Confirming weeks of speculation, Westfield State Senator Don Humason formally announced Thursday he would run for mayor. Mayor Brian Sullivan is retiring, opening the Whip City’s top job. Humason, though a conservative Republican, is an acceptable choice for many who fear a right-wing candidate could
Leadership in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate released their committee assignments for the session that began last month. With thousands of bills to consider, committees can begin parse now that they have leaders and membership. The Western Massachusetts delegation received some plum assignments.
There are, on our regional ballots this year a number of competitive races. Not all are created equally. Some of these races include candidates of third parties and in still-quite Democratic Hampden County others are not such that fuller, separate explanations of our opinions are
UPDATED 9/25/16 9:30PM: To reflect a correction. An earlier version identified Lewis’s workplace as the Department of Environmental Proection, on the belief the Environmental Police were subunit. The police, Lewis’s employer, are, in fact, a separate unit under EEA. Earlier update to include comments from Mass
AGAWAM—Hoping to capitalize on presidential-level turnout and Democratic discontent about the incumbent, Southampton Democrat Jerome (J.D.) Parker-O’Grady kicked off his campaign for State Senate here surrounded by friends, family and a coterie of local officials. He faces a long road to the State House, but
HOLYOKE—Capping off a whirlwind day in Western Massachusetts with a listening session, all five of the 413’s senators joined by three of their Eastern colleagues closed out the first Massachusetts Senate “commonwealth conversation.” It was hardly their last, however. The brainchild of newly installed Senate
In the race for 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate, Republican Don Humason, who won a special election last year faces Democrat Patrick Leahy. This race has often lived in the shadow of the higher-profile race next door, but it is no less important. The two
WESTFIELD—Overshadowed in large part by the hot senate contest next door, the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate election has been a more heated affair as a Democrat seeks one of the few Republican senate seats that could flip. Republican Senator Don Humason is facing a
Depending on your perspective, 2014 is either a good year or a less poor than usual one for Western Massachusetts Republicans. On the one hand, there are some pickup opportunities for the party. On the other, for the first time in a long, long, LONG
HOLYOKE—Among the Leahy brothers, there appear to be two directions. A couple are into politics, if only part time. Most of the others are cops. While both practicality and scheduling would prohibit Patrick Leahy from doing both at the same time, he already has a