Patricia Duffy is running for State Representative for the 5th Hampden district, driven by the desire to help Holyoke reach its full potential. Pat is not a career politician—she’s someone with a strong sense of fairness and equality who knows she has the skills to bring the city together to find solutions to the issues that face the city.
In 2002, Pat ran for State Representative in the 2nd Hampshire District, narrowly losing by fewer than a hundred votes to John Scibak who served in the position until January 2019. Pat’s candidacy helped move the political needle in that district, and arguably much of Western Massachusetts, further to the left.
In 2004, Pat settled down in Oakdale and reached out to the Democratic party in Holyoke, becoming involved in Nueva Esperanza and helping with community outreach against the privatization of wastewater treatment. Pat served as campaign manager in 2007 for Tim Purington, successfully getting him elected as the first openly gay city councilor in Holyoke.
Her community contributions to Holyoke have been abundant. From 2006 to 2015, Pat served on the board of Nueva Esperanza. She’s also been a board member on the Holyoke Redevelopment Authority over the past ten years, having been first appointed by then Governor Deval Patrick. Serving on the board of Nueva Esperanza, Pat learned a great deal about the difficulties faced by the South Holyoke neighborhood.
Over the years that she’s been working for Aaron, Pat has helped solve hundreds of constituent issues while helping craft legislation on Beacon Hill. Being able to serve constituents has given her the perspective of the real problems facing Holyoke residents. Her six years on Beacon Hill have also helped her see how legislative action can either serve the residents or undermine progress, depending on who is representing the community. Holyoke has “unacceptably high levels of poverty. You see people get in isolated neighborhoods, cut off from opportunities and resources.” Tackling these issues requires not only strong legislative ability but also a strong compass pointing towards fairness and equality. More recently, during the COVID-19 crisis, Pat has been working alongside Aaron to help constituents negotiate unemployment claims, find out their options for small business loans and to stay up-to-date on food providers and reports from local hospitals.
Learn More At:
- Website: https://www.duffyforholyoke.org
- Facebook: @duffyforholyoke
- Phone: (413) 437-0564
- Email: [email protected]