The political season in Holyoke formally launched Thursday with Mayor Joshua Garcia’s announcement that he will seek a second full four-year term. Garcia made history in 2021 when he became the city’s first leader of Puerto Rican heritage of the city. Holyoke has one of the largest such communities in the continental United States.
Over the summer, Ward 1 committee member Gustavo Romero and Ward 4 member Gloria Roca-Cabellero resigned. Per the city charter, a Joint Session of the rump of the School Committee and the City Council join forces to vote on replacements. On Tuesday, they chose former Ward 1 City Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez and Orlando Isaza for the Ward 1 and 4 Committees seats, respectively.
At least everybody knows what to do.
Earlier this year, a Joint Session of the Holyoke City Council and School Committee filled the latter’s vacant at-large seat. Now, the Paper City band that fills the school board’s vacancies is getting back together to fill the two ward School Committee seats.
A joint session of the Holyoke City Council and School Committee met Tuesday to fill the vacancy created when at-large Committee member Erin Brunelle resigned. After interviewing applicants, the joint session voted to appoint former at-large School Committee member and onetime Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) President Devin Sheehan to fill Brunelle’s spot.
For several terms now, Holyoke has had at least one vacancy in some office that the City Council—sometimes with another body—must fill. For the term that began this past January, that time has come.
Erin Brunelle, an at-large School Committee member and the body’s vice-chair, announced Tuesday she had resigned.
Holyoke may not have a contest for mayor in 2023 but Guy O’Donnell announced he would again challenge Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon for the seat that covers much of the city’s western flank.
Cities up and down the Pioneer Valley swore in their new governments Monday. In two cities new mayors took office while a third formally began his full term.
Before a single voter had cast a ballot in Holyoke’s election, five seats were going to change. Voters filled those five seats, but they also overturned incumbents in two at-large seats, an extraordinary event for such a multi-seat race.
Joshua Garcia took office as mayor of Holyoke Monday, becoming the city’s first mayor Puerto Rican heritage and adding a permanency to the office that had been missing for months.
One Holyoke election is heading into overtime. Guy O’Donnell, who challenged Ward 5 City Councilor Linda Vacon in last week’s election, has filed for a recount. Fewer than 20 votes or about 1% separated the two in unofficial results the City Clerk’s office has posted.