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.
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.
Less than a day before 2022 closed, Ludlow Senator-elect Jake Oliveira announced his staff for his upcoming term, signaling both continuity and his priorities. Devin Sheehan will be his chief of staff, among other hires.
EAST LONGMEADOW—When asked about being in the fight of his political life, Jake Oliveira projects anything but panic. In fact, he argues, it is not nothing new, pointing to the close races and chicanery he faced since first running for School Committee in his native Ludlow over a decade ago.
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.
HOLYOKE—Devin Sheehan wants to take his experience and leverage his relationship here and across the state as mayor.
UPDATED: 4/20/21 1:30PM: To include responses from candidates on Glidden. HOLYOKE—After months of a silent campaign that had included a lead in the fundraising race, William Glidden is formally in. At COVID-compliant backyard gathering here, Glidden former Alex Morse aide, declared his campaign for mayor.
by Adam Bass Correspondent-intern and Matt Szafranski HOLYOKE—Two of the top contenders for the open mayoral race have formally declared their campaigns. On Monday, At-large City Councilor Rebecca Lisi announced her bid on for Mayor. She was only the second person to formally enter what
UPDATED 4:38PM: To include comment from Marcos Marrero on speculation about his running for mayor. The announcement that Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse would not seek another term shocked few in the Paper City. Open talk of his retirement—well before the Congressional primary—began circulating early this