Dear Northampton:
My life here began at 19 working the counter at Sylvester’s, where I got to know the people that bring this city to life. It was there that, over at least a million cups of coffee, I learned about Northampton through the eyes of the people who live here, where I learned that Northampton is a community where people take care of one another, because this community took care of me.

Sylvester’s became my lived experience — where I got to spend a decade-plus working my way from the ground up — starting my journey in the front of the house, then to the back of the house, to management, and then to vice president of operations, learning to cultivate my ability to solve problems under pressure, carefully balancing leading with a heart while making a restaurant work.

But it was really the people I met there who influenced how I move in the world.

I was young and on my own — and this community told me not to worry — that if I took life one day at a time, and moved with intention, I would make it. With the support of my community, that is what I did.

I ran a restaurant and helped to get the youngest and first gay mayor of Holyoke elected, put myself through Holyoke Community College and Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional aged transfer student. I took every opportunity to learn on the ground alongside the people doing the work from the valley to the Hill and then found myself driving change in Jersey City and New York City.

I chose to come back to Northampton because I love this city. My people are here, and their people are here, and I am raising my son here, and it’s beautiful here. I know that as your next mayor I’ve got the skills, heart, and experience to lead our city. I want to help bring to life the vision of the people who live here and work here — the people who chose to raise their kids here and live out their best decades here — and, I can help make this city work for us.

I want to live in a Northampton where the community shares in the work of strengthening our foundations, one that’s determined to live joyously in the certainties and ready to take care of one another when the uncertainties arise.

I think to myself, how do we find the balance between ensuring we have strong foundations today and investing in tomorrow?

These are big and important choices and they are not meant to be made by one person alone. They are meant to be made together as a community dedicated to working together to understand when to push forward, when to pause, and when to decide to pull back and close a door to allow for another one to open.

For me, the work of serving as our city’s mayor is about driving honest conversation around what is working and what is not working and how we meet the moment in ways that serve us as a community. I cannot wait to see what we can do together.

Keep your ear to the ground about what I am up to at jillianfornorthampton.com.

See you out there!

Jillian Duclos is a candidate for mayor in Northampton.