NORTHAMPTON — Democrats in Hampshire County nominated Sheriff Patrick Cahillane for a second term on Tuesday in a three-way primary race that pitted the incumbent against a corrections nurse and the state’s corrections education specialist, both of whom once worked for his administration and criticized his priorities and leadership on the campaign trail.
Cahillane, a Leeds resident, collected 11,052 votes, or 48.1% of the total, according to the Associated Press tabulations with about 96% of the votes counted. Challengers Yvonne Gittelson, of Goshen, and Caitlin Sepeda, of South Hadley, nearly split the remaining votes, with Gittelson getting 6,117, or 26.6%, and Sepeda 5,817, or 25.3%.
Speaking from his office Wednesday morning, where he was finalizing a spending plan for next year that is being submitted to the state, and also considering how the lighting on the property can be more considerate to neighboring homes, Cahillane said he was encouraged by the primary election.
“The results tell me that voters believe we have done good work here, and I want to continue to do that work,” Cahillane said, adding that he has enjoyed his six years in the leadership role.
“Thank you to the citizens who have valued me and given confidence to me,” he said.
Unless a write-in candidate comes forward, the Democratic nominee will face no opposition to reelection on Nov. 8.
Cahillane was the top vote-getter in 12 of the 18 communities where results have come in, including the larger communities of Amherst, Northampton, Easthampton and South Hadley. Gittelson captured six communities, all in the hilltowns. Results were not available as of Tuesday afternoon for the remaining two communities, Huntington and Middlefield.
Cahillane said a lot of the work done is quiet and without fanfare and that the staff doesn’t get enough credit for the work they do in the community in terms of outreach, and offering wraparound services to inmates.
“We try to teach the offender population with dignity and respect when they move back to in the community,” Cahillane said.
Still, Cahillane came under criticism from his primary opponents for the job he has been doing.
Sepeda, a registered nurse who since October has worked at the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction in Pittsfield, said she was disappointed in the election outcome, but proud of the race she ran and the issues she highlighted. Those issues include problems with leadership, staffing and programs at the Northampton facility, and a failure to modernize. That Cahillane didn’t get half of those who voted behind him indicates that those concerns resonated with voters, she said.
“I hope that makes he and his administration aware about the issues that were brought up in the race,” Sepeda said.
Sepeda was a nurse at the Northampton jail for nine years and, before Cahillane’s election in 2016, worked for his predecessor, Sheriff Robert Garvey.
She said going forward it will be up to the county’s taxpayers to ensure that the jail is efficient, has sensible approaches to re-entry for inmates and that it doesn’t backslide.
“I’m hoping people will continue to ask questions, by talking to staff and talking to those who were formerly incarcerated, and to stay engaged,” Sepeda said.
Gittelson, similarly, said she was disappointed in the outcome, but proud of the race she ran and the voter education that was provided along the way.
“I think a lot more people know a whole lot more about the Hampshire Sheriff’s Office than they ever thought they needed to know, and I hope we will all keep the spotlight on the many problems that need attention there,” Gittelson said.
Gittelson is the corrections program specialist for the state education department, responsible for educational programming in jails, prisons and some Department of Youth Services facilities. She was Cahillane’s top education official from 2017-21.
“We all must hold this administration accountable for providing truthful and accurate information about the programs and procedures that take place in our county correctional facility,” Gittelson said. “They work for us, the taxpayers, and not the other way around.”
In the Democratic primary six years ago, Cahillane advanced with 58.3% of the vote to Melissa Perry’s 36.3%, with Kavern Lewis a distant third with 5.2%. He went on to win the general election over David Isakson with 76% of the vote.
The sheriff’s department, with its seven divisions including civil process service, oversees the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction on Rocky Hill Road as well as its in-house regional police lockup. The sheriff represents constituents in all 20 Hampshire County communities.
Cahillane said with no general election opponent in November, he can continue work he is doing, including on a grant submitted seven months ago that will allow for more robust mental health and substance abuse services, and ensuring people who leave the facility can get housing and jobs.
“Community is where corrections is moving to,” Cahillane said.
He also looks to expand the Nurturing Fathers program in Northampton to a recovery center in Ware and continue to build out positive programs through medically assisted treatment.
There will also be educational opportunities and internships for students at the University of Massachusetts, Westfield State University the community colleges, and in the nursing program at Elms.
