EASTHAMPTON — Salem Derby will be the city’s fourth mayor after voters on Tuesday picked the longtime city councilor over Lindsi Sekula and Jason “JT” Tirrell in a race that featured the largest voter turnout since Easthampton became a city in 1996.
Derby, 51, campaigned on the message of “Proven Experience” as a longtime city council member for 22 years. His supporters gathered at New City Brewery in the Eastworks building, a place that Derby has taken credit for helping revitalize, along with many of Easthampton’s old mills dating back to his early years on the council.
Cheers rang out in New City Brewery at the turn of 10 p.m. as the results were announced. Derby took to the stairs as he looked out on a group of family, friends and more to give a victory speech.
“I knew after being a city councilor for 22 years that being mayor was probably in the cards, but I did not know being mayor was in the cards for 2025,” Derby said. “So this is a beautiful surprise for me and I’m really hoping it will be a beautiful surprise for Easthampton.”
Tuesday’s election was the second time ranked-choice voting came into play, given that there were three candidates competing to be mayor.
In the first round of voting, Derby received roughly 40% of the votes with 2,341, Sekula had 1,938 votes and Tirrell at 1,495.
Through ranked-choice voting, since Tirrell received the least amount of first-place votes, he was eliminated first and voters who ranked Tirrell first would have their second ranked candidate’s vote count, if they put one. After the second round, Derby held his lead with 2,771 votes, or roughly 56%, and Sekula had 2,171, or roughly 43%.
Derby, who is currently serving as interim mayor, won precincts 1, 3 and 4, while Sekula took Precinct 2 and Tirrell took Precinct 5. Derby will continue on from his interim position, now with an official seat in the Municipal Building’s corner office.
Starting early in the morning on Tuesday, all three candidate’s camps stood in unison outside the polls at Easthampton High School throughout the day. Though, once the polls closed they split their separate ways to watch the results roll in, each in a different corner of “the little city with a big heart.”
After former Mayor Nicole LaChapelle resigned in July, Derby was offered the interim position as mayor since he was the City Council president. While he originally said he did not intend to run for mayor, weeks later he announced his candidacy. In a press conference on Tuesday after the results were announced, Derby discussed the journey.
“I feel amazing, I’m so ready to work for Easthampton, I’m so ready to move us into the next chapter. I think this is really a watershed moment for our city …,” Derby said. “As we look at the past and look towards the future, I’m ready to kind of bridge that divide because I’ve been part of old Easthampton and with 22 years of city council service, I’m ready to bring us into the future of Easthampton which I think is going to be hopefully more affordable, which is going to be more vibrant, which is going to be a place where arts, music and culture can thrive and where people feel heard and part of the community.”
Meanwhile, Sekula and her supporters gathered at Luthier’s Co-op on Cottage Street when the results were announced.
“I ran a clean race, with integrity and authenticity, and I’m proud of myself,” Sekula said after results were announced. “There’s nothing else I could’ve done differently. I am forever thankful for the overwhelming amount of support I did get. It’s looking like I lost by 600 votes and I consider that a win in my book … Congratulations to my opponents and a thanks to all my supporters.”
Sekula campaigned on her commitment to Easthampton, and was the longest standing candidate in this race. She is familiar with the mayor’s office having been the executive assistant to the mayor for the past eight years and she said that will not change. Having a family and being an active member of the community, she will continue to call Easthampton home.
“Nothing changes. Monday morning I’m going to the office, I’m there to support Mayor Derby and his leadership moving forward and I will stay just as involved in the community as I have been. I will still be at our kids sports games, I will still be out at the businesses supporting everyone. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
On the other side of town, Tirrell sat at the Glendale Grill after the first round of results that showed he was the first candidate eliminated. When asked how he felt, Tirrell said he was “shocked” and “speechless.”
“I didn’t foresee second never mind third,” he said.
Tirrell campaigned on a message of “No Labels, Just Leadership,” as a mayor for every Easthampton resident. He wanted to see increased transparency in city government and new leadership brought to the mayor’s office. As the only candidate who was born and raised in Easthampton, he said you can expect to see him out in the community. He’s going to finish his term as an at-large city councilor and then reevaluate.
“I don’t regret anything …” Tirrell said. “I wouldn’t change anything and I am grateful for the support I had and the people that came out.”
All three candidates are registered Democrats and have been involved in Easthampton’s government. Derby spent the least amount on his campaign at roughly $3,000, Tirrell at $18,800 and Sekula at $4,400, according to the most recent filings from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign.
Derby’s wife, Carissa Derby, discussed the long journey it has been to get where the Derby family has gotten and she is proud. “Our family is used to sharing him with Easthampton.”
Michael Tautznik, the first mayor of Easthampton, was at New City Brewery after the results were announced. Tautznik has known Derby for a long time, having served as mayor while Derby was on the council.
“He’s got the right attitude about what Easthampton needs and knows the history to get us there,” he said.
Tautznik said Derby has been a great city councilor and feels Easthampton is in good hands.
Voters weigh in on busy election day
Out of 13,244 registered voters for this election, minus inactive voters, 5,866 official ballots were counted, 1,688 more than last mayoral election in 2021.
At the previous mayoral election in 2021, LaChapelle defeated Eric Berzins and Keith Routhier, as well as write-in candidate Donald Torrey. With a total voter turnout of 4,178, LaChapelle won with 66% of the vote.
When LaChapelle first took office after the 2017 election, she defeated Joy Winnie in a close contest. Of the 11,913 registered voters, 5,053 cast ballots, drawing a 43% turnout then.
The first election in 1996, when Easthampton went from a town form of government to a city, drew 5,213 voters, a 58% turnout.
Gail Nartowciz, the Precinct 1 warden, said at about 5 p.m. it had been busier than any other election she had seen in her 27 years working at the polls in Easthampton. “We haven’t had a quiet time and we usually have,” in the past elections.
She said she is not quite sure what has made this election different, but one thing was clear. “Times have changed. Maybe the young ones are deciding they need to vote more, but I’ve seen a lot of middle-aged people too.”
Warden for Precinct 2 Betty Burnham has been working at Easthampton election polls for more than 15 years. At about 1 p.m., she said there had been more voters thus far than past municipal elections. “It’s been steady.”
Residents were pouring out of the polls on Tuesday. Many said that this election feels different.
Resident Arlo Gannon, 22, was inspired by one of her professors at Holyoke Community College to vote. “I realized I never voted in anything local and wanted to come out.”
She said she has been increasingly “jaded” by activity at the federal level, but felt like she could make an impact at the local level.
Resident Stephen Hyde has lived in Easthampton for 15 years and voted for Derby because he “has had his hand in a lot in the city” and lauded his experience. He is also impressed by Derby’s youth and outdoor leadership. He said many of his friends know Derby personally and they have great things to say.
“It’s interesting that so many people are running,” Hyde said about this election.
Susan Shaw voted for Sekula after seeing her do a “great job at the candidate forum,” and the experience she has shown. She sat with 20-year Easthampton resident, Amanda Quinby, who said this election seems “a little more intense” than the previous elections she has seen.
Both feel the candidates have done a great job getting more people involved and acknowledged that more people are showing up at the local level.
Outside of the polls, Nori Coleman, a city resident of 25 years, gave the reason she voted for Tirrell. “He will listen to both sides. I think humanity is the main label we should run under.”
She discussed his campaign message of “no labels,” feeling that Tirrell would have been a mayor that listens to everybody regardless of who they are.
She got out to vote on Tuesday because, “The issues of the city are important and people died for the right to vote.”
Voting numbers were updated on Nov. 19, after results became official.
