HOLYOKE—On the precipice of the municipal election, the Facebook page Keep Holyoke Affordable took out the knives. It posted a darkened screengrab from a virtual Planning Board meeting centered on at-large Council candidate Mimi Panitch. The Facebook post included text that blasted her record on the Board and noted the menacing, eight-armed undulating cephalopod in her background.
After eight heated municipal election cycles—three quarters of which featured mayoral races—the ballot will be cooler this year in Holyoke. Mayor Joshua Garcia will face no opposition on the ballot as he seeks another four-year term. There will be races down ballot, but even accounting for the lack of energy a mayoral race would draw, the Paper City may have its quietest November in nearly 20 years.
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.
UPDATED 11/2/15 1:07PM: To add additional details to paragraph 2 under the Ward 6 endorsement. The future of the city of Holyoke is about more than just the lives of its residents. Like our home base of Springfield, the restoration and revitalization of Holyoke is