A More Connected Agawam: Why We Need a Problem Solver Committee

When I knock on doors, I hear the same thing over and over: The town doesn’t communicate with residents, and no one listens to concerns unless groups of people come in repeatedly. Issues aren’t fixed right away — we just get stuck waiting.

That’s why one of my top priorities is creating a Problem Solver Committee — a simple, practical way to bridge the gap between residents and city leadership.

Here’s how it would work:

• The committee would include town leaders and volunteers from the community and meet monthly.

• Residents could bring forward issues or ideas they want addressed, from traffic problems to safety concerns or anything else that affects the quality of life in Agawam.

• If a clear course of action exists — for example, a DPW issue — the committee could point residents in the right direction to get it solved.

• If there isn’t a clear solution, the committee could brainstorm ideas, collaborate with other departments, and track recurring issues to identify systemic, procedural, or communication problems.

• Notes would be published in plain language so everyone can follow along, and ideally, meetings could be filmed to increase transparency and allow residents to see how problems are being addressed.

The goal isn’t just to talk — it’s to solve problems faster, more collaboratively, and with full transparency.

Imagine:

• Safer, more accessible parks because parents and grandparents raised their concerns and saw action taken.

• Local traffic headaches reduced because neighbors identified problem spots together.

• Residents feeling heard because they watched their ideas move from suggestion to solution.

• Town leaders spotting patterns in recurring issues and addressing them proactively.

Agawam deserves a government that’s easy to work with, not hard to figure out. This committee is about making it simple for all of us to get answers, fix problems, and move forward as a community.

If this sounds like the kind of town you want to live in, I’d love to hear from you. What would you bring to the first Problem Solver Committee meeting?