EASTHAMPTON — The campaign to become the Easthampton’s next mayor officially kicks off this week, as Lindsi Sekula is the first candidate to announce her intention to become the city’s next chief executive officer.

Sekula is currently serving as executive assistant in the Easthampton mayor’s office, a position she assumed when current Mayor Nicole LaChapelle came into office in 2018. Since then, she has fallen in love with public service and Easthampton’s community spirit. Now, she feels ready to contribute to the city in a greater capacity by taking a seat at its helm.

“It’s not just a profession for me anymore, it’s a calling,” she said.

LaChapelle announced in 2023 that she would not seek reelection for a fourth term.

Sekula, 40, says some of her goals include prioritizing “smart growth” and “community-based leadership” that will serve everyone in her community.

Jumping into the mayoral race this early, Sekula said, was a manifestation of her deep commitment to the community. But whether she’s in the mayor’s seat, serving as executive assistant, or finding another way to give back to the city, she said that commitment will remain strong.

Sekula moved to Easthampton in 2018 with her partner after living in Northampton. While she has not lived within the city her entire life, with three kids in the Easthampton Public Schools system and aging parents in the community, she emphasized that she is “deeply invested” in the city’s success.

In particular, she hopes to be more involved in championing a new senior center for the city if elected. Initial research for the possible locations and designs of a new senior center was concluded in January by the Ad Hoc Senior Center Building Committee, and the city will soon establish a formally appointed Senior Center Building Committee to move forward with planning.

Additionally, Sekula said that one of her main concerns heading into the election is “smart financial planning.” If elected to office, she hopes to create a financial feasibility model that will allow the city to be better prepared in the face of fiscal uncertainty, and prevent any undue burden from falling on taxpayers.

Sekula also hopes to revitalize support for the Parks and Recreation Department, and possibly establish a new master plan for the city with a focus on more strategic growth. She noted that the city’s current master plan has a lot of helpful “pieces” within it, but a new plan may be able to bring those pieces together to form a more cohesive and focused vision based on where the city stands now, and where it must go to best support its inhabitants.

Collaboration and community support are two of the primary strengths that Sekula has come to appreciate in Easthampton in her time here, and they are strengths she hopes to leverage if elected as mayor. She said that her aim is to foster growth and leadership that works for all of Easthampton’s residents, which means getting those residents involved in as many parts of planning processes as possible, and taking their input to heart.

Her time already spent working in the mayor’s office, she feels, is an asset when it comes to achieving this.

“I know how our city government functions, and I know how to make it work for residents,” she said.

With her current deep involvement in City Hall, Sekula believes she will be able to hit the ground running and utilize the expertise she has gained to serve the city in a bigger way if elected as mayor.

Sekula has filed for candidacy with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance as a Democratic candidate. So far, she is the only organized filer for the upcoming Easthampton mayoral election.

The next mayor will be the fourth for Easthampton, following LaChapelle, Karen Cadieux and Michael A. Tautznik.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.