United Independent Party Director Launches Bid For Pittsfield Council
 Taylor DiSantis has launched his campaign for City Council. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Many of the people who grew up with Taylor DiSantis have graduated college but have no plans to return to the Berkshires.
It isn't because they don't want to, DiSantis says. They won't return because they don't have job opportunities.
The 24-year-old is now running for an at large seat on the City Council with his primary focus being job creation.
The political science major at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is jumping into the spotlight after working on the 2012 Andrea Nuciforo campaign for Congress and Evan Falchuk's run for governor last year.
He is currently working full time as the political director for the United Independent Party.
"It is not just the number of opportunities. It is the types of jobs. If you are an accounting major, the big four accounting firms are in Boston. Why can't we do something to bring a large accounting firm that services all of Western Massachusetts here? There is one in Springfield. I have friends who majored in accounting and they either go to Springfield or Boston," DiSantis said.
"It not about not wanting to come back. Our lives are here; our families are here; our memories are here. When the city gives you so much, you want to give back. It is not that they don't want to come back it is just that they don't see a purpose or reason to. It isn't in their best interest to. We have to change that and it starts with jobs."
DiSantis took out papers last Thursday and is collecting his signatures to be on the ballot. In an interview on Thursday, DiSantis said his efforts will be focused on jobs, alleviating the opioid addiction, and education.
"My top priority is jobs. If you look at the national job growth average, it is at 1.18 percent. Pittsfield is at minus .88 percent. It is not only about bringing jobs here but also helping and understanding what our local businesses that are here need to grow," DiSantis said. "We have so many great businesses here that I think the city could do more for."
He said the commercial tax base dropped significantly since the days of KB Toys and General Electric and that has placed more of a burden on the residential taxpayers. He said he wants to promote the city and create incentives for other large corporations to come to the Berkshires. That solves helps the small and medium-sized companies that are shouldering much of the tax levy, he said.
"We need to promote ourselves so that other companies see that investing in Pittsfield is a good idea," DiSantis said.
Meanwhile, there is a high number of retirees in the Berkshires and a shortage of young workers to take their place. While others may focus on trying to create a nightlife atmosphere, DiSantis said creating the job opportunities need to come first.
The United Independent Party held a few events at Starbase Technologies and owner Burt Francis told him he struggles to find the young workers to run the machines. DiSantis said he wants to have meetings with other small and medium-sized businesses and find out if there are any other programs the city can put in place to help them.
The new Taconic High School is one avenue toward helping those companies and keeping the younger generation here. Education is another one of DiSantis' top priorities as the lack of skilled workers is one of the biggest issues he feels is slowing business growth.
But the new school isn't going to solve all of the problems, he said. Despite how much the city spends educating the students, there is still a proficiency gap, DiSantis said. The graduation rate has increased, he said, but the number of Pittsfield students moving on to higher level degrees or job training isn't as high as he'd like. He wants to look closer at how the money is being spent in the School Department.
"We definitely don't want to decrease what we're spending on education but seeing where that money is going," DiSantis said. "There are other places in the state that spend less and aren't having those issues. That's something I want to look into."
He said he also wants to help tackle the drug problem that has grown nationally. He cited what Gloucester is doing in that police will no longer arrest opioid users who turn themselves in but instead get them to addiction treatment programs. He wants to bring ideas like that to Pittsfield. And, he says there is a shortage of resources in Pittsfield for clinics to treat the need. DiSantis wants to find ways to increase access to treatment programs.
Overall, DiSantis says he brings fresh perspectives to the table to help address the city's problems. In announcing his candidacy, he has endorsements from both Nuciforo and Falchuk, both of whom are expected to speak at a campaign launch this weekend.
The United Independent Party became an official party after the 2015 gubernatorial election when Falchuk was able to get 3.3 percent of the vote, which crosses the threshold to be recognized. DiSantis has been working with the party on enrollment efforts and working on the party's platform on various issues. Most recently, Falchuk has been rallying against the Olympic bid in Boston. DiSantis is the first to announce a candidacy for any office under the United Independent's official banner.
"The city did a lot for me and I want to come back and dedicate my work and services to the city of Pittsfield to bring about some new and fresh ideas to face the challenges we face here," he said.
Currently seven candidates, including DiSantis, have taken out papers for four at-large seats: incumbents Melissa Mazzeo, Chuchill Cotton and Kathleen Amuso, are joined in the race by DiSantis, Peter Marchetti, Joe Nichols and Peter White.
Tags: candidates, city council, election 2015,
