I voted for Jesse Adams this past November to serve another term as an at-large City Councilor. I valued his contrarian voice on the council, and I admired his dedication to the city of Northampton.
Just four months after being sworn in, Adams, citing his inability to do both the work of the council and of his law practice, resigned his seat.
At the time, I wondered why Adams, who had served on the council since 2009 and knew well the demands of the work of a councilor, couldn’t predict that conflict before the November election. I hoped there weren’t unstated health or family issues that contributed to his resignation.
Adams’ resignation has led to a cascade of events that could cost Northampton taxpayers as much as $60,000 in the next few months.
Four people, including Ward 3 Councilor Ryan O’Donnell, are vying for Adams’s seat. A preliminary election on July 7 will be followed by a special election on Aug. 4. Should O’Donnell win the special election, at least one more election will be needed to fill his seat.
City Clerk Wendy Mazza estimates that preparing election materials and staffing the polls will cost the city $15,000 to $20,000 per election. And there is the unanticipated additional time and effort her office has expended in processing nomination papers and will still need to expend in hiring poll workers for summer elections and in administering the elections.
In his letter of May 6, Adams wrote that his resignation is “the best decision for myself and my family.” That may well be the case, but clearly it was not the best decision for the taxpayers and city of Northampton.
Joseph Cohen
Leeds