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—Gladys Oyola, the head of the Springfield Election Commission, will be the next City Clerk after the City Council unanimously selected her. Last week, a search committee had slimmed down a field of 72 applicants down to three. On Monday, Oyola, an unsurprising though eminently qualified choice, prevailed.
Barring any signatures challenges, the midterm ballot in Springfield looks ready to go and two prominent open races will want for competition. Moreover, the field will be thin enough to avoid the need for a preliminary. Still, a full complement of contenders will challenge at-large councilors and half of the ward Council seats will have races.
UPDATED 2/3/21 1:14PM: To include details of Gomez’s resignation letter. Springfield State Senator Adam Gomez, who also held the Ward 1 City Council seat, has announced his resignation from the municipal legislature. In a press release his senate office issued, Gomez said he was leaving
BOSTON—In any other year, the voting of the Electoral College in Massachusetts would be a ho-hum occasion. With no question of the commonwealth’s presidential result outside the darkest corners of the Internet, the vote was still not dramatic. But with Donald Trump insisting it is
The United States Presidential election appears to be sewn up, but one local House race remains in limbo. Ludlow School Committee member James “Chip” Harrington, the Republican candidate for the 7th Hampden House district, is preparing to request at least a partial hand recount of
PITTSFIELD—While attempting to maintain social-distancing along a narrow strip of sidewalk outside the post office here, US Representative Richard Neal and local officials condemned the chicanery of Donald Trump’s Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Allegedly undertaken to save money, the changes to the United States Postal
UPDATED 4/17/20 4:30PM: On Friday, the SJC accepted the Secretary’s recommendation, slashing the needed signatures by half, extending the deadline for state candidates by one week to May 5 and allowing electronic signatures, albeit a little more broadly than the the Secretary recommended. The Massachusetts
UPDATED 4/16/20 8:53PM: The Senate passed the bill Thursday. Last week the Massachusetts Senate unveiled plans to cut the number of signatures needed for some candidates to get onto the ballot. The proposal, released by Senate President Karen Spilka’s office, would halve the number of
SPRINGFIELD—A proposed effort to bolster voter turnout here, if not cure its anemic state, cleared the City Council Monday night. The victory was short-lived. Mayor Domenic Sarno quickly vetoed the measure, offering a garbled explanation. However, it would not be his nonsensical valley this week.