HOLYOKE—Two years after making history as the Paper City’s first Latino mayor, Josh Garcia has won reelection and upended city politics again. It was one of many surprises that ripped through the 413 Tuesday night, matching some of the energy, enthusiasm and, above all, change voters are demanding from this Commonwealth to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Voters in three Valley cities slimmed down their ballots on Tuesday and began the march to the general election in November. Chicopee, Holyoke and Northampton had a handful of races among them where more than two candidates were running. By far, however, the highest profile of these races was for mayor in Northampton, which is experiencing a heated cycle as the mayor seek reelection.
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.
NORTHAMPTON—Nearly nine months after Mayor David Narkewicz announced he would bounce at the end of his current term, the race to replace him gained considerable clarity. City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra stomped toward the general election on Tuesday, taking 60% of the preliminary election vote.
Overwhelmed first by hot vax summer and then the coronavirus encore, municipal elections in the region have not exactly take center stage. Into this relative quiet, the Western Mass Area Labor Federation, the umbrella group for labor in the Pioneer Valley, has announced its preferences in some of the most important contests.
NORTHAMPTON—No New England community is complete without an old church-cum-meetinghouse. However, a few years ago, the one at the center of Paradise City, today First Churches, was in trouble. Circa 2007, plaster was caving into the sanctuary.
First Churches turned to Gina-Louise Sciarra.
Governing Paradise is an occasional series on impending change in Northampton government. Even before the pandemic, an open seat for mayor of Northampton would have likely attracted a spirited contest. The onset of the COVID-19 only accentuated many of the problems in the city. With
In the space of 24 hours, a race for mayor has developed in Northampton. On Tuesday, City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra, as previously reported, announced her bid to succeed retiring mayor David Narkewicz. However, Sciarra turned out not to be the first declared candidate. Less
UPDATED 11:35PM: To include comment from Mayor Narkewicz about the rest of his term. One month after it suddenly became wide open, the Northampton Mayoral race appears to be rumbling to life. City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra is expected to formally enter the race to