Statement from Republican candidate for state Senate Cecilia Calabrese (R-Agawam) Sept. 29, 2022 MEDIA ADVISORY -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Evan Lips, communications director 617-523-5005 ext. 245 BACKGROUND: Cecilia Calabrese, an Agawam city councilor running as the Republican nominee for state Senate (Hampden & Hampshire), has been an outspoken critic of the lack of accountability following the spring 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home. A year ago, a Hamden County Superior Court judge dismissed criminal charges of neglect filed against Holyoke Soldiers' Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh, who led the facility at the time of the outbreak that eventually claimed the lives of more than 75 veterans. An Inspector General's report released this past April determined that Walsh lacked the "leadership capacity or temperament for the role of superintendent" and "created an unprofessional and negative work environment, retaliated against employees he deemed disloyal demonstrated a lack of engagement in the home's operations and circumvented his chain of command." An earlier report identified then-state Rep. John Velis (D-Westfield) as the lead advocate for Walsh's hiring as superintendent. Velis, now a state Senator, is up for reelection in November and is facing a challenge from Calabrese. "Mr. Walsh expressed his concerns to Representative Velis that he did not have a clinical background," the report concluded, noting that Walsh had been pursuing a casino security post in Springfield. "But Representative Velis assured Mr. Walsh that this was not a requirement for the job." Velis was later appointed to a legislative oversight committee tasked with examining the Holyoke Soldiers' Home outbreak. UPDATE: The state Supreme Judicial Court announced this week it will reevaluate the decision to dismiss criminal charges against Walsh and others. STATEMENT BY CECILIA CALABRESE: “In typical Beacon Hill fashion, Sen. Velis was somehow appointed by leadership to serve on a committee charged with investigating the disaster that his own hand-picked superintendent was responsible for causing. Bennett Walsh should never have been appointed to such a crucial leadership position, yet that's exactly what happened because of his family's political connections, and Sen. Velis was the one who led the way to make his disastrous hiring a reality. Even Bennett Walsh admitted he was not qualified for the job, but that apparently was less of a priority for Velis than his desire to gain favor with a family with 'strong political connections,' as revealed in the report. I'm glad that the SJC is taking a closer look at the decision to drop criminal charges, and I hope they ask Sen. Velis what made him think Bennett Walsh was the right candidate to lead a medical center responsible for the care of America's veterans." Paid for by the Massachusetts Republican Party Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee Massachusetts Republican Party | 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 5650, Woburn, MA 01801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!