EASTHAMPTON — This year’s race for the Governor’s Council District 8 seat features a 2022 rematch between incumbent Tara Jacobs and Springfield City Councilor and attorney Michael Fenton, who squared off in a forum Monday night at the Easthampton High School auditorium.
The two are running against each other in the Democratic primary, which is scheduled for Sept. 1. Since there are no Republicans candidates, the winner in the primary will assume a seat on the council after the Nov. 3 general election.
Jacobs is running for her third two-year term on the Council. She claimed the seat’s primary in 2022 in a narrowly won four-way contest, with Fenton coming up 2,300 votes shy. Jacobs was then reelected after running unopposed in 2024.
At the forum attended by about 100 people, Jacobs told the story of how she moved to North Adams from New York City in search of deeper meaning in her life. That move coincided with a career change from advertising executive into social work.
She said her background in handling data sets her apart, since so much of the justice system is expressed in numbers, including racial and gender disparities. The self-described “voracious reader” also said that lacking a background as a lawyer means she doesn’t speak in legalese, but in everyday language, making the justice system more accessible to everyone.
“I continue to work for a justice system that genuinely serves all of us in a way that is fair, that is compassionate, that is human and respectful,” she said.
Fenton said his experience as a lawyer and his 17 years on the Springfield City Council demonstrate his readiness for the position.
“I have a great deal of respect for Tara and the job she has done, but I respectfully think that I will do a better job as a candidate representing this region,” Fenton said.
Jacobs spent much of her introductory statement explaining what the Governor’s Council does. She lamented that many voters don’t cast a ballot for the position.
The 8th District gives western Massachusetts a seat on the Governor’s Council, which weighs in on major state appointments. Stretching across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties and encompassing 102 cities and towns, the district is one of eight whose elected councilors vote on the governor’s nominees for judges and other positions, as well as pardons, commutations and state treasury warrants.
“As Tara said, it’s probably the most important board that the average voter doesn’t know about,” Fenton said.
Fenton explained that after graduating from Providence College, he was elected as Springfield’s youngest city councilor after having lived his entire life in the city. He has held his seat for nearly two decades and has served as council president several times.
Fenton said his motivation for running for both City Council and now the Governor’s Council stems from his love of his community.
“I really care about my community and making a difference in our region,” he said.
One accomplishment he highlighted was halting the development of a toxic biomass incinerator on Cape Boulevard in Springfield that had previously been approved. He also took pride that in 2020, he spearheaded police reforms, including the use of body cameras, and fought to bring back the state’s police commission.
He also said he has served a diverse district that includes affluent residents, including U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, as well as middle-class and disenfranchised community members.
Jacobs, a Tufts University graduate who majored in social psychology, said her knowledge of human behavior sets her apart as a candidate.
She said her career in advertising, which focused on brand strategy and consumer insight, entailed “really understanding human beings as a species — how are we wired, what are our biases, how we operate as a culture and why as humans we do what we do.”
“Between my qualitative research skills and understanding people and their beliefs and their values and why they do what they do and how to get them to buy my soft drink, I really translate those skills into understanding who the nominees are who come through,” she said.
When asked by moderator John Hine what the candidates would do for outreach across the district, Fenton said he would hold seminars and forums to keep lawyers and residents engaged. He also pointed to his record of attending meetings and being present as a city councilor.
Jacobs said that during her time serving on the Governor’s Council, she has been present in senior centers, housing authorities and recovery centers, actively engaging with constituents.
