Before there was Jesse Lederman, Marcus Williams and Michael Fenton. Before there was Eric Lesser and Paul Caron. Even before there was Richie Neal. There was Dave Vigneault, a forerunner to Springfield’s undercurrent of electorally ambitious twentysomethings. First elected at the dawn of the Kennedy
In Springfield 2018 may go down as a key year for the city. The Council, Springfield’s congressman, and even activism itself had a good year. But even if there was some small-d and large-D democratic developments, this year also ushered in some noteworthy signs on
Longmeadow Daze is an occasional series about Longmeadow politics and government. An icon of the Democratic party in Longmeadow—and statewide—has announced her exit. Candy Glazer, the chair of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) has announced she will relinquish the chair on January 1. Friends
This post is part of a series on the new Democratic House and Western Massachusetts. SPRINGFIELD—The day after Democrats won the US House of Representatives, Richard Neal was standing inside the federal courthouse atrium he helped build. The Moshe Safdie-designed structure is still State Street’s
EAST LONGMEADOW—Results in Massachusetts produced few surprises even as less than stellar results came in for Democrats nationwide. The election changed almost nothing in terms of partisan control in Massachusetts. However, a host of transformations lie before the region. The only competitive races in the
NORTHAMPTON—Amid an upheaval in Boston legislative seats, a new delegation took shape here and points north. All three of the Hampshire County-based seats were vacant due to retirements or death. The adjacent 1st Franklin, also picked a new rep along as did the region’s state
On March 3, 1925, Frederick Gillett stepped down as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives to become Massachusetts’s Junior Senator. Arguably, the district centered on Hampden County has not enjoyed such influence since. That could change next year if Democrats take the House.
UPDATED 8/13/18 8:37PM: To include additional quotes from Our Revolution. NORTHAMPTON—At a recent fundraiser for Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, supporters gathered around the candidate, packing the hosts’ airy living room in the city’s Florence section. They sat, rapt, as she told her story of her life, career,
WASHINGTON—For some time now, the punditocracy has given Democrats an edge in the race for the US House of Representatives this year. For Western Massachusetts that would elevate Springfield Congressman Richard Neal to chairman of Ways & Means. He may not become the only rep
SPRINGFIELD—From Court Square past the Central Library to the Federal Courthouse and back, hundreds, perhaps a thousand, marched. A bolero of car horns met them along major arteries. Both victim and source of gun proliferation, Springfield offered a rare show of civic force Saturday, adding