GREENFIELD — A majority of candidates for contested races in the city’s upcoming election participated in a candidates’ forum this week organized by three local groups.

“It’s exciting to see a room full of people, for a lot of reasons,” said Doug Selwyn, who moderated Tuesday’s forum at the John Zon Community Center. “It shows your interest in Greenfield and our future and our work together.”

The general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Greenfield High School gymnasium. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Those who participated in Tuesday’s forum — organized by Progressive Blueprint for Greenfield, Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution and the Greenfield People’s Budget — included all three candidates for at-large seats on City Council, two of the four candidates for two open seats on the School Committee, and both candidates for the one vacancy on the Board of Assessors.

City Council

Wahab Minhas, John Garrett and Jesus Leyva responded to a range of hot-button topics, including tax title takings and the practice known as “home equity theft,” as well as Police Department relations with the community in the wake of the May 6 jury verdict that found Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. and the Police Department racially discriminated against former Greenfield Police Officer Patrick Buchanan when he was denied a promotion in 2014 and then again in 2020.

“As a person of color raised in Greenfield … I understand the importance of a strong Police Department with just as much oversight and responsibility,” said Minhas. “A community cannot be safe … if we cannot cooperate with its Police Department due to a lack of accountability.”

Minhas also argued in favor of returning the department to Civil Service.

Garrett said he would advocate for the mayor to “take a long, hard look” at the difference in the discipline process for a teacher compared to local police officers.

“It takes weeks, if not months, to be able to effectively discipline someone who’s committed an egregious act,” Garrett said. “The city is on the hook for the arbitration process.”

Leyva said he would support a public audit process led by a citizens task force on public safety, which would be appointed by City Council.

“The public has to feel like they’re actually going to be heard in the forum they are participating in,” he said.

The candidates also addressed the housing crisis.

“City Council, even as a legislative branch of government, has the ability to create carrots and sticks for development,” said Garrett, adding that the council has the authority to create ordinances to incentivize development.

Wahab said he would want people who would be living in any new, low-income housing developments to be welcomed into a public input process. Leyva said he would use his position to advocate at the state level for funding.

“We have a lot of city planners and agencies here in Greenfield and Franklin County who have the knowledge and understanding ... but funding remains the issue,” Leyva said.

School Committee

Candidates Stacey Sexton and Ann Childs, who are running together on a set of shared goals for the school district, were the only two candidates to participate in Tuesday evening’s forum. Chair Amy Proietti and resident Marina Leonovich, who are also running for one of the three, four-year term seats, did not attend.

“There’s a tremendous lack of trust between the School Committee and the community at large,” said Sexton. “I would love to rebuild some of that trust and [make] the schools a functional part of the community again.”

Childs, who has volunteered in the schools, said she is running as an extension of that volunteerism, “because I really love our schools.”

Asked what steps Greenfield schools can take to make education more equitable, Childs said the first step is acknowledging where the problems are. In particular, she spoke to the demographics of the elementary schools.

Sexton added there’s a disproportionate amount of discipline happening with high needs students and other vulnerable populations.

“I recognize that this is also an issue that is not going to get solved overnight,” they said. “There needs to be some serious inquiry … about what we’re going to do to fix it.”

Both advocated for more transparency between the School Committee and the wider community. Childs suggested roundtable talks as a potential avenue for getting “temperature tests” from the community.

“I know that right now you can email the School Committee and a lot of them are good at responding,” she said. “There needs to be more ways to access people and that’s something both Stacey and I are committed to.”

The candidates also committed to better advocacy at the state level to bring more funding to Greenfield schools.

Board of Assessors

David Roulston and Charles “Chuck” Green, meanwhile, answered questions about property value and assessments, focusing in particular on ensuring the process is equitable.

“We need to make sure … that our assessments are related to actual values,” said Roulston.

Green called into question the assessing process, saying there are “systemic changes” that need to be addressed.

“It sounds like neighborhoods are being decimated,” he said. “People are being overtaxed; they’re being over-assessed. … People can’t afford it.”

Roulston and Green also advocated for more openness and transparency with respect to public meetings. Resident Al Norman noted that Board of Assessors meetings are not recorded and meetings for that board are sparse.

Roulston said he would be open to the idea of workshops on how homes are assessed.

“There should be rationale for every decision that’s going on in the office,” added Green.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.