Representative Don Humason



BITS OF NEWS May 16, 2009 By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. Congratulations to the Westfield State College Class of 2009. Their Commencement will be held Saturday, May 16. It is the 170th Commencement of Westfield State College. I will have the honor of bringing greetings from the Great and General Court to the assembly. Twenty years ago, I was the Vice President of the graduating class of 1989. We were the first class to graduate on the campus green at the college. An honorary degree will be presented posthumously to Don Blair, who passed away last year. Don was a well known businessman and community activist in Westfield. His wife, Johann Taylor, will receive the award in his name. Plan your travel Saturday with an expectation of traffic before and after the graduation from Western Avenue to the Mass Pike. If you would like to watch the Commencement ceremony but don’t want to fight traffic the college will broadcast it live over the Westfield Community Programming Channel 15 that is based at the college. The channel is available to Westfield subscribers of Comcast’s cable television service. The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 16. The most recent edition of my Channel 15 cable show, “From the State House to your House” is now airing on the Westfield Community Programming Channel. My guest this month is Senator Mike Knapik. We taped the program outdoors at Parker Memorial Park in Westfield, the site of numerous Veteran ceremonies in town and the location of the Memorial Day ceremony following the parade on Monday, May 25. We discuss the state of the Massachusetts economy and the budget situation facing state and local governments. We also touch on some of the projects happening in Westfield such as the Great River Bridge project and the state paving projects on the North End of town. I hope you will tune in and watch. With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer approaching, both Mike’s office and mine are making available free Massachusetts Pioneer Valley Getaway Guides. Gasoline prices are rising slowly but steadily again (yet another reason to oppose Governor Patrick’s desired gasoline tax increase) and you may be looking for a place to vacation or take a daytrip to that is close to home. These guides are full of information, facts, and fun things to do. The Senate Ways and Means Committee released their Fiscal Year 2010 budget plan Wednesday. At $26.7 billion, their budget is about $1.4 billion less than the House version of the budget passed a few weeks ago. Senate Ways and Means Chair Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell) stated that the Senate draft reflected the continued deterioration in state tax collections. The full 40-member Senate will debate amendments to their budget and vote on it next week. Some of you may know that I am the Chair of the Legislature’s Aviation Caucus, a group of legislators who support aviation, airports, and aviation-related businesses in the Commonwealth. It seemed a natural fit considering that I represent Barnes municipal airport in Westfield and have been interested in aviation since I was a young child. This week was full of Aviation Caucus related meetings including one at the Federal Aviation Administration office in Burlington, Massachusetts to discuss the importance of public use, privately owned airports in New England. I also visited Beverly and Marlboro airports this week. Beverly is a municipal airport, like Barnes, and Marlboro is a private owned, public use airport. Now that former Barnes Airport Manager Christopher Willenborg has been hired to be the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, I look forward to working even more closely with Chris to promote aviation across the Commonwealth. I’d like to welcome Westfield resident Brian Barnes who was recently hired by the Westfield Airport Commission to replace Chris as the Barnes Airport Manager. Maybe his name had something to do with it! I also wanted to acknowledge the passing of legendary Westfield Hampton Ponds resident Grannie Annie Wilmot who passed recently at the age of 110. A friendly, smiling, gentle-woman who was the cornerstone of the Ponds community, Grannie Annie is most famous for her daily trips across the ponds in her rowboat. I had the privilege of knowing Annie and her family. She will be sadly missed, but always remembered. * * * Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org
This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group

BITS OF NEWS

May 16, 2009

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.

Congratulations to the Westfield State College Class of 2009. Their Commencement will be held Saturday, May 16. It is the 170th Commencement of Westfield State College.

I will have the honor of bringing greetings from the Great and General Court to the assembly. Twenty years ago, I was the Vice President of the graduating class of 1989. We were the first class to graduate on the campus green at the college.

An honorary degree will be presented posthumously to Don Blair, who passed away last year. Don was a well known businessman and community activist in Westfield. His wife, Johann Taylor, will receive the award in his name.

Plan your travel Saturday with an expectation of traffic before and after the graduation from Western Avenue to the Mass Pike. If you would like to watch the Commencement ceremony but don’t want to fight traffic the college will broadcast it live over the Westfield Community Programming Channel 15 that is based at the college.

The channel is available to Westfield subscribers of Comcast’s cable television service. The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 16.

The most recent edition of my Channel 15 cable show, “From the State House to your House” is now airing on the Westfield Community Programming Channel. My guest this month is Senator Mike Knapik.

We taped the program outdoors at Parker Memorial Park in Westfield, the site of numerous Veteran ceremonies in town and the location of the Memorial Day ceremony following the parade on Monday, May 25.

We discuss the state of the Massachusetts economy and the budget situation facing state and local governments. We also touch on some of the projects happening in Westfield such as the Great River Bridge project and the state paving projects on the North End of town. I hope you will tune in and watch.

With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer approaching, both Mike’s office and mine are making available free Massachusetts Pioneer Valley Getaway Guides. Gasoline prices are rising slowly but steadily again (yet another reason to oppose Governor Patrick’s desired gasoline tax increase) and you may be looking for a place to vacation or take a daytrip to that is close to home. These guides are full of information, facts, and fun things to do.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee released their Fiscal Year 2010 budget plan Wednesday. At $26.7 billion, their budget is about $1.4 billion less than the House version of the budget passed a few weeks ago. Senate Ways and Means Chair Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell) stated that the Senate draft reflected the continued deterioration in state tax collections. The full 40-member Senate will debate amendments to their budget and vote on it next week.

Some of you may know that I am the Chair of the Legislature’s Aviation Caucus, a group of legislators who support aviation, airports, and aviation-related businesses in the Commonwealth. It seemed a natural fit considering that I represent Barnes municipal airport in Westfield and have been interested in aviation since I was a young child.

This week was full of Aviation Caucus related meetings including one at the Federal Aviation Administration office in Burlington, Massachusetts to discuss the importance of public use, privately owned airports in New England. I also visited Beverly and Marlboro airports this week. Beverly is a municipal airport, like Barnes, and Marlboro is a private owned, public use airport.

Now that former Barnes Airport Manager Christopher Willenborg has been hired to be the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, I look forward to working even more closely with Chris to promote aviation across the Commonwealth.

I’d like to welcome Westfield resident Brian Barnes who was recently hired by the Westfield Airport Commission to replace Chris as the Barnes Airport Manager. Maybe his name had something to do with it!

I also wanted to acknowledge the passing of legendary Westfield Hampton Ponds resident Grannie Annie Wilmot who passed recently at the age of 110. A friendly, smiling, gentle-woman who was the cornerstone of the Ponds community, Grannie Annie is most famous for her daily trips across the ponds in her rowboat.

I had the privilege of knowing Annie and her family. She will be sadly missed, but always remembered.

* * *

Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org

This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group