SPRINGFIELD—The first special election for City Council here since at least the current charter took effect in 1961 has concluded amid last minute energy and intrigue. Mayoral aide Lavar Click-Bruce, placed 1st in the special preliminary for Ward 5’s Council seat. Not far behind was retired labor leader Ed Collins.
In only days, Springfield will hold its first ever special election for City Council. A large field has formed, but voters at the August 16 preliminary could be spare. Nevertheless, with seven contenders, the special election has become perhaps the most competitive preliminary since ward representation returned in 2009.
The ballot for Springfield’s first City Council special election since ward representation returned has now closed. All seven of the original aspirants for the empty Ward 5 Council seat have returned their papers for the race.
The hottest race involving Springfield at the end of summer could be one nobody saw coming. In the few days since the Election Commission released petitioning papers for the Ward 5 special election ballot candidates have flooded the field faster than Lake Massasoit has refilled its lakebed.