Mayor Clare Higgins has been chosen as the next Executive Director of CommunityAction! of the Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions, replacing Jane Sanders, who will leave the post on April 18. Higgins’ first day as the new Executive Director will be September 12th. Her final day as Mayor of Northampton will be Friday, September 9th.

Leaving office early was not an easy decision for the Mayor. “I have loved this job. I continue to love this job, and I continue to be inspired by the many dedicated city employees I have had the privilege to serve alongside. As I told everyone at the beginning of March when I announced I would not seek re-election, I knew I would need to have a next chapter, though I did not know what that might be. I am incredibly fortunate to be given the opportunity to continue to work on the issues that first propelled me into public service – access to early childhood education, fair and safe housing, and economic equity in our communities.” Before serving as Mayor, Higgins worked for years in the field of early childhood education, most recently at the Hampshire Community Action Commission on Vernon Street and prior to that, working with teen parents through Sojourn, Inc. in Amherst. Her first entry into community service in Northampton was as a Commissioner of the Northampton Housing Authority in 1991, an appointment made by Mayor David Musante. In 1994, Higgins ran for and won election as a City Councilor at Large, and has held elective office ever since.

Mayor Higgins hopes that both her previous work experience and her time as Mayor will help her lead one of the region’s most effective anti-poverty agencies. “I have been fortunate enough to work in direct care and also to have had the chance to effect policy change at the municipal and state level. I hope to be able to translate those experiences in a way which will move the mission of CommunityAction! forward into the 21st century. We still live in a country where far too many of our neighbors are struggling for survival and for whom the American Dream may just as well be the Impossible Dream. I still believe we can do something about this. I still believe it is our obligation to do what we can to change this economic reality through both one-on-one assistance and through long-term structural and institutional change. We have made what I think are some very good changes in Northampton. I hope I will be able to continue to work and advocate for positive change in this Valley I am lucky enough to call home.”

Under the City of Northampton’s Charter, in the absence of the Mayor, the City Council President will serve as the Acting Mayor. Mayor Higgins anticipates that Councilor David Narkewicz will assume this role on September 10th. Mayor Higgins is committed to working with Narkewicz, city Department Heads and members of her staff to ensure a smooth transition when she leaves office.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Mayor’s Office 413.587.1249

Mayor Higgins to Lead CommunityAction!Will end her term in September

April 13, 2011