With the much-delayed Census figures in hand, the Massachusetts legislature set to drawing new maps for the state House and Senate. On Tuesday, the Joint Committee on Redistricting released its drafts. The new lines are not wholly without controversy. The Committee will hear from the public Friday even as a constitutional deadline begins to bear down. In the 413, the process may have delivered as well as it could.
SPRINGFIELD—With no prelim of its own this year, the general election for municipal races in Springfield is taking off after all other Western Mass preliminaries conclude. The lack of a preliminary here has not happened in two decades.
NORTHAMPTON—Nearly nine months after Mayor David Narkewicz announced he would bounce at the end of his current term, the race to replace him gained considerable clarity. City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra stomped toward the general election on Tuesday, taking 60% of the preliminary election vote.
Two weeks ago, US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s town halls returned to Western Mass. However, catching up in person has value for her, too. That helps her put Washington’s impact into context back home.
HOLYOKE—The first completely open race for mayor in 12 years crossed its first threshold as voters whittled down a powerhouse seven-person field to two contenders for November. At-large Councilor Michael Sullivan and Blandford Town Administrator Joshua Garcia will go on to the general election.
Readers may have noticed that there are seven candidates running for mayor, but only five were profiled. Still, it is very possible that one of them will advance beyond the Tuesday preliminary.
HOLYOKE—Gloria Caballero-Roca has been around the world and her academic research has taken even further. But after a life crisscrossing the globe and the humanities, her next task is running for mayor of Hampden County’s fourth largest city.
HOLYOKE—The Town of Blandford needed a new administrator. Eventually, Joshua Garcia would get the job permanently. His experience in municipal services has become foundational in his campaign for mayor of Holyoke.
HOLYOKE—There is one candidate for whom unity is truly central. It anchors the attitude and direction of both his campaign and the mayor’s office William Glidden would run.
HOLYOKE—Rebecca Lisi has not exactly been an insider. Yet, she is the candidate for mayor this year with the most experience in elected government—if fractional compared to some councilors seeking reelection.