I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Councilwoman Emily Root in Ward 1 in the upcoming election. I am both a Westfield resident and the owner of Dulinski Law, LLC, which is located downtown on Lenox Ave.

I wanted to share my impressions of the positive changes that I have seen in our community, particularly over the past five years under Mayor Brindle’s administration.

When we moved into our offices to Lenox Avenue several years ago, Westfield had numerous vacant storefronts. There weren’t many options for lunch and my clients, many of whom are Westfield residents, often commented about the decline in downtown activity. Not long after Mayor Shelley Brindle and her running mates took office in 2018, I started to see a significant turnaround.

Soon, new shops and eateries started moving into the vacant spaces, bringing a renewed energy to our downtown, especially during the challenging weekday daytime hours when many of our residents are commuting to their workplaces outside of Westfield.

In the last few years, it is my understanding that at least 40 new businesses have opened. We feel a bit spoiled at our office because like so many other Westfield offices, we are just steps away from several fantastic restaurants that we frequent very often for lunch and dinner.

In the year that she has been on the Town Council, Councilwoman Emily Root has been a zealous advocate for our downtown. As a champion of smart growth such as One Westfield Place, Councilwoman Root and her Town Council members have set the stage for continued prosperity of our downtown.

One Westfield Place will bring an additional 300,000 square feet of office space to our downtown. Many of these employees will shop and eat in Westfield, further contributing to the economic vitality of our community. It’s exactly the kind of smart development that we need.

The choice is clear in this November’s Town Council election. I’m voting for Councilwoman Root because I want to see our downtown continue to thrive today and well into the future.