As a resident of Ward 1, I am so happy to hear that Councilwoman Linda Habgood is running to be our Town Council representative again. She has been such an asset to our town and our community over the last three and a half years.

I remember learning about our incoming town council members back in 2017 and thinking how fortunate we were to have someone like Linda Habgood representing us. Each member brings something to the table. Councilwoman Habgood has brought her strong background in finance with an MBA from Wharton and years of experience financing smart and effective public/private partnerships. As a member of the town council, Linda has applied her skills, listened to her constituents, and thought outside the box. An example of this is the partnership she helped facilitate with Elizabethtown Gas to repave our roads, limiting our town’s expenses. Thanks to her financial acumen, Councilwoman Habgood has been able to minimize the increases to our municipal taxes, while reducing our town’s budget and still maintaining our AAA bond rating.

Furthermore, I have been impressed to see how Councilwoman Habgood’s contributions go beyond finance. As a member of our town leadership, Linda co-founded the Westfield Mental Health Council, coining the acronym C.A.K.E. (Compassion, Acceptance, Kindness and Empathy). This message is so incredibly important. As the mother of two young kids, I am concerned about their future exposure to social media. We have all seen the bullying and negativity that circulates. And now, this global pandemic has changed everything for everyone. Children have not been able to experience milestones the way they anticipated. Adults are dealing with financial struggles and some have endured tragic losses. As a community, we need to remember to be compassionate and kind to one another. Linda is the perfect person to spread this inspiring message because, as someone who has watched her serve this town as councilwoman, I know that LINDA stands for Leadership, Integrity, (K)nowledge, Dedication, and Accountability! Thank you for all your hard work, Linda, and thank you for running again!