Patrick Fergus
@Fergus5Fergus
Across Western Massachusetts, voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide key local races, returning several familiar names to office. In Springfield, four incumbent city councilors and two school committee members held their seats, solidifying the city’s leadership team. West Springfield saw Mayor Will Reichelt claim a decisive re-election victory as residents also voted on a slate of charter changes. In Chicopee, Mayor John Vieau continued unopposed, while new and returning councilors were chosen in competitive at-large races. Northampton and Westfield each re-elected their mayors in close and commanding contests, respectively, underscoring a region focused on stability amid ongoing debates about housing and local growth.
Here in Springfield, multiple city councilor seats were up for grabs, as voters re-elected four incumbent city councilors. The councilors returning to their positions include Jose Delgado, Justin Hurst, Tracye Whitfield and Brian Santanello.
Denise Hurst and Latonia Monroe Naylor also retained their seats in the at-large Springfield School Committee.
In West Springfield, Will Reichet won a decisive re-election for Mayor, defeating District 4 Town Councilor Dan O’Brien for a four-year mayoral term.
According to New England Public Media (NEPM), Reichet secured 72.1% of the vote (4,618 votes). Reichet, a 10 year incumbent, said he wanted to continue making West Springfield a better place to live, and was going to focus on economic development.
Also at the ballot box on Tuesday, were 16 questions. These referendums all involved changes to the town’s charter that were approved by the council, which included the swearing-in date of the mayor, town councilors and how referendum petitions are handled. Just a single question failed to pass, which focused around the license commission.
In Chicopee, Mayor John Vieau ran unopposed for a fourth two-year term. The main story was a highly contested race for city collector as well as City Council at-large.
In the at-large bids, incumbents Frank LaFlamme and Gerard Roy were chosen, along with newcomers Jessica Avery and Joel Mcauliffe.
Chicopee voters also passed a preliminary ballot question asking residents whether they would prefer to receive their property tax bills quarterly, instead of twice a year.
Western Mass News said that it measured voter turnout at around 15%, a good number for a special election.
In Northampton, the Mayor of four years, Gina-Louise Sciarra, narrowly defeated newcomer Jillian Duclos. Sciarra was a considerable favorite heading into Tuesday, but the final result was much closer than originally expected.
According to MassLive, the two candidates were separated by less than 100 votes. Sciaara received 4,637 votes, while Duclos received 4,561.
Affordable housing was a hot button topic in the city, and the candidates differed on many different topics, including funding for schools.
In Westfield, two-time incumbent mayor Michael McCabe won a resounding victory, and secured another term for two years. McCabe defeated 39-year-old challenger, Andrew Mullen. McCabe took home 73% of the vote (4,023 votes).
Once again, affordable housing was at the forefront of both campaigns, and continues to be the main issue coming out of this election cycle.
Photo by Patrick Fergus/TheSpringfieldStudent