Haverhill City Councilor-Elect Andy Vargas.
Haverhill City Councilor-Elect Andy Vargas is scheduled to appear Monday night on WHAV’s Open Mike Show with Tim Coco.
Vargas scored third place among the nine city council seats during Tuesday’s election, winning 3,830 votes.
During the campaign, he discussed reviving Haverhill’s neighborhood groups and bringing city council meetings into different parts of the city. He also discussed the city’s historical low registered voter turnout rates and said individual city councilors could play a role in encouraging more people to cast ballots.
In a statement issued in September when he launched his campaign, Vargas said, “More than anything, what I want to provide Haverhill is not only an ear for folks, but also an arm, a hand, to act on what the community of Haverhill really wants. But for that we have to organize. For that we have to work. For that we have to be present. For that we have to move.”
Vargas, a graduate of Boston University, is also a community organizer, entrepreneur and longtime resident of Haverhill.
The Open Mike Show airs live, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Monday. It may be heard at www.WHAV.net or seen on Haverhill Community Television, channel 22, or in high-definition online at www.WHAV.tv. For other listening options, visit the Listen page.
It was a good interview. Vargas is a smart kid. But I don;t think he realizes that Haverhill has a “Strong mayoral” type govt. The council has little control over the budget with exception of taking monies out..Also, I don’t think he may realize what is coming down the road regarding the unfunded mandate from the EPA on our wastewater upgrade. This may cost upwards of $75 million, which will greatly increase water rates. Add that to some of the other stuff we will be forced to pay for and you basically have little money if any to do anything else.
Hopefully Tim you can write a piece on the interview as some of us can’t listen.
He appears to be a good person and has some genuine concerns. He’s young, and so far doesn’t appear to have been corrupted by the status quo cronyism that plagues this city and state. I wish him luck and hopefully more of The People, especially younger ones, will become involved and keep an eye on his progress.