Ward 7 prepares to pull the lever. (created via Google image search and candidate photos)

SPRINGFIELD—Of the many races for ward seats on the City Council here, Ward 7 stands out a bit. The current occupant of the seat, Timothy Allen, was part of the original class of ward councilors elected in 2009. He has faced few opponents over the years and he has been in office ever since. Yet, the seat may also be the one where national agitation for generational change is most apparent in Springfield.

Gerry Martin, a 25 year-old law student who ran at-large in 2023, is challenging Allen. Martin is explicit in saying that Council and Ward 7 could benefit from a shakeup. Allen counters that the moment calls for experience and asserts his has served the city well.

“I don’t know if it’s a factor in the race,” Allen, 74, said of his experience. “I think it should be.”

The incumbent pointed to the city maintaining its fiscal health since the Control Board left—which happened about when Allen took office in 2010. He has taken up a position as one of Council’s fiscal oversight hawks.

Like many younger pols challenging incumbents, Martin neither discounts nor disputes Allen’s experience. Instead, he observes that somebody must take the torch from him eventually.

“The only way to learn these issues is to do the job,” he said. When Allen leaves the Council, Martin continued, “Whoever has to fill that gap will have to learn.”

Ward 7 consists of much of East Forest Park and parts of 16 Acres, including all of the Outer Belt area in the city’s southeast corner.

Ward 7 and its precincts appear in purple hues after the 2020 census. (via Springfield Election Commission)

A fair number of homes in Ward 7 are rented out, but its largely post-war single-family housing stock is mostly owner-occupied. In relative terms for a city that square dances with Holyoke for the distinction of the Commonwealth’s poorest community, the ward is wealthy. By any other definition, Ward 7 is predominantly middle-class.

Like much of the city, quality of life concerns tend to stand out and dominate election seasons. Crime concerns are real, but muted in contrast to other areas of Springfield.

Allen noted that the police sector meetings that cover 16 Acres are often brief. The one that covers East Forest Park features more resident concerns, but mostly from Forest Park which shares a police sector with the like-named neighborhood to the east.

Many quality-of-life issues, whether real or illusory, are particular to Ward 7. There are persistent complaints about the upkeep of the Dollar Store at the foot of Island Pond Road. Noise violations arise from college students in rented homes. The ward also has some of the city’s remaining developable land. New housing on some blocks is not always popular.

Yet, there are a citywide matters that hit hard in the ward, too.

Sitting in the stately council chamber of Springfield’s 112 year-old City Hall, Allen reflected on his time in office and his decision to run again. He was 58 when he first ran for City Council, after a career with MassMutual. Professionally, Allen shifted into an education setting. He now teaches business ethics at Springfield College.

Allen defended his presence and responsiveness to his ward and argued he likes the work and he delivers.

Allen in action in 2024. (still via YouTube/Focus Springfield)

“Even long meetings, as frustrating as they can be, I like it. I’ve gotten good at it, I think, and I’ve been part of a lot of things that I’m kind of proud of,” he told WMP&I. “I think I can still contribute on some major issues.”

Among these are some ongoing and unfinished business.

In addition to spearheading engagement with state officials on the new courthouse, Allen cited the ongoing battle over the biomass power plant Palmer Renewable Energy has proposed on Page Boulevard. Opponents recently suffered a setback when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected an appeal to again rescind the building permit.

“We’ve held off the biomass plant for 14 years, and I know there’s still a chance that it could get built, but it’s been important to me to fight for that thing for 14 years,” he said.

Still, city finances may stand out more in the short and medium term. The feds are cancelling monies legally and illegally. Cuts to Medicaid and food stamps will hit city residents, rippling into the state and municipal coffers.

Since joining the Council in 2010, the body has played its part navigating through the Great Recession, the tornado, the pandemic itself and the economic consequences thereof.  Allen is betting voters will look to his time on the Council’s Finance Committee, often as its chair, and see somebody well-positioned to help the Council manage through the coming federal storms.

If Martin does not dispute Allen’s experience, his argument necessarily implies it will not be enough. This is a hallmark of many challengers since Donald Trump returned. It is frequently less ideological than an argument officials need to act with more urgency.

In a phone interview, Martin said his interest in politics began with interests in history and government in school. Although he interned for Congressman Richard Neal, he described Washington as too big a pond, relative to Springfield. Volunteering for some local causes helped cement his desire to focus on the local.

In terms of meeting the moment, Martin argued Ward 7’s affluence is an asset and could even be used to advocate on Beacon Hill.

“I would use my position as a city councilor to go lobby in Boston,” he said. “Being made city council in one of the most prominent wards in the city would give me a position to do so.”

Gerry Martin 2023 edition. (via Facebook/Martin campaign)

Martin doesn’t shy from concerns he may be too inexperienced. He points to work with the East Forest Park Civic association, its bylaws and Community Preservation Act (CPA) grants the group has pursued. Martin also cites his work on the Ward 7 Democratic Committee, internships in government and his current law school coursework.

However, he did make a foray into fiscal issues by coming out against the district improvement financing the City Council approved in June. It will divert new tax revenue from Springfield Crossing—the name for the development at the Eastfield Mall site—to infrastructure improvements around the site. Martin characterized it as a “bailout.” Allen abstained on that vote.

There is a precedent for a twenty-something law student winning a Council seat. Ward 2 Councilor and Council President Michael Fenton was also a Western New England University Law student when he took office—the same year as Allen. However, Fenton is backing Allen. The two have long been allies and historically have taken similar positions on the city’s fiscal situation.

Allen also has the backing of Mayor Domenic Sarno, with whom he has often clashed, if less so in recent years. Sarno has limited pull in terms of influencing the outcome of the election. However, paired with the backing of several neighborhood leaders, these nods do show the span of Allen’s support.

In terms of Ward 7-centric issues, there is not a huge amount of daylight between Allen and Martin. They both acknowledge the growing vacancies in the ward’s commercial spaces. Big Lots and Stop & Shop left big gaps on Cooley Street.

No stopping & shopping on Cooley Street anymore. (via Google Street view)

Allen would like to work with the Planning & Economic Department to establish a “conference” that brings citizens and business owners in the way CPA does. Martin suggested the Council establish a working group to address commercial vacancies. (The city recently announced one such push centered on downtown.) Both mentioned the potential of Springfield Crossing, although it is outside the ward.

Despite escalating housing prices due to lack of supply, Martin has opposed housing developments, such as the one on Wendover Road near the East Forest Park branch library. The candidate acknowledged the city was some 11,000 units short, but argued the 40ish houses proposed to be built would amount to “centimeters compared to miles.”

“I’d rather maintain the quality of life for those neighbors,” Martin said. He did not fully rule out such developments, though. The focus now should be on converting buildings or seeing the condos originally proposed at Springfield Crossing come to fruition, he said. (The Wendover Road project appears to be moving forward.)

If this race is truly competitive, it will not be won on endorsements. Nor does money seem likely to be decisive. Allen has had a slight cash advantage in fundraising, but not an overwhelming one. Rather, it seems like canvassing could make the difference.

No incumbent wants a challenger, but Allen said he has welcomed the opportunity to meet voters again on their doorstep. He suggested his canvassing pace—every day for 10 weeks except to make community meetings, he said—even gave him space to countermand one of the arguments against him.

“I don’t like when people bring the age thing up,” Allen said “I mean, it’s logical to bring it up, but there’s nobody has any more stamina than me. Nobody in this council has any more stamina than me.”

Martin, who did very well in his home ward running at-large two years ago, also embraces the door campaign. In the last cycle, he said he developed relationships that serve him to this day and has enjoyed meeting new people and learning about their experiences.

This time, however, he has the benefit of only needing to canvass 1/8 of the city. The upside to that is visiting homes more than once.

Ward 7 voters, Martin explained, “seem very receptive to the idea of new ideas and new energy for our local government.” Some doors, he has knocked on three times.

“These people are really starting to know me and I’m really starting to know them,” he said.