For many, elections come and go, lawn signs come down, “I voted” stickers get thrown away, and happy or sad with the outcome, life moves on. That being said, now, a couple of weeks removed from the 2025 municipal elections in Easthampton, is a good time to reflect on what happened.
As a young person who grew up in western Massachusetts and chose to stay here after getting my master’s degree at UMass, I am so encouraged by the level of engagement in our own democracy the voters of Easthampton have. This election saw the highest voter turnout in a city election ever. I cannot get over that fact. While Easthampton does have a relatively short history of being a city, that should still be celebrated because it bucks the trend in our region of lower and lower voter turnouts in municipal contests. People here have a voice and agency in their community. That combination manifests itself in a many ways: obviously a higher voter turnout, but also in the focus on supporting small businesses here and how people come together in community like at CitySpace or by donating to make our beautiful downtown holiday lights possible.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Easthampton is also leading the commonwealth in ranked choice voting. Just last week our state Rep. Homar Gomez, along with Mayor Salem Derby testified on Beacon Hill that ranked choice voting not only works, but is more effective, and creates a better democratic environment. After the Gazette’s Sam Ferland reported that Easthampton was only one of two municipalities in the state to use ranked choice voting, my pride for this community and the people who make it up soared.
Our elected leaders are right where they are supposed to be, on the forefront of issues that ultimately will make not just Easthampton, but all of Massachusetts a better place to live.
Evan Garber
Easthampton