This is the second of two-part series on the impact of retirements on the 2017 Springfield at-large Council race. SPRINGFIELD—Only hours before the deadline to pull papers, word hit the City of Homes that not one, but two open at-large City Council seats in this
This post is the fifth in a series of posts on the new 189th Massachusetts General Court sworn January 7. SPRINGFIELD—Although not Carlos Gonzalez’s first bid for elected office, 2014 was the first time his name appeared on a ballot. In an earlier life as
SPRINGFIELD—Against the brightly painted enclosed courtyard of Classical Condominiums, the three Democrats seeking the nomination for the 10th Hampden House seat sat facing the crowd seated in stacking chairs. Few in the room probably realized that the last time the seat had a truly competitive
SPRINGFIELD—An open legislative seat in a predominantly minority area may come only once in a while. Very rarely does the same person have two opportunities within a relatively short period of time. However, with the woman who won it from him the first time now
UPDATED 6/22/14 7:22 PM: For clarity & grammar. SPRINGFIELD—By January of this year, it was clear that the area delegation to Boston was in store was some major revisions. Amid retirements, resignations, and a few part-term incumbencies, several high-profile races are due for the districts
SPRINGFIELD—Cheryl Coakley-Rivera may have resigned from the legislature, but she does not want people to think she has stepped away from politics. The same outlook that led her to a 15 year career representing the 10th Hampden House district, borne out of her formative years,
UPDATED 11:23PM: To reflect confirmation of details via other news reports and to correctly state a women is running for Gale Candaras’ seat. A previous version of this story said one was not. SPRINGFIELD—State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera of the 10th Hampden district, Springfield’s only Hispanic
This is a fourth post analyzing the election results of the 2013 election. As much as the elections at-large and in Ward 8 last month in Springfield captured attention because of their upsets, in a lot of ways the lessons derived from them tell some
Even before the Pioneer Valley has rung in 2014, the year’s musical chairs and political calculus is well underway. At this early stage, the moves fall into two categories: those seats we know are open and those that may be pending a retirement and its
**This post has been edited for accuracy. ** When the Springfield City Council voted 7-4 to approve a higher than requested trash fee in exchange for reopening neighborhood library branches, it was clear the side the crowd was on. A sustained applause greeted Councilors who took