Joshua A. Garcia, the first Latino to be elected mayor of Holyoke, is a lifelong citizen of that city. Of Puerto Rican descent, he was raised in a low- income, single-mother household in South Holyoke on South Summer Street.

In many ways, he is a product of every service resource available to his family. He was an active youth member in the Arco Iris program at Nueva Esperanza and later served on the organization’s Board of Directors for five years — four as Chair. Mayor Garcia was also a longtime participant at the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club. He served as one of the Club’s first Peer Leaders and worked at the Boys and Girls Club for 10 years throughout High School and College.

He went through the Holyoke Public Schools: Lawrence Elementary School, Lynch Middle School, and Holyoke High School, graduating in 2004. He is an alumnus of the Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound program. Majoring in Psychology with a minor in Regional Planning, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Westfield State University. He went on to earn a postgraduate degree in Public Administration. He was elected Mayor of Holyoke on November 2, 2021, after 3½ years as Town Administrator of Blandford, Massachusetts. Prior to that, Mayor Garcia worked at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Holyoke Housing Authority in various capacities. He has also served as a member of the Holyoke School Committee, Holyoke Fire Commission, Holyoke Community College Foundation, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the MIIA Health Group Trust, and Nueva Esperanza in Holyoke.

He lives with his wife, Stefany, and their two children, Ethan and Allison.

During this episode, we discuss:

• Mayor Garcia’s role as mayor
• What inspired him to run for mayor
• The importance of having support from family and friends
• The surreal feeling of being a lifelong citizen of Holyoke and now being mayor
• Positive changes he’s proud to have been a part of for the city
• What makes Holyoke a great place to live in, work in, and start a business in
• Mayor Garcia’s advice for anyone looking to get involved in their local government

And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things local government!

Access the full transcript here.

Watch the episode on YouTube here.

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