Rebecca Lisi is a 2021 Mass Alliance Rising Star Alumni-in-Good-Standing candidate for Mayor of Holyoke.
Originally from Long Island, NY, Rebecca moved to Holyoke in 2003 to work for the citizens’ lobby group Clean Water Action. As a community organizer and policy advocate, she worked hard to protect the environment and public health. She taught citizens how to talk with their elected officials about issues facing their communities and how to navigate the political process.
Since moving to Holyoke, she’s been an active member of the community. She’s participated in community organizations including the Holyoke YMCA, the Holyoke Youth Task Force, and Nueva Esperanza. She founded C.R.U.S.H (Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke) whose mission was to create positive change in Holyoke by facilitating connections between people, resources, and ideas.
She has served the Holyoke community as a City Councilor at-Large since 2008. In her 2005 run for office, she was the first of the recent wave of young, new faces taking an interest and getting involved in Holyoke politics. She brought to that initial run a vision of a revitalized downtown and was instrumental in turning the public discourse toward themes of downtown economic development, historic preservation, and neighborhood revitalization. This vision has gained traction since she joined the Council, with the passage of key ordinances such as the city’s Smart Growth Overlay Zone; the Center City Urban Renewal Plan; revisions to the City’s Demolition Delay Ordinance; and creating more zoning and permitting incentives for businesses locating downtown.
Rebecca is also a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
She is happy serving the Holyoke community as a City Councilor at-Large and believes that she brings an informed and principled perspective to the decisions made by the City Council. She is now running for Mayor.
Result:won