As a proud and committed Democrat who strongly supports Mayor Brindle, I’m proud to also support Amanda Como for town council (as I did last year) in Ward 1. I applaud Amanda’s perseverance and continued show of dedication to Westfield residents. Amanda is unflappable, kind, strong and thoughtful. All key qualities that Westfield would be lucky to have in a town councilperson.

She is not someone who will blindly follow a party line (something we need to see more often in politics) or object to an idea just because it is raised by someone across the aisle. I can say that I have experienced this firsthand during the ten years plus that I have been lucky to call Amanda my friend.

Amanda and I have had many conversations over the years about what’s best for the town, our schools, our careers, our families, balancing demands at work and at home, and what it means to be a leader. I have always been able to be open and honest with her about my perspectives, and she thoughtfully listens. We have constructive and respectful conversations, even when we don’t 100 percent agree. She thinks before she speaks. These are also key qualities that Westfield would be lucky to have in a town councilperson.

I still strongly believe what I stated in my letter last year in support of Amanda: we all live together in this community, and we should all be focused collectively on what is best for our community and for our families, regardless of our political affiliations. Local elections are about issues, not your political party. To accomplish this, we want to make sure that we are considering options for our town from all perspectives. In a workplace environment, there is ample research confirming that having a diversity of backgrounds, approach, experience and opinion at the top causes leadership to process information more carefully, improves the way leadership makes key decisions, and makes leadership more innovative overall. I believe the analogy is apt for the town council and know that Amanda will bring an important new perspective to the table. I do not say this to criticize the current council, but I say this as a means to further improve the council and its very important work.

Amanda will make great contributions to the betterment of our community as a member of the town council, and it is in Westfield’s best interests to give her the opportunity to do so. Please vote for Amanda Como for Westfield Ward 1 Council.