Who Am I?
Hi. I’m Christopher Dunay. I'm a scientist, public servant, and neighbor — bringing real-world experience home to Holyoke. I sit on the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, and work as a Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I am a former Vice-Chair of the Community Services Board of Alexandria, Virginia, where I helped oversee budget, policy, and programming for mental health, intellectual disability, and substance abuse, and where I was the board representative to the Public Health Advisory Commission. I live in ward 3. I graduated Cum Laude from UMass-Amherst with a bachelor’s in Physics and hold a Liberal Arts associate's degree from NYU.
Why am I running?
"Because Holyoke is a place of transformation — and our best days are ahead of us.”
My darkest and brightest days have been while living in Holyoke, Massachusetts. I know Holyoke as a place for transformational growth and healing. I’m running to give back to a city that has given me so much. Moreover, I’ve been encouraged by members from both sides of the aisle, and the Mayor, to bring my unique set of public policy experiences to city council. Yet, I am concerned that there are voices in Holyoke that only see inadequacy and privation in our city. Listening to those voices can only dim the bright light that I know Holyoke can be. Science shows us that what we aim for determines our vision—our goals determine how we see the world. If one only sees want in Holyoke, then they must not be aiming very high. Holyoke requires continued transformational change, and we can only achieve this by elevating the discourse, so that we may find new belief in ourselves.
What do I believe in?
“Grace, respect, and forward-thinking compromise can build a better Holyoke.”
We can’t do this divided. The current culture on City Council—too often disrespectful and dehumanizing—holds us back. Look. Life is hard, and we’re all trying to do the best we can with what we’ve been given. It’s time to turn the other cheek on City Council, to forgive our adversaries, and give grace. I believe in the power of grace; it forces us to humanize each other. And what does the science show? That when we humanize our adversaries, we shift each other’s perspective—projecting grace and humanizing others, especially those you disagree with most, ultimately leads to durable compromise. Holyoke needs forward thinking compromises more than ever. It’s time to stop fighting each other. It’s time to reach out a hand, an olive branch. If we choose to see each other, both on City Council and in our communities, we can engender a better 21st century Holyoke that works for everyone.