NORTHAMPTON — Michelle Serra was eliminated from the race for City Council at-large in Tuesday’s preliminary election, and Jamila Gore placed first with a 358-vote advantage over the second-place candidate.
Voters chose Gore, Michael Quinlan, Marissa Elkins and David Murphy to advance to the general election on Nov. 2. They will compete for two at-large seats.
Unofficial results reported by the city clerk’s office showed Gore with 2,434 votes, Quinlan with 2,076, Elkins with 1,756, Murphy with 1,444 and Serra with 1,268.
About 24.5% of the city’s 21,389 registered voters turned out to cast ballots.
Gore, an activist, poet and writer, earned endorsements from state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and state Sen. Jo Comerford, both Democrats of Northampton. Quinlan is the incumbent Ward 1 city councilor, Elkins is a defense attorney and vice chair of the Planning Board, and Murphy served 14 years as Ward 5 councilor before losing his seat to Alex Jarrett in 2019.
Mayoral candidates Gina-Louise Sciarra and Marc Warner also advanced to the general election, beating challengers Shanna Fishel, Roy Martin and Rosechana Gordon, who dropped out of the race in August but still appeared on the ballot.
Kristen Elechko voted at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, the polling place for Wards 2 and 5B, with her 3-year-old daughter Kenzington in tow. As Kenzington splashed in rain puddles and played with an umbrella, Elechko said that she believes in voting at every opportunity.
“It’s a right that so many people have fought for. I want to respect that, and I appreciate it,” Elechko, who works in electoral politics, said. “It’s important to make good choices, especially when it comes to the mayor and City Council.”
The steady refrain from voters who spoke with the Gazette outside the polls is that casting a ballot is “my duty as a citizen.” Diane Connor voted at JFK Middle School, and said voting “is part of living in this country. You’ve got to vote.”
Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. is the deadline to register to vote in the general election.
The Nov. 2 ballot will feature a non-binding question asking voters if they support allowing the city to create a municipal light plant, which would be a city-owned company that could offer broadband internet service to residents and businesses in Northampton.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.