SAVE SOUTH HADLEY
February 26, 2026 Meeting Notes
Announcements
- Thanks to everyone who came out and spoke up at Town Meeting. The no override option was declined (91%), and we got overwhelming support for the $11M override (67%). View vote results | View meeting recording
- Devin Laramie has stepped down as chair of the committee. We recently learned that as a public employee he is unable to serve as Chair, but he will continue working alongside us as part of the leadership team.
- We are thrilled to introduce Mark Gosselin and Larry Dixon as our new Co-Chairs. Thank you Mark and Larry for your willingness to jump into the leadership role and help us keep our great momentum going!
- Reminder about where we are in the process: The decision by Town Meeting is a recommendation to the Selectboard. The Selectboard will decide whether to put an override question on the ballot, and whether to include a tiered question, in their next meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center (final question wording to be decided by March 10). The Town Election is April 14. We will have 4-5 weeks to do as much outreach as possible to encourage support of the $11M override.
Immediate Needs
1: Send comments to Selectboard before the meeting Tuesday
- Email selectboard@southhadleyma.gov to reach all members, or see contact info for individual members at https://www.southhadley.org/218/Selectboard. You can also message them through the MTA’s email portal.
- Reach out to your network of friends/neighbors/colleagues who live in town and encourage them to do the same.
- Members are: Jeff Cyr (Chair), Nicole Casolari (Vice Chair), Carol Constant (Member), Andrea Miles (Member), and Renee Sweeney (Member).
2: Attend the Selectboard Meeting on Tuesday, March 3
- Let’s pack the Senior Center on Tuesday! Bring family, friends, kids… anyone who wants to show support for our schools and our town. Arrive at 6:45 p.m., the meeting starts at 7 p.m. MTA is preparing some handheld signs and homemade signs are welcome/encouraged too!
- We need many residents to speak during the public comment period – students, adults, seniors, friends of the library, police/public safety advocates, etc. Please consider sharing your support for the $11M override during the meeting. If you’re willing, please encourage Selectboard to offer a single amount ballot question (with only the $11M option, instead of the tiered options) in your comments.
3: Continue Building Our Team
- We currently have 95+ volunteers and supporters on our list. Please share our interest form with friends, neighbors, or colleagues who live in South Hadley.
Subcommittee Structure
We established four sub-committees that will cover key areas needed for a successful campaign. If you expressed interest in any of these areas, we’ve shared your email with the subcommittee lead. Also feel free to reach out directly (names are linked to emails).
- Fundraising & Finance – Raise money to support the campaign
Charles Miles to lead; Katie DeBeer will cochair - Communications & Messaging – Producing content we all can use; creating easy ways to interact with content on the website; social media campaigns; etc.
Jill Kovalchik to lead; opportunity for cochair to join - Coalition Building & Public Endorsement – PTO, SHEA, BASH, sports, senior orgs, business leaders, public safety, library, etc.
Aaron Ferguson to lead; Mark Gosselin will cochair - Field Engagement / Get Out the Vote – Canvassing, phone banking, events, GOTV, etc.
Andrea Miles to lead; opportunity for cochair to join
Steering Committee
We are establishing a steering committee made up of the subcommittee chairs, Executive Team (co-chairs and treasurer) and other key partners. The Committee will provide advice, guidance, and support for the campaign to be successful. It will meet weekly, Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
We are actively seeking additional nominees for the Steering Committee to broaden our coalition. Please share any nominees for the below vacancies to Larry Dixon:
- Senior advocate
- Public safety advocate
- Budget Task Force Representative
We are also looking for a clerk – to help with internal communications (like this email), help manage the savesouthhadley inbox, and be part of the steering committee/leadership team. If interested, please contact Katie DeBeer.