Ward 1 Council Race in Springfield Still Hot despite Chill from Summer Scandal…
Litigants, campaign rivals, lend me your ears, we come to report on this campaign, not to bury it. (via Facebook/Gonzalez and Perez campaigns)
For a moment in August, it seemed like the race for Springfield’s Ward 1 Council seat was over. The incumbent, Maria Perez, had just filed a suit against her now-former employer, the New North Citizens Council (NNCC), and her election opponent, Joesiah Gonzalez. She alleged a conspiracy that brought on her termination and then defamed her.
Gonzalez went dark for a couple weeks. Yet before the month was out, he was campaigning again and marched in Springfield’s Puerto Rican parade. However, Perez shifted gears, too. She ratcheted up her spending in September, especially on videos, which are now circulating. Gonzalez is not far behind, and he had more money going into October.
In the past week, both began advertising on Facebook and Instagram, according to parent company Meta’s ad library. These are low-dollar investments, but they could go far in a race where there are fewer voters than ad dollars shipped off to Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
Gonzalez touts himself in his ads, although he has other videos with plugs from State Senator Adam Gomez and others. Perez leaves it to prominent endorsers like Congressman Richard Neal, Mayor Domenic Sarno and Hampden Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera.
In short, the race is very much a live affair.
Ward 1 consists of the North End neighborhoods of Memorial Square and Brightwood as well as downtown. Outside of residential areas in downtown’s historic quarters, the ward is largely Latino. This is a legacy of the North End area as historic core of Springfield’s Latino community.
Ward 1 in aqua and turquoise blues. (via Springfield City Hall)
Gonzalez, presently the School Committee member for Wards 1 and 3, was explicit about “passing the baton” when he began his bid. Many in Perez’s camp were indignant at the challenge, especially since many had been supportive of Gonzalez in the past. Moreover, Perez had spent years working her way through the mazes of Springfield politics, both as an activist and, eventually, as a politician.
Still, since last year’s national election there has been a growing demand that longstanding leaders should begin ceding to younger generations. Massachusetts is no exception. Pols from Senator Ed Markey to South Boston Congressman Stephen Lynch face challengers who are not coy about the need for change. In Lynch’s case, his challenger, Patrick Roath, even outraised him this year. (Lynch still has more cash on hand than Roath.)
Ward 1 is not even the only race in Springfield with this dynamic. Ward 7 City Councilor Timothy Allen, who is seeking a ninth two-year term, is facing law student Gerry Martin. Allen has sought to fend off Martin, in part, by focusing on experience. The incumbent has generally had a cash advantage.
Perez also leaned on her experience and her reputation as an advocate for the North End and HIV+ persons. However, Gonzalez had outpaced her on the fundraising front. Perez began 2025 with a bit over $5,200 and raised another $4,000 through September.
Gonzalez has raised about $30,000 from January to September according to data from the Massachusetts Office of Political & Campaign Finance. He transferred another seven grand from his School Committee campaign account.
Over the summer, a curious press release came out from the NNCC, on whose board Gonzalez served. The missive announced that Perez had been axed from her job in the agency’s housing office. It claimed she had used NNCC for improper purposes and implied she put federal funding at risk.
Over the following week, a series of leaks revealed that the release lacked proper authorization. Other NNCC board members pointed the finger at Gonzalez, who resigned from the board.
On August 6, Perez filed a suit principally alleging unlawful termination and defamation. Politicos in the city had seemingly written off Gonzalez’s chances after that.
An unexpected campaign venue. (WMP&I)
Despite Gonzalez’s earlier advantages it is eminently plausible that Perez had never climbed out of the driver’s seat in the race. She consistently had substantial political support from pols citywide, to say nothing of several ardent fans in Ward 1.
One prominent pol did not abandon Gonzalez, however. Senator Gomez held the Council seat from 2016 to 2021. He appeared to double down on Gonzalez and posted in support of him on Facebook. A month later, he was in one of Gonzalez’s videos.
“As the former Springfield City Councilor here in Ward 1, you guys stood with me once and I ask you to stand with me again,” Gomez says as brisk but dramatic music builds. “That when it comes to leadership, compassion and commitment to one’s community, Joesiah is what we need for the future and progress of our city.”
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It would be an overstatement to say Gomez has a lot riding on Gonzalez’s success. The three-term senator beat incumbents to win his Council and Senate seats, cementing his status as a force in Springfield politics. Yet, he has also built out from there, cultivating allies in other places like Holyoke and beyond. It is not surprising he would have an interest in his old Council seat.
The lawsuit probably never could be a silver bullet for Perez. Aside from filing her complaint, virtually nothing has happened in the case. Recent filings suggest nothing will happen before November 4, either.
Over the summer, the NNCC hired a small Boston firm to defend itself. Although Gonzalez was named, in part, in his capacity as a former board member, that firm did not appear on his behalf. Instead, Prince Lobel, a Boston firm with a significant First Amendment practice, filed an appearance for Gonzalez on October 20. (Gonzalez’s attorney specializes in employment law, however.) The defendants have since requested and received extensions to file answers to Perez’s complaint in January.
Rather than rely on the suit, Perez started spending. She dropped $1,500 on Horgan Associates, a videographer whose clients have included Neal and Sarno. They and Coakley-Rivera appear in their own videos and in a 30-second video that could easily air on television, too.
In the video, Neal calls Perez a “terrific advocate” for Ward 1. Sarno called her a “wonderful partner to me on many initiatives.” Coakley-Rivera, herself a prominent figure from the North End, called her “kind” and more.
“She works hard for all of us, whether it’s from the North End to the South End,” Coakley-Rivera says of Perez in one clip. “If you care about your community, you’ll give Maria Perez a vote.”
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Many undoubtedly will. Yet, more may give Gonzalez a vote than seemed likely even two months ago. Springfield has several competitive races this cycle, but few have been as rollicking at the one in Ward 1. On Tuesday, the city will see whether all the sound and fury upended things in the heart of Springfield’s Latino community. Or, maybe the city will wake up Wednesday and find it all signified nothing.