most enjoyment out of knowing that I’m part of the group that brought all these things home.”

He wants to keep working for city residents as a city councilor, Bloom said.

“People should know that I’m there to work,” he said. “I plan to look at every issue objectively. We want to keep things moving. We have new people coming in to the community that we want to work with. I’m very accessible, and I want to work with people.”

Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at suebush@iberkshires.com or at 802-823-9367.

Michael Bloom chose to forgo a video interview.