The last time voters went to the polls to elect a mayor in Easthampton and Northampton, there was no question about the outcome. Neither city had a contested race and incumbents Karen Cadieux and David Narkewicz cruised back to their offices without debate.
This election season has shaped up very differently for Hampshire County’s two cities. In addition to races for mayor, there are contested elections in Easthampton for at-large and Precinct 2 seats on City Council and at-large School Committee posts; and in Northampton for city clerk and the Ward 6 School Committee seat.
This political season bodes well for voters, who will have questions to ask, answers to hear and choices to make about who will lead their communities when they head to the polls Nov. 7. In Easthampton, Cadieux, a two-term incumbent mayor is retiring and two candidates are running for the $75,000-a-year position. The candidates are Nicole LaChapelle, an attorney and member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, and Joy E. Winnie, who has served on the City Council for 21 years.
Easthampton also has a robust field of candidates for City Council. Eight candidates, including five newcomers, are vying for four at-large seats, and there is a two-way race for the council’s Precinct 2 seat. In addition, eight candidates are running for six seats on the School Committee, with two incumbents seeking re-election. It is encouraging to see so many new candidates show an interest in public service.
In Northampton, where the mayor earns $92,500 annually, two-term incumbent Narkewicz faces a challenge from businessman John Riley, who announced his candidacy in June. Unlike the two-year term in Easthampton, the mayoral term in Northampton is four years, a change the city approved under a new charter in 2012.
In another race that is sure to draw interest in Northampton, Robert Driscoll and Pamela Powers are running for city clerk, a position vacated by Wendy Mazza, who retired earlier this year after holding the position since 2004. Thomas M. Davidson and Lonnie Kaufman are seeking the Ward 6 School Committee seat.
As the political campaigns heat up, a number of events have been scheduled during the next five weeks for voters to learn more about the candidates.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, League of Women Voters and Easthampton Media are teaming up to sponsor a forum for the mayoral candidates at Easthampton High School from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 19 with a reception to follow in Room 160 at Eastworks on Pleasant Street.
Easthampton Media is sponsoring three civic engagement events that end with “speakeasy” sessions where voters and candidates can interact. The first event will be a Lincoln-Douglas style debate for the mayoral candidates from 7 to 8 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Municipal Building, followed by a “speakeasy” at the Brass Cat at 8:30. Debates are scheduled for School Committee candidates from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 6 and for City Council candidates from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12, both at the Municipal Building, followed by “speakeasy” events at 8:30 at Mill Park 180 for the School Committee candidates and Glendale Grill for City Council candidates.
Kathleen Lynch, executive director of Easthampton Media, says the “speakeasy” events are designed to be an opportunity for voters to react to what they heard at the debates and direct questions to the candidates. “It’s designed to give constituents a platform.”
Easthampton Media also plans an in-studio, town hall-style event for the mayoral candidates from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 with a “speakeasy” to follow in Club 121 at Eastworks.
In Northampton, the Gazette, League of Women Voters, and Northampton Community Television will sponsor a forum for the mayoral and city clerk candidates on a date to be set in October.
We urge all voters in Easthampton and Northampton to take advantage of these opportunities to engage with the candidates and examine the issues during this election season. Voters should be informed to make meaningful decisions about who is best qualified to lead their community.