West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, a 10 year incumbent, comfortably won his bid for re-election Tuesday night, taking 72% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Standing among a crowd of supporters at the local Italian-American social club, Reichelt said said he was re-elected because he followed through on his vision and plan to make West Springfield a better place to live.
"We made sure that we improved the community overall, at the same time understanding that seniors, families, working people need to be able to make a living here and afford to stay here," Reichelt said. "So we became a more affordable community over the past ten years, in comparison to the places around us."
While Reichelt ran unopposed in the last two elections, this year long-time city counselor Dan O'Brien challenged Reichelt — maintaining that the workings of the mayor's office haven't been transparent enough.
Last night Reichelt said, he can do better.
"We can have more forums, more neighborhood meetings... and kind of get at what it is that folks are looking for that I'm not delivering," Reichelt said.
From his home last night, O'Brien said he hopes Reichelt follows through on that promise. O'Brien said he is proud of the campaign he ran, addressing issues that are important to the community.
"My biggest concern and challenge was the ever increasing budget," O'Brien said. "I felt it wasn't being managed properly."
O'Brien, a former West Springfield police captain, will finish his term through the end of the year. Then in January, West Springfield's newly elected and re-elected officials will be sworn in.
Many resident expressed their support for Reichelt at the polls Tuesday morning.
Longtime West Springfield resident Catherine Pappas says she believes things are going well in the city and credits Reichelt for that.
"Well, the candidate I voted for is smart, is an attorney, has been doing wonderful things and made positive changes for the town of West Springfield over the years," Pappas said. "I voted for Will, absolutely."
Pappas said Reichelt is accessible to residents.
"He really cares about what's going on. You can talk to him about any issue at any time, and he really makes you feel like you're heard," she said.
Susan McCarthy and Bruce Barone spent time outside the Senior Center in West Springfield Tuesday gathering donations of coats and food for the West Springfield High School Key Club. Both voted early and cast their ballots for Reichelt.
McCarthy echoed Pappas' sentiment, saying she supported Reichelt because of his openness with residents.
"Well, I think the greatest thing about Mayor Will is his effective communication style," she said. "He informs us what's going on. He tells us how he feels. I think he's a very clear communicator."
The city also had two town council seat races as well as 16 ballot questions to decide on.
NEPM intern Umar Vorona contributed to this report.
