Before a single voter had cast a ballot in Holyoke’s election, five seats were going to change. Voters filled those five seats, but they also overturned incumbents in two at-large seats, an extraordinary event for such a multi-seat race.
A history-making era in the Paper City is about to end. On Tuesday Morning, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse announced he would not seek another term. His statement indicated he intended to serve out the remainder of his term, capping his mayoralty at 10 years. Such
UPDATED 11/26/18 6:20PM: To note Roman’s resignation letter and his new job’s location. Transition will come early to the Holyoke City Council. Ward 2 Councilor Nelson Roman will be resigning December 31 to pursue a job out of state. Although Roman’s exit will have an
Holyoke faces a unique set of choices this election cycle. It is dropping two at-large council seats. The ward seats increasingly, are where the city’s minority population finds its strongest voices. However, this transition comes at an inflection point in Holyoke politics. The mayor’s race
HOLYOKE—Ten were on stage for Monday’s debate, but come November 7, four will go home including at least two incumbents. Given the tamest—or perhaps least vitriolic—mayoral campaign in years, the at-large Council race has grabbed residents’ attention. Though all eight incumbents are seeking reelection, a
UPDATED 7/14/17 9:06PM: For grammar & clarity. HOLYOKE—A game of musical chairs—and mayoral ambition—left three of the Paper City’s ward seats on the City Council open(ish) in 2015. Spirited contests to fill them followed. That was on top of a massive at-large field for eight
The full Holyoke City Council ended the stalemate over the Community Preservation Act (CPA) ordinance last Tuesday by voting to override Mayor Alex Morse’s veto and enacting the bill. The ordinance, which establishes the city’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC), sailed through the Council early last
UPDATED 2/22/2017 8:09M: To include comments Jourdain gave to The Republican and quotes from Mayor Morse’s statement on Facebook and to reflect a correction. A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the former Ward 6 councilor as Thomas McGee. He is Todd McGee. The
Closing an odd and fraught chapter in the history of Holyoke, the City Council selected former Ward 2 Councilor Diosdado Lopez to fill the seat once held by at-large councilor Jennifer Chateauneuf. Following a long feud with a critic, Chateaunef resigned April 4, prompting a scramble
HOLYOKE—Filling a vacant seat is nothing new to veteran city councilors here. Yet, even at-large Councilor Joseph McGivern, the body’s longest-serving member, finds the task of replacing his colleague, Jennifer Chauteauneuf, who resigned earlier this month, a departure from previous times the Council filled a vacancy in its